CLAUSE TYPES AND TRANSITIVITY IN WIXÁRIKA (HUICHOL): A UTO-AZTECAN LANGUAGE by Stefanie Ramos Bierge B.A. equivalent (Licenciatura), Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, México, 2007 M.A. equivalent (Maestría), Universidad de Sonora, México, 2010 A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Linguistics 2017 This dissertation entitled: Clause Types and Transitivity in Wixárika (Huichol): A Uto-Aztecan Language written by Stefanie Ramos Bierge has been approved for the Department of Linguistics _________________________________ J. Andrew Cowell, committee chair __________________________________ Zygmunt Frajzyngier, second reader Date______________________________ The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. IRB protocol #_____0610.11______ ABSTRACT Ramos Bierge, Stefanie (Ph.D., Linguistics) Clause Types and Transitivity in Wixárika (Huichol): A Uto-Aztecan language Dissertation directed by Professor J. Andrew Cowell Wixárika, also known as Huichol, is an endangered Uto-Aztecan language spoken in Mexico. Published works on Wixárika include articles and brief sketches on different aspects of the grammar; however, much about the language remains unknown. This dissertation presents a systematic description of simple clauses in Wixárika, based on eight hours of naturally recorded speech and elicited materials. Using a functional-typological perspective, I explore Wixárika’s morphosyntactic devices to express different types of events. In keeping with the study of clause types, I also explore the language’s morphological devices for modifying the number of arguments. Wixárika has five devices that add a core argument into the clause: causatives -tɨa, -ta, -ya, applicative -ri(e), vowel alternation, lability, and suppletion. Similarly, the language has five devices that reduce the number of arguments: reflexive/reciprocal pronoun prefixes, passive suffixes (-rie, -ya, -wa, -rɨwa, -tsie), middle voice prefix (yu-), and noun incorporation. The overall analysis discusses the implications of the language’s system in existing typological theories. Wixárika shows to be devoid of any clear-cut boundary between clause types, as proposed in typological studies (Hopper & Thompson 1980; Givón 1984; Stassen 1997; Næss 2007; Kittilä 2002). Of particular interest are the prefixes ta-/ti- since they provide more evidence of this scalar nature; the speakers use these prefixes to encode the ‘effectiveness’ of the iii action (Cf. Grimes 1964; Iturrioz & Gómez 2006). These prefixes are explored in relation to other components of transitivity (e.g., the number of arguments and their encoding, tense/aspect/mood, polarity, the individuation of actor and undergoer, and the prefixes ti-/te- ‘distributive subject’) in expressing different degrees of transitivity. I show that these components lack co-variation (Cf. Hopper & Thompson), particularly with the prefixes ta-/ti-. However, the presence or absence of the prefixes ta-/ti- and/or the (de)transitivization devices express different degrees of transitivity. Particularly interesting is the fact that Wixárika has a tendency to polysynthesis, not common in Southern Uto-Aztecan languages. Therefore, this study not only contributes to a growing understanding of the grammatical system of Wixárika but also will clarify the evolution and intra-genetic relations of the Uto-Aztecan family. iv To my family and husband-to-be To the Wixárika community Panpariyutsi Gracias Thank you ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation could not have been written without the support and assistance of many people. I owe my deepest gratitude to the Wixaritari who have taught me their language and culture with great generosity during the past years. This dissertation means the start of future endeavors together in documenting and revitalizing your language and culture. Special thanks to Norma Lucía Félix López, my main collaborator, for your support, patience, honesty, and for being a very responsible person while working with me. Most importantly, thank you for trusting me and opening your heart since we met. I also owe special thanks to Marina Carillo Díaz and Maximino Muñoz De la Cruz for helping me during this journey in teaching me the language, collecting data, supporting my research, and especially, for trusting me and opening the doors of your home when I needed it. Thanks to Luis Miguel Rodríguez De la Cruz for teaching me the language and your kindness on helping in collecting data. Many thanks to all the people who collaborated with their language for this project: Ignacio López De la Cruz, Julián Carrillo Diaz, Emilia Rosas Meirano, Victoria Reza Río, Patricio Carrillo Vicente, Altobel Rivera Carrillo, Luis Fernando Muñoz Eleuterio, Leydi América Muñoz Valdez, Santos Gonzalez Montoya, Vicente Carrillo, María Santa Carrillo Elijio, Irene Benitez de la Cruz, Cecilia de la Cruz, Rutilo Benitez Carrillo, Mariano Carrillo Vicente, María Elena Lopez Carrillo, Agustina Carrillo Mijares, Marco Lopez Silverio, José Manuel Velazquez Rivera, María De la Cruz Medrán, Zeferina from El Colorín, Nayarit, María Carrillo González, Marcelina González Río, Anselma De la Cruz Romero, Flor Dulia Romero Díaz, Martina De la Cruz Muñoz, Maricela Pacheco Miranda, Humberto De la Cruz Muñoz, vi Marcelina López De la Cruz, Santos De la Cruz Carrillo, Hermino from the community in Durango, and José from the community in Santa Catarina, Jalisco. I am very grateful to all the members of the Department of Applied Linguistics at the Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, Mexico for supporting me and my research, facilitating me a space to work, and especially, for their kindness and friendship that made my fieldwork unforgettable. Thanks again Karina, Saúl, Alma, Dana, Rodrigo, Tutupika, Jesahe, Karim, and Jorge. Thank you, Kari for sharing the data you collected and for opening the doors of your home. I am especially grateful to my dissertation committee. Thank you, Dr. Andrew Cowell, Dr. Zygmunt Frajzyngier, Dr. Javier Rivas Rodríguez, Dr. Zarina Estrada Fernandez, Dr. Mans Hulden, and Dr. David Rood for your insights and guidance to improve this dissertation. Andy, my advisor, thanks for all the time and support you have generously given me during these years. Thanks for challenging me and engaging me in this field. Zarina, my advisor throughout my linguistics career, thanks for guiding me and supporting my studies since I started the master’s program in Sonora, Mexico. I am indebted for all your encouragement to pursue the Ph.D., and your advice for my future as a linguist. Thank you, Javier, for your constant support since I took your class in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Thanks for showing me the fun side of linguistics as well as teaching me that being a researcher and an excellent teacher are not exclusive. In addition to the members of the committee, I am grateful to all the faculty at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who has given excellent instruction and stimulating intellectual environment in this long journey. I also wish to thank the linguistics staff members, Cynthia L. Clark and Paula Dufour who have always been helpful. vii The completion of my degree would not have been possible without the four years of funding from the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACyT, Mexico) as well as the financial support received in the University of Colorado, Boulder by the Department of Linguistics. Many thanks to my graduate student colleagues and friends for their encouragement during my Ph.D. at the University of Colorado, Boulder: Luciana, Jonnia, Niloo, Kristin, Ling, Jared, Tao, Irina, Velda, Marcus, Sarah, and Norielle, and Jesús. I am very grateful to my family for their support and patience over the years despite living very far away: Gracias mamá, papá, Jenny, Iker, Javi, abuelitas, abuelitos, tíos, tías, primas, and primos. Many thanks to my close friends for their love and support in this process: Francia, Mariajosé, Nereida, Priscila, Mariana, Andrea, Montse, Tere, Ixchel, and Adi. Adi thanks for accompanying me during the ‘working’ sessions, and filling me with your kindness and positive energy. Without the love, support, and patience of my partner Subhiksha Swamy, I would never have been able to write this dissertation. Thanks, muddu, for believing in me, for teaching me valuable life lessons, and for giving me unconditional love. Thanks for being the rainbow in my life. viii CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………...1 1.1. Clause types and transitivity in Wixárika (Huichol)………………………………….1 1.2. Previous literature: Clause types in Wixárika………………………………………...4 1.2.1. Grimes (1964): ‘Major clauses’…………………………………………….5 1.2.2. Gómez (1993): ‘Predicate types’……………………………………………7 1.3. Justification………………………………………………………………………….10 1.4. Background………………………………………………………………………….11 1.5. Corpus and methodology……………………………………………………………12 1.6. Examples…………………………………………………………………………….14 1.7. Contribution…………………………………………………………………………15 1.8. Organization of the dissertation………………………………………………...…...16 2. THE WIXÁRIKA PEOPLE AND THEIR LANGUAGE…………………………………….20 2.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………….20 2.2. Alternative name…………………………………………………………………….20 2.3. Geographic location…………………………………………………………………21 2.4. Wixárika culture……………………………………………………………………..23