PACIFIC LINGUISTICS Series B - No. 87 THE PAAMESE LANGUAGE OF VANUATU by Terry Crowley Department of Linguistics Research School of Pacific Studies THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Crowley, T. The Paamese language of Vanuatu. B-87, xii + 280 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1982. DOI:10.15144/PL-B87.cover ©1982 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 John Lynch University of Hawaii University of Papua New Guinea David Bradley K.A. McElhanon La Trobe University University of Texas A. Capell H.P. McKaughan University of Sydney University of Hawaii Michael G. Clyne P. MUhlhliusler Monash University Linacre College, Oxford S.H. Elbert G.N. O'Grady University of Hawaii University of Victoria, B.C. K.J. Franklin A.K. Pawley Summer Institute of Linguistics University of Auckland W.W. Glover K.L. Pike University of Michigan; Summer Institute of Linguistics Summer Institute of Linguistics G.W. Grace E.C. Polome University of Hawaii University of Texas M.A.K. Halliday Gillian Sankoff University of Sydney University of Pennsylvania E. Haugen W.A.L. Stokhof National Center for Harvard University Language Development, Jakarta; A. Healey University of Leiden Summer Institute of Linguistics E. M. Uhlenbeck L.A. Hercus University of Leiden Australian National University J.W.M. Verhaar Nguy�n Bang Li�m Gonzaga University, Spokane University of Hawaii All correspondence concerning PACIFIC LINGUISTICS, including orders and subscriptions, should be addressed to: The Secretary PACIFIC LINGUISTICS Department of Linguistics Research School of Pacific Studies The Australian National University Canberra, A.C.T. 2600 Australia. Copyright @ The Author First Published 1982 Typeset by Suse Benz Printed by A.N. U. Printing Service Covers by Patria Printers Bound by Adriatic Bookbinders Pty. Ltd. Maps drawn by Nigel Duffey, Cartography, Department of Human Geography, Research School of Pacific Studies, A.N.U. The editors are indebted to the Australian National University for assistance in the production of this series. This publication was made possible by an initial grant from the Hunter Douglas Fund. National Library of Australia Card Number and ISBN 0 85883 279 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS x ABBREVIATIONS xi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. Geographic background 1 1. 2. Outline of recent history 1 1.2.1. Recent history of Paama 5 1.3. socio-cultural background 6 1.4. Field method 7 1.5. Linguistic background 7 1.5.1. The position of Paamese 8 1. 5.2. Paamese dialects 8 1. 5.3. Bislama 10 CHAPTER II : PHONOLOGY 12 2.1. Surface oppositions 12 2.1.1. Consonants 12 2.1. 2. Vowels 16 2.1. 3. Stress 19 2.2. An uneconomical system 19 2.3. Preliminary discussion of boundaries 20 2.4. Phonological base 22 2.4. 1 . Consonants 22 2.4.2. Vowels 22 2.4.2.1. Representation of underspecified vowels 24 2.4.2.2. Vowel features 25 2.4.3. Stress 26 2.5. Underlying morpheme structure 26 2.5.1. Distribution of segments 26 2.5.2. Distribution of non-stressable vowels 27 2.6. Rule component 28 2.6.1. Stress rule 28 2.6.2. Segmental rules operating in all form classes 31 2.6.2.1. I-Backing 31 2.6.2.2. E-Backing 32 2.6.2.3. Homorganic vowel deletion 32 2.6.2.4. E-Raising 33 2.6.2.5 . E-Deletion 34 iii iv Page 2.6.2.6. Glide formation 34 2.6.2.7. Final vowel deletion and desyllabification 35 2.6.2.8. Medial vowel deletion 37 2.6.2.9. Consonant Degemination 39 2.6.2.10. Resolution of nt sequences 39 2.6.2.11. Resolution of double vowel sequences 40 2.6.2.12. A-Raising 40 2.6.3. Morphologically conditioned rules dealing with segments 41 2.6.3.1. Deletion of final -ke 41 2.6.3.2. E-Prothesis 41 2.6.3.3. NV-Deletion 42 2.6.4. Summary of rule ordering 43 2.7. Justification of analysis 43 2.7.1. Historical arguments 44 2.7.2. Arguments for simplicity 45 2.7.3. Alternations 45 2.8. Reduplication 47 2.8.1. REdup 47 2.8.2. REDUp 48 2.8.3. reDUP 48 2.8.4. Vacuous reduplication 49 2.9. Some synchronic implications of phonological change 50 2.9.1. Reduplication 50 2.9.2. Reanalysis of phonetic process 51 2.9.3. Reanalysis of articles 51 2.9.4. Reanalysis of locative marker 52 2.9.5. Reanalysis of verbal prefix 52 2.9.6. Development of bound form nouns 52 2.10. Sandhi phenomena 53 CHAPTER I II : FORM CLASSES 58 3.1. Nominals 58 3.1.1. Pronouns 59 3.1.2. Indefinite nominals 59 3. 1. 3. Possessive nominals 60 3.1.4. Nouns 60 3.1.4.1. Individual names 61 3.1.4.2. Location nouns 61 3.1.4.2.1. Relative location 61 3.1.4.2.2. Absolute location 61 3.1.4.3. Time nouns 62 3.1.4.3.1. Zero-marked time nouns 63 3.1.4.3.2. Prepositionally marked time nouns 63 3.1.4.4. Descriptive nouns 64 3.1.4.5. Common nouns 64 3.1.4.5.1. Free form common nouns 65 3.1.4.5.2. Bound form common nouns 65 3.1.4.5.2.1. Suffixed nouns 65 3.1.4.5.2.2. Linked nouns 66 3.1.4.5.3. Disparities between formal and semantic classes 67 v Page 3.2. Verbs 69 3.2.1. Transitive verbs 69 3.2.1.1. Restricted object 70 3.2.1.1.1. Reflexive verbs 70 3.2.1.1.2. Non-reflexive restricted object verbs 70 3.2.1.2. Free object verbs 70 3.2.2. Intransitive verbs 70 3.2.2.1. Active verbs 71 3.2.2.1.1. Basic motion 71 3.2.2.1.2. Cornmon verbs 71 3.2.2.2. Stative verbs 71 3.2.2.3. Ambient Verbs 71 3.2.2.3.1. Ambient verbs without subject 72 3.2.2.3.2. Ambient verbs with subject 72 3.2.2.4. Numeral verbs 72 3.2.2.5. Deictic verb 73 3.3. Adjectives 73 3.3.1. Predicative adjectives 73 3.3.2. Attributive adjectives 73 3.4. Prepositions 74 3.5. Determiners 74 3.6. Modifiers 74 3.6.1. Clause level modifiers 74 3.6.2. Phrase-level postmodifiers 74 3.6.2.1. Free form modifiers 75 3.6.2.1.1. Aspectual modifiers 75 3.6.2.1.2. Non-aspectual modifiers 75 3.6.3. Bound form modifiers 76 3.7. Interjections 76 3.8. Multifunctional forms 76 CHAPTER IV: THE NOMINAL PHRASE 79 4.1. Simple nominal phrases 79 4.1.1. The head 79 4.1.1.1. Pronouns 79 4.1.1.2. Nouns 82 4.1.1.2.1. Reduplication 82 4.1.1.2.2. Prefixation 83 4.1.1.2.2.1. Ai- INST 83 4.1.1.2.2.2. N(a) - LaC 84 4.1.1.2.2.3. Ke (e)- DIR 85 4.1.1.2.3. Suffixation 85 4.1.1.2.4. Compounding 87 4.1.1.2.4.1. Cornmon noun compounds 87 4.1.1.2.4.1.1 . Free form compounds 87 4.1.1.2.4. 1.2. Special compounding forms 88 4.1.1.2.4.1.3. Bound form compounds 89 4.1.1.2.4.1.3.1. The link morpheme -i­ 91 4.1.1.2.4.1.4. Obligatorily compounded forms 91 4.1.1.2.4.2. Verbal compounds 92 4.1.1.2.5. Phrasal nouns 93 4.1. 1.3. Other nominal types 94 4.1. 2. Adjuncts 94 vi Page 4.1.2.1. Determiners 95 4.1.2.2. Adjectives 96 4.1.2.3. Indefinite adjuncts 98 4.1.2.4. Clausal adjuncts 99 4.1.2.5. Ordering of postposed adjuncts 100 4.2. Complex nominal phrases 100 4.2.1. Prepositional construction 100 4.2.2. Linked noun construction 101 4.2.2.1 . The problem of -i- 103 4.2.3 . Suffixed noun construction 104 4.2.3.1. Possessive suffixes on nouns 106 4.2 . 3.2. possessive suffixes on possessive nomina1s III 4.2.4. Appositional construction 114 4.2.4.1. Location nouns 114 4.2.4.2. Terms of address 115 4.2.4.3. Apposition of specific to generic 115 4.2.4.4. Phrases expressing measure 116 4.2.5. Shifting of second head 116 4.2.4.3. Apposition of specific to generic 115 4.2.4.4. Phrases expressing measure 116 4.2.5. Shifting of second head 116 CHAPTER V: THE VERB PHRASE 118 5.1. Verb roots 118 5.1.1. Root-initial alternation 118 5.1.1.1. Alternation class membership 121 5.1.1.2. Exemplification 123 5.1.1.3. Root alternation and reduplication 126 5.1. 2. Root-final alternation 126 5.1.2.1.