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Reflections on the Use of the Pronoun Ale in Jula

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Reflections on the Use of the Pronoun Ale in Jula Another perspective on logophoricity: reflections on the use of the pronoun ale in Jula Alassane Kiemtor´e [email protected] University of Stuttgart TripleA 7 July 20, 2020 1 / 75 The starting point Two ambiguities A pronoun within an embedded report can be in two ways ambiguous. 1 referential ambiguity 2 perspectival ambiguity 2 / 75 The starting point Referential ambiguity The pronoun can refer to the reported agent or not. (1) Peteri said that hei =j is clever. (a) Peter said that Peter is clever. (b) Peter said that someone else (John) is clever. 3 / 75 The starting point The notion of perspective An expression E is from the perspective of an individual X when E is interpreted relatively to X ´s judgments (attitudes) or when X is responsible for the content of E (cf. Reinhart 1983, Sanders and Redeker 1996, Sanders and Spooren 1997). 4 / 75 The starting point Perspectival ambiguity Under coreference with the reported agent, the pronoun can indicate either the perspective of the reported agent or the perspective of the (reporting) speaker (cf. Reinhart 1983, Oshima 2006). * de se vs. non de se ambiguity (see Casta~neda1968, Lewis 1979, Perry 1979, and many others.) (2) Peteri said that hei is clever. (a) de se context (* Peter´s perspective) Peter is proud of his academic achievement and says: \I am clever." (b) non de se context (* Speaker´s perspective) After reading an old paper of himself, amnesic Peter comes to say: \This guy is clever." 5 / 75 The special case of logophoric pronouns The notion of logophoricity referential dependency that holds between a special class of pronominal forms, e.g., logophoric pronouns (LPs) and a sentence-internal antecedent that represents the person whose speech, attitude or other mental state is being reported (cf. Hag`ege1974, Clements 1975, Sells 1987). 6 / 75 The special case of logophoric pronouns No referential ambiguity with LPs (3) a. Ewe (Clements 1975:142) Kofi be ye`-dzo Kofi say LOG leave ‘Kofii said that hei=∗j left.' b. Yoruba (cf. Adesola 2005, Anand, 2006) Olu´i so p´e ouni r´ı John Olu say that LOG see John `Ol´ui said that hei=∗j saw John.' 7 / 75 The special case of logophoric pronouns LPs indicate the perspective of reported agent. * LPs only have de se reading (4) Logophoric oun in Yoruba (Anand 2006, based on Park 2018:04) (a) C1: de se context (* Olu´s perspective) Olu says: "I saw John." (b) C2: non de se context (* Speaker´s perspective) Olu says: "That guy saw John." (Unbeknownst to Olu, that guy is he himself.) Olu´i so p´e ouni r´ı John [4 C1, 8 C2] Olu say that LOG see John `Ol´ui said that hei saw John.' 8 / 75 Summarizing Normal pronoun Logophoric pronoun referentially ambiguous refers to reported agent perspectivally ambiguous indicates reported agent´s perspective 9 / 75 In my talk I will discuss the logophoric use of the Jula pronoun ale I show that the behavior of the pronoun cannot be accounted for under standard ways of analysing LPs. Propose an alternative approach to the phenomenon of logophoricity in Jula. 10 / 75 Outline 1 Core aspects of logophoricity in Jula 2 Standard analysis of logophoricity 3 Another way 4 Deriving logophoricity from contrastive focus 5 conclusion 11 / 75 Core aspects of logophoricity in Jula 12 / 75 Short note on the language West African Manding Language (Niger-Congo Family), spoken in Burkina Faso and C^oted'Ivoire, closely related to Bambara (Mali). Tone language with rigid SOV word order, pre-verbal TAM-marking, no case marking. Two series of pronominal forms. 13 / 75 Logophoric marking Jula has two series of pronominal forms. (5) Table 1: Personal pronouns of Jula simple forms emphatic forms singular plural singular plural 1. person n an ne anu 2. person i aw ile alu 3. person a o ale olu ale (pl. olu) [3.pers, emphatic] has logophoric interpretation a (pl. o) [3.pers] is not anti-logophoric 14 / 75 Licensing contexts complement and adjunct clauses introduced by ko [COMP] (6) complement clause of speech predicate a. Awai ko´ (ko) ai=j te se donkilila la. Awa say COMP 3SG HAB.NEG can singing PostP `Awai said that shei /j does not sing well.' b. Awai ko´ (ko) alei=∗j te se donkilila la. Awa say COMP 3EMP HAB.NEG can singing PostP `Awai said that shei /∗j does not sing well.' 15 / 75 Licensing contexts complement and adjunct clauses introduced by ko [COMP] (7) complement clause of a doxastic predicate a. (a bE) Adamai ñE na ko ai /j te se 3SG COP Adama.POSS eye PostP COMP 3SG HAB.NEG can donkilila la. singing PostP `Awai thinks/believes shei /j does not sing well.' b. (a bE) Adamai ñE na ko alei=∗j te 3SG COP Adama.POSS eye PostP COMP 3EMP HAB.NEG se donkilila la. can singing PostP `Awai thinks/believes that shei /∗j does not sing well.' 16 / 75 Licensing contexts complement and adjunct clauses introduced by ko [COMP] (8) a. \genuine" causal clauses with sabu ?Adamai taga-ra Bobo sabu alei /j bamuso man kEnE Adama go-PFV Bobo COMP LOG mother COP.NEG well `Adamai went to Bobo because hisi /j mother was sick.' b. \derived" causal clauses with ko Adamai taga-ra Bobo ko alei /∗j bamuso man kEnE Adama go-PFV Bobo COMP LOG mother COP.NEG well `Adamai went to Bobo because hisi /∗j mother was sick." 17 / 75 Nature of the dependency Logophoricity in Jula exihibts the following properties Long-distance dependency * no local antecedent (9) a. Adamai ko Awaj ye alei=∗j bamuso nEni Adama say Awa PFV LOG mother insult `Adamai said that Awaj has insulted hisi / *herj mother.' b. Adamai dimi-na ko Awaj ye alei=∗j bamuso Adama get.upset-PFV COMP Awa PFV LOG mother nEni insult `Adamai got upset because Awaj has insulted hisi / *herj mother.' 18 / 75 Nature of the dependency Logophoricity in Jula exihibts the following properties No c-command required (10) a. [Adamai ñE]DP na ko Awaj ye alei=∗j bamuso Adama.POSS eye PostP COMP Awa PFV LOG mother nEni insult `Adamai thinks/believes that Awaj has insulted hisi / *herj mother.' b. [Adama facEi ]DP dimi-na ko Awaj ye alei=∗j Adama father get.upset-PFV COMP Awa PFV LOG den nEni child insult `Adama´s fatheri got upset because Awaj has insulted hisi / *herj child (son).' 19 / 75 Nature of the dependency Logophoricity in Jula exihibts the following properties The antecedent must be referential * no quantifier antecedent (11) a. BEEi ko ale∗i=j hakili ka di everyone say LOG mind COP good `Everyonei said that he∗i=j is clever.' b. BEEi dimi-na ko Awaj ye ale∗i=∗j=k nEni everyone get.upset-PFV COMP Awa PFV LOG insult `Everyonei got upset because Awaj has insulted him∗i=∗j=k .' 20 / 75 Nature of the dependency Logophoricity in Jula exihibts the following properties No strict, but sloppy identity under VP ellipsis (12) Adamai ko alei hakili ka di, Awaj fana Adama say LOG mind COP good Awa too `Adamai said that he∗i=j is clever, Awa did too.' 4 Adamai said that hei is clever. Awaj said that shej is clever. 8 Adamai said that hei is clever. Awaj said that hei is clever. 21 / 75 Nature of the dependency Logophoricity in Jula exihibts the following properties No strict, but sloppy identity under VP ellipsis (13) Adamai dimi-na ko Issaj ye alei nEni, Awak fana everyone get.upset-PFV COMP Awa PFV LOG insult Awa too `Adamai got upset because Issaj has insulted himi , so did Awak too.' 4 Adamai got upset because Issaj has insulted himi . Awak got upset because Issaj has insulted herk . 8 Adamai got upset because Issaj has insulted himi . Awak got upset because Issaj has insulted himi . 22 / 75 Logophoric ale encodes reported agent´s perspective De se reading in complement clauses non de se context: Awa's brother discreetly recorded her singing on his cell phone. He then sent her the recording with the following message: She sings well, doesn't she? Awa listened to it and answered to her brother: This girl sounds horrible. She does not sing well. Unfortunately, Awa did not realize she has just heard her own voice. (14) a. Awa ko´ (ko) sunguri nin te se donkilila la Awa say COMP girl DEM HAB.NEG can singing PostP `Awa said that this girl does not sing well.' b. Awai ko´ (ko) ai te se donkilila la. Awa say COMP 3SG HAB.NEG can singing PostP `Awai said that shei does not sing well.' c. # Awai ko´ (ko) alei te se donkilila la. Awa say COMP 3EMP HAB.NEG can singing PostP `Awai said that shei does not sing well.' 23 / 75 Logophoric ale encodes reported agent´s perspective De se reading in causal clauses context 1: no speech Adama does not know his biological parents. He was living on the streets when he met a woman named Awa, who later on helped him find work. Unbeknownst to both, Awa is the birth mother of Adama. One day Adama was in Ouagadougou when he was informed that Awa was sick. He immediately went to Bobo-Dioulasso to see her. (15) #Adamai taga-ra Bobo ko alei /∗j bamuso man kEnE Adama go-PFV Bobo COMP LOG mother COP.NEG well `Adamai went to Bobo because hisi /∗j mother was sick.' causal clauses with ko require that the antecedent of the logophoric pronoun has uttered the "content of the reason" 24 / 75 Logophoric ale encodes reported agent´s perspective De se reading in causal clauses context 1: speech Same like in context 1, but when Adama arrived in Bobo, he got a call from his friend Madu who asked him about the reason for his hasty departure.
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