DOCSLIB.ORG

Clause Structure

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Clause Structure Chapter 6 Clause structure In this chapter I describe the basic structure ofclauses in Barupu. Out ofkeeping with polysynthetic typology, there is linear ordering ofgrammatical functions in the clause, but there is no strong evidence ofhierarchical structure within that ordering, see §6.2. Section 6.3 discusses the grammatical status ofverbal affixes and their interaction with overt NPs. In §6.4, I present an overview ofmechanisms for marking the pragmatic status ofparticipants, including deviations from canonical word order. Finally, in §6.5 I discuss non-verbal predicates. I begin with definitions and a summary ofgrammatical functions in Barupu. 6.1 Grammatical functions Every verb in Barupu shows agreement for at least one argument and some obligatorily show agreement for two. One consequence ofobligatory agreement is that there is no deletion ofarguments under identity conditions, or control of infinitives, meaning that many ofthe usual syntactic tests used for identifYing grammatical relations cannot be appealed to. This also means that there is no need to identifY a privileged 'grammatical subject' or 'pivot' function. In addition, any participant can be relativised in Barupu and there are no voice operations. The 167 Clause structure 16& functions I will identifY for Barupu have clause-internal definitions only. Another factor complicating the identification ofgrammatical functions in Barupu is the lack ofany NP marking. There are no case markers, adpositions or particles which give any information about the role an NP has in the clause. There are indications ofan NP's role (e.g. word order) but there is no overt marking. The lack ofNP marking, coupled with the lack ofcross-clausal operations targetting specific arguments, makes it difficult to define a class ofcore arguments and draw the familiar line between them and obliques. Following is a list ofthe seven possible functions an NP might be performing in a Barupu clause and their identifYing characteristics. Three ofthese can be instantiated in a simple or complex verbal word, the others are only identified by distributional characteristics such as word order and, in some cases, inherent meaning. • Subject: we can identifY the subject relation as encompassing the single argument ofan intransitive verb (5) and the most Actor-like participant ofa transitive verb (A). This argument is marked directly on the verb root by prefixes, as well as, in some conj ugation classes, infixes. Any NP co-referencing this argument must be pre-verbal. The words unake 'alone' and beku REFL have scope over this argument. Identifying an object relation is less straightforward. Non-subjects ofunderived clauses are the obligatory non-Actor-like participants ofmonotransitive verbs (P), and the Themes (T) and Recipients (R) ofditransitive verbs. These arguments have the following characteristics: • P: monotransitive verbs fall into two classes according to the morphological treatment oftheir Ps. As discussed in detail in §4.2.2, verbs with typically Clause structure 169 inanimate, unindividuated Ps do not cross-reference their Ps with suffixes. The NP representing an unindividuated P (Pu) always appears before the verb. Verbs with typically animate, individuated Ps obligatorily cross-reference their Ps on the verb with a suffix. The NP representing an individuated P (Pi) unrnarkedly appears pre-verbally but can appear after the verb in a pragmatically-marked construction (§6.4.1). • T: like Pu, this argument is not marked on the verb; its only instantiation in the clause is an NP, and again like Pu, the NP must be pre-verbal. • R: this argument is obligatorily cross-referenced on the verb by suffix and the NP unrnarkedly appears post-verbally. As well as the obligatory participants ofunderived clauses discussed above, the following NPs may also be found in the clause: • Instrument: an optional participant which is not case marked nor marked on the verb. An NP referencing this participant is most often pre-verbal but can also be found post-verbally. • Location/Reason: an optional participant which is not case marked nor marked on the verb. An NP referencing this participant is unrnarkedly post-verbal. When a nominal found here has inherently locational semantics e.g. bo 'place', it supplies a Goal/Source/Location role depending on the verb; when a nominal without any locational semantics is found here it supplies a sort of 'Reason' role, see below. • 'Adjunct' nominal: a nominal which, for reasons given in §6.2.6 below, I will argue fonus a complex predicate with the verb rather than acting as a participant. This nominal always appears directly before the verb. Clausestrucmre 170 • Added object: introduced into the clause by one oftwelve participant-adding suffixes or the Beneficiary/Possessor prefix. The added object is obligatorily marked by a suffix directly on the participant-adding morpheme. Added objects can play many different semantic roles, depending on the meaning ofthe participant-adding morpheme and the meaning ofthe verb. They fulfil most of the functions ofadpositions and semantic cases in other languages (see Chapter 7). NPs co-referencing these participants are unrnarkedly post-verbal. Leaving out the non-participant adjunct nominals and the objects added by extra morphology, we can list the possible participants ofsimple clauses and schematise their characteristics as in Table 6.1. Table 6.1 Participants and tbeir coding verb agreement NP position subject prefix/infix pre-verbal P (individuated) suffix pre/post-verbal P (unindividuated) pre-verbal R suffix post-verbal T pre-verbal Instrument pre/post-verbal Location/Reason post-verbal As is shown in the Table there are only two ways - verb agreement and word order to potentially group the obligatory sub-categorised arguments (subject, Ps, T and R), and distinguish them from the optional non-subcategorised adjuncts (Instrument and LocationlReason). Turning first to the obligatory arguments set and the difficulty ofuniquely identifYing the object relations, we can see that unindividuated Ps ofmonotransitive verbs receive the same treatment as Ts ofditransitive verbs. Neither is cross-referenced on the verb and both must appear pre-verbally. Rs ofditransitive verbs receive the same morphological marking as individuated Ps ofmonotransitive Clause structure 171 verbs but the two argument types have different word order distributions in the clause; individuated Ps are unmarkedly pre-verbal while R;; are unmarkedly post-verbal. In establishing object systems Dryer (1986:29) shows that a system which treats P and T in the same way in contrast to R, has a direct/indirect object distinction like that found in English. A system which treats P and R in the same way in contrast to T has a primary/secondary object distinction. This can be seen in Figure 6.1. 3. direct vs. indirect object b. primary "'S. secondary object Direct Object Primary Object Monotransitive Ditransitive Ditransitive R Indirect Object Secondary Object Figure 6.1 Groupings ofP, T and R. Source: Dryer (1986:29) Adapting this system to Barupu is not straightforward. For example, in Barupu, we must identify two different Ps ofmonotransitive verbs: individuated (Pi) and unidividuated (Pu). The Barupu groupings are shown in Figure 6.2. Pre or post ,,<bat Pre-verbal Obligatory wffix Monoltansitive Oiuansitive Post-verbal No marking a. Word order possibilities b. Verb Agreement Figure 6.2 Barupu groupings ofPu, Pi, T and R Clause structure 172 We can see from Figure 6.2 that the Barupu object system is mixed. Word order treats Pu in the same way as T in contrast to both R and Pi.! Verb morphology, on the other hand, treats Pi and R the same in contrast to Pu and T- yielding something similar to a primary/secondary object distinction. There does not seem to be a simple way ofreducing the object relations to grammatical functions - Pu and T can be conflated to one function, which I will call secondary object. However, Pi and R cannot be grouped into the one function of primary object, because oftheir different positions in the clause. I will refer to the suffix on the verb as the object slot even though it seems more closely related to individuation/animacy than to a grammatical function, but I will continue to make a distinction between Pi and R in discussions ofword order. I tum now to the agreement and word order characteristics ofthe optional participants and the difficulty ofgiving a clear morpho-syntactic statement about the difference between core and oblique participants in Barupu. Neither Instruments nor Location/Reason participants are cross-referenced on the verb. Instruments are unmarkedly pre-verbal and LocationlReason participants are unmarkedly post-verbal. One argument might be that lack ofverb agreement indicates non-core status. The problem with this is that Pu and T are not marked on the verb and yet they are obligatory. Ifthese participants could be shown to be non-arguments (e.g. incorporated) then this analysis would hold. However, they do seem to have all the characteristics offull arguments (e.g. they can be full NPs). Another argument might be that the post-verbal position occupied by Location/Reason is the oblique position because all other arguments in simple clauses have the potential to appear pre-verbally. This grouping would mean singling out I It is interesting to consider the pragmatic permubility ofPi in terms ofBarupu's incipient polysyn­ thetic typology. For example, we could speculate that it is a sign ofmovement away from fixed word order to a more discourse·figurational clause structure. At the same time, the lack ofverbal agreement and fixity ofthe Pu could be a movement towards incorporation ofthese arguments. Clause structure 173 Instrument for special treatment because it can appear before the verb, but that may be alright because it is not always clear whether Instruments are sub-categorised or not (Andrews 1985:91-92). However, Rs also appear post-verbally and these are obligatorily marked on the verb and clearly obligatory sub-categorised arguments.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Person and Number in Pronouns: a Feature-Geometric Analysis
    PERSON AND NUMBER IN PRONOUNS: A FEATURE-GEOMETRIC ANALYSIS HEIDI HARLEY ELIZABETH RITTER University of Arizona University of Calgary The set of person and number features necessary to characterize the pronominal paradigms of the world’s languages is highly constrained, and their interaction is demonstrably systematic. We develop a geometric representation of morphosyntactic features which provides a principled explanation for the observed restrictions on these paradigms. The organization of this geometry represents the grammaticalization of fundamental cognitive categories, such as reference, plurality, and taxonomy. We motivate the geometry through the analysis of pronoun paradigms in a broad range of genetically distinct languages.* INTRODUCTION. It is generally accepted that syntactic and phonological representa- tions are formal in nature and highly structured. Morphology, however, is often seen as a gray area in which amorphous bundles of features connect phonology with syntax via a series of ad hoc correspondence rules. Yet it is clear from the pronoun and agreement paradigms of the world’s languages that Universal Grammar provides a highly constrained set of morphological features, and moreover that these features are systematically and hierarchically organized.1 In this article we develop a structured representation of person and number features intended to predict the range and types of interactions among them. More specifically, we will motivate the claims in 1. (1) Claims a. The language faculty represents pronominal elements with a geometry of morphological features. b. The organization of this geometry is constrained and motivated by con- ceptual considerations. c. Crosslinguistic variation and paradigm-internal gaps and syncretisms are constrained by the hierarchical organization of features in the universal geometry.
    [Show full text]
  • Valence-Increasing Strategies in Urim Syntax Written by Joyce Kathleen Wood and Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts
    Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics Thesis Approval Sheet This thesis, entitled Valence-increasing strategies in Urim syntax written by Joyce Kathleen Wood and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts with major in Applied Linguistics has been read and approved by the undersigned members of the faculty f the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics. Dr. Paul R. Kroegen(Mentor) Dr. Michael Boutin Dr. Karl J. Franklin Mr. Robet J. Conrad Vecember 4, 2012 Date VALENCE -INCREASING STRATEGIES IN URIM SYNTAX By Joyc e Kathleen Wood Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts with major in Applied Linguistics Graduate Institute of Applied Lingu istics December 2012 © 2012 Joyce Kathleen Wood All Rights Reserved CERTIFICATE I acknowledge that use of copyrighted material in my thesis may place me under an obligation to the copyright holder, especially when use of such materials exceeds usual fair use provisions. I hereby certify that I have obtained the written permission of the copyright owner for any and all such occurrences and that no portion of my thesis has been copyrighted previously unless properly referenced. I hereby agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics from any and all claims that may be asserted or that may arise from any copyright violation. 8ignature ecember 4 2012 Date THESIS DUPLICATION RELEASE I hereby authorize the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics Library to duplicate this thesis when needed for research and/or scholarship.
    [Show full text]
  • A Feature-Geometric Analysis Author(S): Heidi Harley and Elizabeth Ritter Source: Language, Vol
    Linguistic Society of America Person and Number in Pronouns: A Feature-Geometric Analysis Author(s): Heidi Harley and Elizabeth Ritter Source: Language, Vol. 78, No. 3 (Sep., 2002), pp. 482-526 Published by: Linguistic Society of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3086897 Accessed: 05-09-2016 03:08 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms Linguistic Society of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Language This content downloaded from 150.135.135.70 on Mon, 05 Sep 2016 03:08:52 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms PERSON AND NUMBER IN PRONOUNS: A FEATURE-GEOMETRIC ANALYSIS HEIDI HARLEY ELIZABETH RITTER University of Arizona University of Calgary The set of person and number features necessary to characterize the pronominal paradigms of the world's languages is highly constrained, and their interaction is demonstrably systematic. We develop a geometric representation of morphosyntactic features which provides a principled explanation for the observed restrictions on these paradigms. The organization of this geometry represents the grammaticalization of fundamental cognitive categories, such as reference, plurality, and taxonomy. We motivate the geometry through the analysis of pronoun paradigms in a broad range of genetically distinct languages.* INTRODUCTION.
    [Show full text]
  • A Grammar of Awtuw
    PACIFIC LINGUISTICS Series B - No. 94 A GRAMMAR OF AWTUW by Harry Feldman Department of Linguistics Research School of Pacific Studies THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Feldman, H. A grammar of Awtuw. B-94, vi + 230 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1986. DOI:10.15144/PL-B94.cover ©1986 Pacific Linguistics and/or the author(s). Online edition licensed 2015 CC BY-SA 4.0, with permission of PL. A sealang.net/CRCL initiative. PACIFIC LINGUISTICS is issued through the Linguistic Circle of Canberra and consists of four series: SERIES A - Occasional Papers SERIES B - Monographs SERIES C - Books SERIES D - Special Publications EDITOR: S.A. Wurm ASSOCIATE EDITORS: D.C. Laycock, C.L. Voorhoeve, D.T. Tryon, T.E. Dutton EDITORIAL ADVISERS: B.W. Bender K.A. McElhanon University of Hawaii Sum mer Institute of Linguistics David Bradley H.P. McKaughan La Trobe University University of Hawaii A. Capell P. MUhlhausler University of Sydney Linacre College, Oxford Michael G. Clyne G.N. O'Grady Monash University University of Victoria, B.C. S.H. Elbert A.K. Pawley University of Hawaii University of Auckland K.J. Franklin K.L. Pike Summer Institute of Linguistics Sum mer Institute of Linguistics W.W. Glover E.C. Polome Summer Institute of Linguistics University of Texas G.W. Grace Malcolm Ross University of Hawaii Australian National University M.A.K. Halliday Gillian Sankoff University of Sydney University of Pennsylvania E. Haugen W.A.L. Stokhof Harvard University University of Leiden A. Healey B.K. T'sou Summer Institute of Linguistics City Polytechnic of Hong Kong L.A.
    [Show full text]
  • Repurposing Bible Translations for Grammar Sketches*
    Repurposing Bible Translations for Grammar Sketches* Paul M. Heider, Adam Hatfield, & Jennifer Wilson State University of New York at Buffalo {pmheider,ah63,jlw55}@buffalo.edu With the number of languages expected to go extinct in the coming century, language documentation as a priority is gaining increasing support. We discuss an experimental method for augmenting the number and scope of available language descriptions. Unlike tradi- tional language descriptions, this work is largely based on translations of Bible verses with the accompanying English text used as a guide to the underlying semantics. Methodologically, our work sits at the intersection of three different approaches to language and linguistics: Classics studies of undeciphered languages, traditional field methods, and corpus linguistics. We further motivate this methodology and discuss related work in section 1. Section 2 describes some of the language-general chal- lenges posed, both practical and philosophical. Section 3 covers the traditional methodologies from which we extended our work. Section 4 includes short examples from four languages spoken in Papua New Guinea: Folopa, Mufian, Suki, and Urim. In the final section, we sketch several directions for future work. 1. Introduction With the number of languages expected to go extinct in the coming cen- tury, language documentation as a priority has gained increasing support. Unfortunately, the requisite field work to create a thorough language de- scription can be prohibitively expensive (in terms of time and/or money) or temporally impossible (for those languages with no living speakers). We propose a methodology for developing grammatical descriptions based on treating English-language Bible translations1 as the underlying semantics for a passage in the target language.
    [Show full text]
  • Urimverbsthesis 4Dec2012 FINAL
    Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics Thesis Approval Sheet This thesis, entitled Valence-increasing strategies in Urim syntax written by Joyce Kathleen Wood and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts with major in Applied Linguistics has been read and approved by the undersigned members of the faculty of the Gradu ate Institute of Applied Linguistics. Dr. Paul R. Kroeger (Mentor) f Dr. Michael Boutin ,.*,f*6tt/;a-,r/ {\.\ ffi,4-^ff- {{e Dr. Karl J. Franklin ffit,re Mr. R ?tewqbzr 4,Lo(2 Date VALENCE-INCREASING STRATEGIES IN URIM SYNTAX By Joyce Kathleen Wood Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts with major in Applied Linguistics Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics December 2012 © 2012 Joyce Kathleen Wood All Rights Reserved CERTIFICATE I acknowledge that use of copyrighted material in my thesis may place me under an obligation to the copyright holder, especially when use of such materials exceeds usual fair use provisions. I hereby certi$r that I have obtained the written permission of the copynght owner for any and all such occurrences and that no portion of my thesis has been copyrighted previously unless properly referenced. I hereby agree to indemniff and hold harmless the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics from,any and all claims that may be asserted or that may arise from any copyright violation. }Jirr.*rr.,I-r.c 4ula$tg Date THESIS DUPLICATION RELEASE I hereby authortze the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics Librury to duplicate this thesis when needed for research andlor scholarship.
    [Show full text]
  • Online Appendix To
    Online Appendix to Hammarström, Harald & Sebastian Nordhoff. (2012) The languages of Melanesia: Quantifying the level of coverage. In Nicholas Evans & Marian Klamer (eds.), Melanesian Languages on the Edge of Asia: Challenges for the 21st Century (Language Documentation & Conservation Special Publication 5), 13-34. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ’Are’are [alu] < Austronesian, Nuclear Austronesian, Malayo- Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo- Polynesian, Oceanic, Southeast Solomonic, Longgu-Malaita- Makira, Malaita-Makira, Malaita, Southern Malaita Geerts, P. 1970. ’Are’are dictionary (Pacific Linguistics: Series C 14). Canberra: The Australian National University [dictionary 185 pp.] Ivens, W. G. 1931b. A Vocabulary of the Language of Marau Sound, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies VI. 963–1002 [grammar sketch] Tryon, Darrell T. & B. D. Hackman. 1983. Solomon Islands Languages: An Internal Classification (Pacific Linguistics: Series C 72). Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. Bibliography: p. 483-490 [overview, comparative, wordlist viii+490 pp.] ’Auhelawa [kud] < Austronesian, Nuclear Austronesian, Malayo- Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo- Polynesian, Oceanic, Western Oceanic linkage, Papuan Tip linkage, Nuclear Papuan Tip linkage, Suauic unknown, A. (2004 [1983?]). Organised phonology data: Auhelawa language [kud] milne bay province http://www.sil.org/pacific/png/abstract.asp?id=49613 1 Lithgow, David. 1987. Language change and relationships in Tubetube and adjacent languages. In Donald C. Laycock & Werner Winter (eds.), A world of language: Papers presented to Professor S. A. Wurm on his 65th birthday (Pacific Linguistics: Series C 100), 393-410. Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University [overview, comparative, wordlist] Lithgow, David.
    [Show full text]
  • Greville G. Corbett (Ed.) the Expression of Gender the Expression of Cognitive Categories
    Greville G. Corbett (Ed.) The Expression of Gender The Expression of Cognitive Categories Editors Wolfgang Klein Stephen Levinson Volume 6 The Expression of Gender Edited by Greville G. Corbett ISBN: 978-3-11-030660-6 e-ISBN: 978-3-11-030733-7 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress. Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2014 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston Typesetting: PTP-Berlin Protago-TEX-Production GmbH, Berlin Printing: Hubert & Co. GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen ♾ Printed on acid-free paper Printed in Germany www.degruyter.com Contents Greville G. Corbett Introduction 1 Sally McConnell-Ginet Gender and its relation to sex: The myth of ‘natural’ gender 3 Michael Dunn Gender determined dialect variation 39 Peter Hegarty Ladies and gentlemen: Word order and gender in English 69 Greville G. Corbett Gender typology 87 Marianne Mithun Gender and culture 131 Niels O. Schiller Psycholinguistic approaches to the investigation of grammatical gender 161 Mulugeta T. Tsegaye, Maarten Mous and Niels O. Schiller Plural as a value of Cushitic gender: Evidence from gender congruency effect experiments in Konso (Cushitic) 191 Author index 215 Language index 219 Subject index 221 Greville G. Corbett Introduction Gender is an endlessly fascinating category. It has obvious links to the real world, first in the connection between many grammatical gender systems and biologi- cal sex, and second in other types of categorization such as size, which underpin particular gender systems and also have external correlates.
    [Show full text]
  • Skou Grammar, Part 1 (Mark Donohue)
    MARK DONOHUE National University of Singapore [email protected] 3 October 2004 Abbreviated table of contents 1 ..........Introduction 1 2 ..........Phonology 33 3 ..........Grammar outline 105 4 ..........Pragmatic marking 123 5 ..........Word classes and clause types 149 6 ..........Pronouns 185 7 ..........Verbs 200 8 ..........Nominal Phrases 278 9 ..........Possession 296 10 ........Nominal Classification 328 11 ........Non-subcategorised participants 355 12 ........Serial verb constructions 372 13 ........Valency changing processes 392 14 ........Adjunct nominals 421 15 ........Complements and Control 441 16 ........Negation, quantification and obliques: the syntax of postverbal position 458 17 ........Non-verbal predicates 471 18 ........Non-statement speech acts 477 19 ........Conjoining, coordination, and switch reference 488 Appendix 1 Wordlists 518 Appendix 2 Verbal paradigms 539 Appendix 3 Acoustic data on tones and vowels 546 Appendix 4 Texts 554 Appendix 5 Comparative data on the Macro-Skou family languages 641 References 687 Index... 692 i ii Contents Abbreviated table of contents List of pictures.........................................................................................xiii Tables ................................................................................................xiii Figures .............................................................................................. xviii Maps .............................................................................................. xviii Preliminaries...........................................................................................xix
    [Show full text]
  • Supplementary Module 2.4 Language Ecology an Introduction to The
    Language Strand Unit 2: The Nature of Language Supplementary Module 2.4 Language Ecology An Introduction to the Ecology of PNG Community Languages Student Support Material LA 2.4 Language Ecology ii Acknowledgements Materials written and compiled by Dr Steve Pickford in consultation with Elizabeth Topa, Holy Trinity PTC, Ben Tamengit, Gaulim PTC and George Kinavai, Madang PTC. Layout and diagrams supported by Nick Lauer. Date: 4 August 2003 PASTEP Primary and Secondary Teacher Education Project Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) GRM International Papua New Guinea-Australia Development Cooperation Program Additional Student Support Material LA 2.4 Language Ecology iii Unit outline Unit # Modules 1 Language Families (Core) Unit 2 2 Spoken and Written Language (Core) The Nature of Language 3 Language Structure (Core) 4 Language Ecology (Optional) Icons Read or research Write or summarise Activity or discussion Additional Student Support Material LA 2.4 Language Ecology iv Contents Part A: An Introduction to the Ecology of PNG Community Languages Introduction: Language Ecology………………………………………………….….1 Reading 1: Vanishing voices – the ecology of language …………………………5 Languages as Memories…………………………………………………………....13 Language as Identities……………………………………………………………....14 Language Ecology and the impact of literacy………………………………….….16 Selecting and encoding a language ……………………………………………….17 Problems of standardisation……………………………………………………...…17 Language Shift……………………………………………………………………….18 Types of Languages……………………………………………………………...….19 Why is it important?………………………………………………………………….21 Appendix 1: Languages of Papua New Guinea List ……………………………..22 Additional Student Support Material LA 2.4 Language Ecology 1 Part A: An Introduction to the Ecology of PNG Community Languages Prerequisites An Introduction to the Ecology of PNG Community Languages (3.3a) is the first of two modules on the topic of Language at Home and at School, within Unit 3: Language as Social Practice.
    [Show full text]
  • THE VERBS for 'AND' in WALMAN, a TORRICELLI LANGUAGE of PAPUA NEW GUINEA University at Buffalo University at Buffalo 1. PREL
    THE VERBS FOR ‘AND’ IN WALMAN, A TORRICELLI LANGUAGE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA LEA BROWN MATTHEW S. DRYER University at Buffalo University at Buffalo In Walman, a language in the Torricelli family spoken in Papua New Guinea, there are two words that have the function of conjoining noun phrases but that have the morphology of transitive verbs, exhibiting subject agreement with the first conjunct and object agreement with the second conjunct. We discuss two interrelated issues concerning these words: (i) Do these words behave syntactically like conjunctions in other languages, in combining with two noun phrases to form a single noun phrase, or are they really just verbs in a serial verb construction?, and (ii) Do these words have a meaning that is closer to a coordinative conjunction like and in English, or do they have a comitative meaning like English with? We show that the evidence on the first of these questions is somewhat contradictory, but that even in cases where the syntactic evidence argues that these verbs do not combine with two noun phrases to form a single noun phrase, they still have a meaning closer to that of and than of with.* 1. PRELIMINARIES. While there are often ways in which languages differ from each other in terms of what word classes they have, the differences are generally small compared with the similarities. Words meaning ‘man’ are almost invariably nouns, words meaning ‘die’ are almost invariably verbs, and words meaning ‘and’ are almost invariably not nouns or verbs. In this article, we report on an unusual word-class assign- ment in Walman, a language in the Wapei-Palei branch of the Torricelli language family of Papua New Guinea.1 In Walman, there are two words for ‘and’ that are both transitive verbs, with the first conjunct as subject and the second conjunct as object.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Vowel Lenition in Micronesian Languages
    PACIFIC LINGUISTICS Senie4 A - No. 56 PAPERS IN NEW GUINEA LINGUISTICS No.20 by Maurice Boxwell Jean Goddard Malcolm Ross Arden G. and Joy Sanders John Davies Department of Linguistics Research School of Pacific Studies THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Boxwell, M., Goddard, J., Ross, M., Sanders, A., Sanders, J. and Davies, H. editors. Papers in New Guinea Linguistics No. 20. A-56, vi + 219 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1980. DOI:10.15144/PL-A56.cover ©1980 Pacific Linguistics and/or the author(s). Online edition licensed 2015 CC BY-SA 4.0, with permission of PL. A sealang.net/CRCL initiative. PACIFIC LINGUISTICS is issued through the Ling ui4�ie CiAeie 06 CanbeAAa and consists of four series: SERIES A - OCCASIONA L PAPERS SERIES B - MONOGRAPHS SERIES C - BOOKS SERIES V - SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS EDITOR: S.A. Wurrn. ASSOCIATE EDITORS: D.C. Laycock, C.L. Voorhoeve, D.T. Tryon, T.E. Dutton. EDITORIAL ADVISERS: B. Bender, University of Hawaii J. Lynch, University of Papua New D. Bradley, University of Melbourne Guinea A. Capell, University of Sydney K.A. McElhanon, University of Texas S. Elbert, University of Hawaii H. McKaughan, University of Hawaii K. Franklin, Summer Institute of P. Mtihlhausler, Linacre College, Oxford Linguistics G.N. O'Grady, University of Victoria, W.W. Glover, Summer Institute of B.C. Linguistics A.K. Pawley, University of Hawaii G. Grace, University of Hawaii K. Pike, University of Michigan; Summer M.A.K. Halliday, University of Institute of Linguistics Sydney E.C. POlorne, University of Texas A. Healey, Summer Institute of G.
    [Show full text]