PDF hosted at the Radboud Repository of the Radboud University Nijmegen The following full text is a publisher's version. For additional information about this publication click this link. http://hdl.handle.net/2066/43750 Please be advised that this information was generated on 2021-09-25 and may be subject to change. A grammar of Abui A Papuan language of Alor Published by LOT phone: +31 30 253 6006 Janskerkhof 13 fax: +31 30 253 6406 3512 BL Utrecht e-mail: [email protected] The Netherlands http://www.lotschool.nl Cover illustration: Takalelang houses – picture by Alena Lišková. ISBN 978-90-78328-28-5 NUR 616 Copyright © 2007: František Kratochvíl. All rights reserved. A grammar of Abui A Papuan language of Alor PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van Doctor aan de Universiteit Leiden, op gezag van de Rector Magnificus, prof. mr. P.F. van der Heijden, volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties te verdedigen op woensdag 30 mei 2007 klokke 15:15 uur door František Kratochvíl geboren te Havlíčkův Brod, Tsjechië in 1976 ii Promotiecommissie: Promotor: Prof. dr. M. Mous Co-promotoren: Dr. M.A.F. Klamer Dr. G.P. Reesink (Radboud Universiteit, Universiteit Leiden) Referent: Prof. dr. L.J. de Vries (Vrije Universiteit) Overige leden: Prof. dr. L.L.S. Cheng Dr. M. van Staden (Universiteit van Amsterdam) Prof. dr. H. Steinhauer The research reported here was conducted in the context of M.A.F. Klamer’s ‘Vernieuwingsimpuls’-project ‘Linguistic variation in Eastern Indonesia’ funded by the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). Fieldwork in 2004 was funded by the Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project. Acknowledgements This book is a linguistic account of an amazing journey. As a small boy I used to hear stories about Indonesia from my father’s friend who worked there and found it the most beautiful place on Earth. Later, during my studies in Nijmegen, I took courses in Indonesian and fieldwork methods, and became convinced that I could travel to those remote islands myself and describe a language. The first step of this journey started in Leiden in 2002. My whole-hearted thanks belong to those who guided me patiently along the journey, and whom, as the tradition dictates, I may not name. Many people accompanied me as the journey unfolded. In Leiden, I owe thanks to my colleagues at Leiden University Centre for Linguistics for teaching, reading, listening, good friendship, joyful company, culinary treats, and any possible combination of these. They are Alwin Kloekhorst, Amir Tauber, Anikó Liptak, Aone van Engelenhoven, Arie Verhagen, Birgitta Bexten, Boban Arsenijević, Chris Reintges, Crit Cremers, Don van Minde, Erik Schoorlemmer, Frank Landsbergen, Felix Ameka, Geert Booij, Guus Kroonen, Jenneke van der Wal, Jenny Doetjes, Jeroen van de Weijer, Joanna Sio, Johan Rooryk, Jos Pacilly, Juliette Huber, Hilke Reckman, Kateřina Součková, Kofi Dorvlo, Kristin Meier, Kristina Riedel, Leo Wong, Leston Buell, Luis Vicente, Martin Salzmann, Maarten Kossmann, Michaël Peyrot, Mika Poss, Noureddine Elouazizi, Rint Sybesma, Rob Goedemans, Ruben Stoel, Sander Steeman, Seino van Breugel, Seyoum Mulugeta, Stella Grilla, Tolemariam Fufa, Ton van der Wouden, Vincent van Heuven. I would also like to thank Nelleke Goudswaard and Wilco van den Heuvel for taking care of practical issues concerning language description. In Indonesia, I found hospitality and friends in many places. I thank Uri Tadmor for sharing his fine home in Jakarta and his colleagues at MPI Field station, Antonia Soriente and Betty Litamahuputty for a fine company. I am pleased to acknowledge the official support that I have received from MPI Field station Jakarta and in particular from Dr. Uri Tadmor as well as from Universitas Atma Jaya, Jakarta and in particular from Professor Bambang Kaswanti Purwo. I owe many thanks to Andreas Wijaya, Obing Katubi, Anisah Kortshak, Yunus Riadi Herman, Arnoldus Arif Kusuma for their friendship and merry company and to Dani Martati for her delicious cooking and care. In Kupang, June Jacob, John Haan, Flori Lake, Christo and Ben always helped me around. Universitas Kristen Arthawacana Kupang supported my research. When I stayed with Madah Biha’s family, it felt like home. I also thank Bapak Arkilaus Sabu and Elias Ndiwa and their families for their great hospitality. Once the journey reached Alor, Karsten van der Oord introduced me to the family of Chris Dani, who looked after me in Kalabahi and shared their home and delicious food. Karsten took me out for diving, bought me strong liquors, told me a lot about Alor and taught me how to chew betel nut. Sister Christa, Sister Gisela, Romo Polce and Romo Toni showed me the pure and humble face of christianity. Many thanks are directed to Andreas Malaikosa and Neil Johnston from SIL branch Alor. I also thank Daniel Bekak and Ans Takalapeta who supported my research in Alor. vi Karsten van der Oord introduced me to Timoteus, Amalia, Dori, Orpa and Simon Lanma, who took me in their family and treated me as their own. They taught me their ‘straight’ language, as they call it. They took care of me in times of illness and discomfort and made me laugh on so many occasions. I thank Benidiktus Delpada and Waksi Maufani, who carried the daily linguistic burden with me, and they carried it so well. I thank my little friends Fani, Fan Ata, Eman, Simon-Kakak, Lon-Rut, Orpa, and Peni for taking me for trips to the jungle and teaching me so many things. I also thank Nelis, Eben, Ande, Loni, Hilde, Nani, Lon Fan for being good villagers. I thank Bapak Penku, Bapak Vinsen, Bapak Maiku, Bapak Aliku, Bapak Ande, Bapa Elias, and many others for sharing their stories and language with me. They were tried to teach me the ‘straight’ Abui, but I am afraid it is still quite twisted. The first two trips I made together with Louise Baird and Peter Newman. They looked after me in many ways wherever I went or stayed: in Leiden, Indonesia, and Australia. Louise was a frustratingly hard-working officemate and a wonderful colleague. In Australia, I am grateful to Bill Foley for valuable comments on many matters, especially on generic verbs. I thank Andrew Pawley for his support and sharing his knowledge. John Hajek helped me with Abui tones. I also thank John Bowden, Mark Donohue and Gary Holton. Along the journey, I met my paranymph Floris Scheplitz. Floris accompanied me on my last trip to Alor, conducting his own ethnobotanic research. It was a true pleasure having him and Marloes around. I was blessed with the company of the gentlemen Freek Otte, Eric Thomassen, Martin Vink, Frank de Wever, and Fred Hamburg, with whom I spent many hours in De Bonte Koe and De Burcht, discussing sacral and secular issues passionately. I thank Lewis Mayo, Julian Millie, Rati and Joe, Ivana Hladká, Gershon Kaigere for their cheerful company and many nice dinners. I would like to thank my old friends Gerard van Poppel, Jasper van der Weerd, the late Sjef van Tilborg, Tim Sparla, Tom Willems, Ineke de Kort, Lisette Crooijmans, Kees van Dongen and Mieke Hoedemakers (with Berend and Willem) in Nijmegen; Roy van Rijt en Hilde Beurskens in Haelen; Klaas en Anja Visser in Beemster; Kitty, Marino, Sjoerd (and octopuses), Tijs, and Bas in Rijen; Kamila Krupičková, Johan Deknopper, Fred Stroobants in Belgium, Martijn Cooijmans in London; and Tomáš Langášek and Michal Kramář in the Czech Republic, for always being there even when I was not there. Reinoud, Rienje and Jan visited me in Takalelang and cooked me plenty good dinners. Thomas made it to Alor only in the belly, but was our companion in all the following adventures. The Eastern European connection was taken care of by Boban Arsenijević, my second paranymph, and his graceous company Dunce and Lidija. He appreciates generic verbs, slivowitz, absurdity and melodramatic sentiment and knows that without these, one gets easily lost, being far from one’s homeland. Joanna Sio became another eastern connection. She taught me to appreciate general knowlegde, food-related metaphors and convinced me to move to Hong Kong. Joanna helped me through the last months of writing this book. At the end of a proper journey, one should go home. I thank my family in the Czech Republic for allowing me to go and learn that villages on the other side of this planet are not that different from Dobroutov, the little village where we come from. I remember those who passed away while I was not there. Table of Contents Acknowledgements v Maps xiv List of tables xvi List of figures xvii List of glosses xviii 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Geographic position 1 1.2 History 2 1.3 Abui community 3 1.4 Linguistic situation 4 1.5 Earlier descriptions of the Abui language 5 1.6 Genetic affiliation 6 1.7 Typological sketch 11 1.8 Fieldwork and language informants 20 1.9 Corpus 21 1.10 Outline of the grammar and the presentation of data 23 2 Phonology 25 2.1.1 Segmental inventory 25 2.1.2 Minimal pairs of consonants 26 2.1.3 Minimal pairs of vowels 27 2.2 Phonotactics 31 2.2.1 Distribution of consonants 31 2.2.2 Vowel sequences 35 2.3 Syllable structure 39 2.4 Prosodic word 43 2.4.1 Nouns 43 2.4.2 Loan words 45 2.4.3 Verbs and Function words 46 2.5 Stress 50 2.5.1 Monosyllabic words 50 2.5.2 Iambic pattern 51 2.5.3 Iambic pattern with extrametricality 55 2.5.4 Stress and tone 58 2.5.5 Stress and vowel quality 62 2.5.6 Affixes 62 2.5.7 Conclusion 64 2.6 Abui orthography 65 3 Grammatical Categories 67 3.1 Morphological typology 67 3.2 Nouns 70 3.2.1 Semantic properties 70 3.2.2 Categorial indeterminacy 70 3.2.3 Distributional properties