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Deriving the Definiteness Effects in Nuu-Chah-Nulth Locatives1 Rachel Wojdak Florence Woo UBC UC Santa Cruz Rasusann@Interchang

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Deriving the Definiteness Effects in Nuu-Chah-Nulth Locatives1 Rachel Wojdak Florence Woo UBC UC Santa Cruz Rasusann@Interchang WSCLA 9: Victoria, B.C. February 6-8, 2004 1 Deriving the definiteness effects in Nuu-chah-nulth locatives QUESTION 1: why is a bare locatum argument obligatorily interpreted as 1. indefinite inXlocatives Rachel Wojdak Florence Woo 2. definite inKLO-locatives UBC UC Santa Cruz [email protected] [email protected] • bare nominal in Nuu-chah-nulth are generally ambiguous between indefinite and definite interpretations 1. The problem (4) a. <DTDTL6 &LVWXXS • locatives in Nuu-chah-nulth are expressed by affixal predicates which long-very-3.IND rope describe a relationship between a location argument and a locatum The/some rope is very long. argument (Wojdak in prep; see also Rose 1981, Davidson 2002). b. <DTDTL6 &LVWXXSL predicate location locatum (theme) long-very-3.IND rope-DET The rope is very long. (1) XXT]LL6 -D0DT]<DNL FLL[VDF X DT]L6 -D0DT]<DNL FLL[VDF QUESTION 2: why are X-locatives ruled out when the locatum is pro? -inside-3.IND oven-DET frying.pan There's a frying pan in the oven. (5) Q: ZDDVDNN FLL[VDF where-POSS-2.Q frying.pan • depending on what the morphological host for the locative affix is, there Where's your frying pan? seems to be two different kinds of definiteness effects in locatives: A1: KL<DT]L6 -D0DT]<DN ((ii)) aann iinnddeeffiinniitteenneessss rreessttiiccttiioonn oonn ath bea lroec laotcuamtu wmh aerng uthmee hnot swt hise tnh e KLO DT]L6 -D0DT]<DN t h e epxrepdleictiavte msuofrfpixheesm toe thXe. expletive morpheme X. LOC-inside-3.IND oven It's in the oven. (2) X&XXL6 QLLV<DNLKDXP in.container-3.IND pot-DET food A2: # XXT]LL6 -D0DT]<DN There's food in the pot. (# The food is in the pot.) X DT]L6 -D0DT]<DN inside-3.IND oven ((iiii)) aa ddeeffiinniitteenneessss rreessttrriiccttiioonn oonn ath bea lroec laotcuamtu wmh aerng uthmee hnot swt hise tnh e t h e plorecdatiiavtes m suofrfpihxeems teo K tLhOe .l ocative morpheme KLO. 1.1. The proposal (3) KLO&XXL6 KDXP QLLV<DNL THE PROPOSAL: the definiteness effects are linked to subject-raising LOC-in.container-3.IND food pot-DET (see Freeze 1992) The food is in the pot. (# There's food in the pot.) -both X-lKoLcOatives and KLO-locatives share the same underlying structure -locatives: the locatum is the subject 1 X (see: Fthre elzoec a1t9io9n2 )i.s the subject Nuu-chah-nulth is a Southern Wakashan language spoken on Vancouver Island. We would like to KLO locatives - -locatives: the locatum raises to subject position thank our Nuu-chah-nulth consultants for sharing their language & insights with us: Mary Jane Dick, X Katherine Fraser, Christine Nicolaye, Barbara Touchie, Barney Williams Jr. and Sarah Webster. The - -locatives: the locatum remains in object position data presented here are from the Ahousaht dialect, but to the best of our knowledge the - a bare locatum argument in object position is subject to VP-level generalisations also hold for the other dialects we've worked with (Kyuquot, Ucluelet, Clayoquot). existential binding (Diesing 1992) Thanks to Sandra Chung, Henry Davis, Rose-Marie Déchaine, Lisa Matthewson & Martina Wiltschko for their feedback & suggestions. Fieldwork on Nuu-chah-nulth was supported by a UBC Hampton Fund Research Grant in the Humanities and Social Sciences awarded to Henry Davis. 1 WSCLA 9: Victoria, B.C. February 6-8, 2004 • Underlying structure for the locative predicate –&XX"inside a container" • in both types of locatives, there is movement of the predicate to a position (Wojdak 2004) higher than the subject, yielding the VSO word order of the language. (6) VP (11)KLO-locatives: predicate locatumi VP[ location ____ ti ] location QLLV<DN V locatum "pot" &XX KDXP (12) X-locatives: predicate VP[ location ____ locatum ] "food" • in KLO-locatives, the locatum argument raises to subject position and escapes 2. Predictions of the analysis VP-level existential binding (Diesing 1992). 1. The locatum satisfies subject diagnostics in KLOK-LlOocatives 1. The locatum satisfies subject diagnostics in -locatives a. word order (§2.1) (7) IP a. word order (§2.1) b. claubs.a lp ionsfslescstoiorn-r a (i§si2n.g2 )c lausal inflection (§2.2) ∃-binding c. poscse. s csolaru-rsaails infgl e(c§t2io.3n) (§2.3) locatum VP i 2. 2T. h Te hloec laotcuamtu sma tsisaftiiessfi eosb joebcjte dcita dginaogsntoicssti cins inX -lXo-claotcivaetisv es a. worad. owrdoerrd (o§r2d.e1r) (§2.1) location b. incobr. p ionrcaotiropno r(a§t2io.4n) (§2.4) predicate ti 3. 3T. hTeh ien dinedfienfitneinteenses srse sretrsitcrtiicotnio inn inX -Xlo-cloactiavteivse iss inso nt oatb asbosluotleu t(e§ (2§.52).5 ) KLO&XXL6 KDXP QLLV<DNL 2.1 Word order: VSO LOC-in.container-3.IND food pot-DET The food is in the pot. (# There's food in the pot.) • VSO is the preferred word order in Nuu-chah-nulth. VOS is ruled out in potentially ambiguous contexts: 2 • in X-locatives, the locatum remains below VP and is existentially bound. A bare nominal is obligatorily indefinite in X-locatives. XXX\XNL6 Ken Kay Xyuk[+R]-3.IND Ken Kay (9) IP cry.for-3.IND Ken Kay ∃-binding Ken is crying for Kay. VP (unavailable interpretation: Kay is crying for Ken) location • the analysis of the definiteness effects predicts a word order difference predicate locatum betweenKLO-locatives (locatum=subject) and X-locatives (location=subject). 10 X&XXL6 QLLV<DNLKDXP in.container-3.IND pot-DET food • In KLO-locatives, there is a preference for the locatum to precede the There's food in the pot. (# The food is in the pot.) location: (14) KL<DT]L6 FLL[VDF -D0DT]<DNL KLO DT]L6 FLL[VDF -D0DT]<DNL 2 ¡ For explicitness, we assume that the location has not raised out of the VP in -locatives, and LOC-inside-3 frying.pan oven-DET instead occupies its theta-subject position. This corresponds to the availability of indefinite bare £ ¦ ¨ ¦ ¦ ¨ § The frying pan is inside the oven. ¡ ¡ ¤¥ ¡ ¡ © ¡ nominal locations, eg. ¢ ¢ "A woman is wearing a hat" (ex. 26). 2 WSCLA 9: Victoria, B.C. February 6-8, 2004 • the opposite preference holds forX-locatives, where the location precedes 2.3 Clausal inflection corresponds to subject the locatum argument: • Clausal agreement in Nuu-chah-nulth is triggered by subjects. (15) XXT]LL6 -D0DT]<DNL FLL[VDF XDT]L6 -D0DT]<DNL FLL[VDF (19) QDDWVLML]LWVL6 John D0LLPLWL -inside-3 oven-DET frying.pan see-PERF-PST-1sg.IND John yesterday There's a frying pan in the oven. I saw John yesterday. (consultant's comment: "you have to use this order, or else it sounds like the oven is in the frying pan") • in KLO-locatives, the subject inflection matches the locatum, not the location. 2.2 Possessor-raising corresponds to subject (20) KLO LVVL6 D+NXX LOC-on.ground-1sg.IND DEIC • possessor-marking on a predicate corresponds to the subject (Davidson I'm sitting over here. 2002, Ravinski in prep) 21 KLO1LLVVL6 (16) X\XDDOXNVL6 KXSNXPO "LQLL] LOC-on.beach-1sg.IND find-POSS-1sg.IND ball dog I'm on the beach. My dog found the ball. (possessor=subject) • inX-locatives, the subject inflection matches the location, not the locatum. (unavailable interpretation : The dog found my ball.) (22) a. X&LWXPVL6 VDM.D+V • In KLO-locatives, the possessor-marking on a predicate matches the locatum on.side.of.head-1sg.IND comb I've got a comb on the side of my head. (17) KLO&XXDNL6 KDXP QLLV<DN LOC-in.container-POSS-3.IND food pot b. =LLMXPOX[VVL6 His food is in the pot. (possessor=locatum) =LLMXPONX[VVL6 straw.haton.head-1sg.IND (unavailable interpretation : The food is in his pot.) I'm wearing a straw hat. • in Xlocatives, the possessor-marking on a predicate matches the location c. XTXPOVL6 VDM.D+V on.head-1sg.IND comb (18) XDOXNL6 "LPWLL /XF\ -XS-XS6XPO I have combs in my hair. on.surface-POSS-3.IND name Lucy sweater There is a name on Lucy's sweater. (possessor=location) 2.4. Incorporation of objects (consultant's comment: "could be ANY name, like a team name") • in Nuu-chah-nulth, affixal predicates show an alternation between (unavailable interpretation: Lucy's name is on a sweater.) suffixation to the expletive morpheme X-, and suffixation to an object: • this pattern is predicted if the locatum is the subject of KLO-locatives, and D XDDPLWL6 MDNXS PD+7LL the location is the subject of X-locatives. XDDSPLWL6 MDNXS PD+7LL buy-PST-3.IND man house A man bought a house. 3 WSCLA 9: Victoria, B.C. February 6-8, 2004 E PD+7LLDPLWL6 MDNXS 2.5 The indefiniteness restriction in X-locatives is not absolute PD+7LLDDSPLWL6 MDNXS house-buy-PST-3.IND man • under the analysis of X-locatives, the locatum remains within the VP. A man bought a house. (27) X-locatives: locatum is subject to existential binding • suffixation to an object has been analysed as incorporation (Davis and Sawai 2001, Wojdak 2003). There is a subject-object asymmetry in this IP incorporation which rules out suffixation of the predicate to its subject: ∃-binding VP (24) MDNXSDDSPLWL6 PD+7LL man-buy-PST-3.IND house location A man bought a house. predicate locatum • the incorporation pattern in X-locatives diagnoses the locatum as the object. Only the locatum argument can incorporate; the location argument • The implication of (27) is that if a (bare) locatum is indefinite, it must be in cannot incorporate. the object position. (25) a. X&XXL6 TDXXFL KDXP • however, the analysis predicts that definite locatum arguments should be X in.container-3.IND basket-DET food possible in -locatives, provided that they are bound by a definite There's food in the burden basket.
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