scholarly journals Tone alternation in Dàgáárè verbs: Perfectives and Imperfectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 326-345
Author(s):  
Alexander Angsongna
Keyword(s):  
Verbal System ◽  
Tone Pattern

While previous studies on Dàgáárè tone have looked at the nouns, this paper particularly examines tone in verbs, perfective vs imperfective forms. The verbal system has different patterns based on the form of the verb. There are three tone classes for Dàgáárè verbs and for each of the classes, the surface tone pattern it exhibits in the perfective is systematically different from the tone patterns in the imperfective. For the perfectives we have L, H and HL while the imperfectives have LH, HL and H!H, at least in the dialect under study. I treat tone as a combination of the features [±upper] and [±raised] which are connected to what is described as a Tone node (T-node). These Tone nodes in turn connect to the syllable. Under this system, I assume L is represented with the features [-upper] and [-raised] and H with the features [+upper] [+raised]. Underlying tonal melodies of the root morphemes are identical to the surface tones of the perfective forms whether these contain an overt suffix or not. For the imperfectives, the suffix comes with an unspecified underlying T-node. The grammar then chooses the features [±upper] and [±raised] to insert under the already existing T-node.  

scholarly journals The importance of word order in explaining tone patterns in Avokaya verbs

2004 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-259
Author(s):  
Eileen Kilpatrick ◽  
Leoma Gilley
Keyword(s):  
Word Order ◽  
Verbal System ◽  
Tone Pattern

This paper presents a set of ordered rules accounting for tone changes that occur in Avokaya verbs. The most prevalent shape for Avokaya verbs is monosyllabic. Disyllabic verbs roots behave the same way as disyllabic verbs which are composed of a derivational prefix plus a monosyllabic verb root. The derivational prefixation process is the same for verbs in all grammatical constructions. Verbs in SVO constructions and SOV constructions are treated separately, since different rules apply for these two sets of constructions. Avokaya syllables may carry a high, mid, low or rising tone, but not a falling tone. In this analysis of Avokaya, we show that the expected HL tone pattern has merged to form a M tone in the verbal system.

Phonologically conditioned allomorphy in the morphology of Surmiran (Rumantsch)

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen R. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Optimality Theory ◽  
General Framework ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Historical Change ◽  
Romance Languages ◽  
Morphological Properties ◽  
Entire System ◽  
Verbal System ◽  
Extended Sense ◽  
Phonological Rule

Alternations between allomorphs that are not directly related by phonological rule, but whose selection is governed by phonological properties of the environment, have attracted the sporadic attention of phonologists and morphologists. Such phenomena are commonly limited to rather small corners of a language's structure, however, and as a result have not been a major theoretical focus. This paper examines a set of alternations in Surmiran, a Swiss Rumantsch language, that have this character and that pervade the entire system of the language. It is shown that the alternations in question, best attested in the verbal system, are not conditioned by any coherent set of morphological properties (either straightforwardly or in the extended sense of ‘morphomes’ explored in other Romance languages by Maiden). These alternations are, however, straightforwardly aligned with the location of stress in words, and an analysis is proposed within the general framework of Optimality Theory to express this. The resulting system of phonologically conditioned allomorphy turns out to include the great majority of patterning which one might be tempted to treat as productive phonology, but which has been rendered opaque (and subsequently morphologized) as a result of the working of historical change.

Verbal system and diathesis derivations in Seereer

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Souleymane Faye ◽  
Maarten Mous
Keyword(s):  
Verbal System

Pāli

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Lowe
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Account ◽  
Clear Picture ◽  
Clear Correlation ◽  
Early Form ◽  
Verbal System

This chapter provides a detailed account of the transitive noun and adjective categories attested in Pali. The Pali Tipitaka is the Theravada Buddhist canon, written in an early form of Middle Indo-Aryan of roughly contemporary date with Epic Sanskrit. There are relatively few transitive noun and adjective categories in Pali, but those there are provide a wealth of evidence for the phenomenon. The patterns seen in previous chapters are also found here: most importantly, there is a clear correlation between transitivity and predication. However, new patterns are also found, in particular a correlation between transitivity and animacy. In addition, Pali provides a clear picture of the adoption of transitivity by an action noun category, owing to the integration of one of its members into the verbal system as an infinitive.

Vedic Prose

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Lowe
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Detailed Account ◽  
Clear Correlation ◽  
Verbal System ◽  
Carry Over

This chapter provides a detailed account of the transitive noun and adjective categories attested in Vedic Prose. Although the Vedic Prose corpus is larger than that of the Rigveda, there are considerably fewer transitive noun/adjective categories, and relatively few transitive forms. The most commonly transitive adjective category may show some degree of integration into the verbal system as a modal formation. Statistical analysis shows that the patterns found in Rigvedic Sanskrit largely carry over into Vedic Prose. Again, there is a clear correlation between transitivity and predication. As before, different formations and types, occurring with varying frequency as transitive, are carefully examined and exemplified, including again situation-oriented nouns.

Verbal Serialization in Biblical Aramaic

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-33
Author(s):  
Alexander Andrason ◽  
Bonsam Koo
Keyword(s):  
Linguistic Typology ◽  
Verbal System ◽  
Semitic Languages ◽  
Serial Verb Constructions ◽  
Relative Chronology ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Recent Modification ◽  
Serial Verb

AbstractThe present paper discusses the issue of Serial Verb Constructions (SVCs) in Biblical Aramaic within the dynamic grammaticalization-based model of verbal serialization – a recent modification of a prototype-driven approach to SVCs used in linguistic typology. Having analyzed the entire corpus of Biblical Aramaic, the authors conclude the following: (a) verbal serialization constitutes an integral part of the verbal system of Biblical Aramaic; (b) pre-canonical SVCs are more common that canonical SVCs, and no cases of post-canonicity are attested; (c) Biblical Aramaic is a semi-advanced serializing language. Overall, the research corroborates the tendency of Semitic languages to gradually increase their serializing profile; a tendency that is often – albeit not without exception – correlated with the languages’ relative chronology.

scholarly journals Complex complementizers and the structural relation with weak T. New (morpho)syntactic data from a Pomeranian language island in Brazil

2014 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gertjan Postma
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Head Movement ◽  
Verb Second ◽  
Verbal System ◽  
Espírito Santo ◽  
Structural Relation ◽  
Espirito Santo ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
Proper Analysis

AbstractIn this paper I discuss three properties of Brazilian Pomeranian, a Germanic language spoken in Espirito Santo, Brazil by descendents who emigrated in the 19th century. These three aspects of the verbal system are: 1. The relation between complex complementizers, a two-infinitive system, and split infinitives, previously discussed in van Gelderen (1993, 1998) and Schallert (2012, 2013), 2. Verb Projection Raising (VPR), as discussed by Riemsdijk 2002, Haegeman 2007, Salzmann 2011, and Brandner & Salzmann 2012, and 3. Verb-Second positioning of verbal clusters, previously discussed in Vos (2005). I discuss novel Pomeranian data from the perspective of the literature on these three topics, which have been thus far studied largely separately from one another. An integrated discussion sheds light on the nature and the proper analysis of these three phenomena. I argue that these phenomena are caused by the “weaknesses” of T. The weakness of T can be resolved “downward” by copying features onto T under selection by a higher head (agree), or can be resolved “upward” under head movement of T.

Typology and diachrony of converbs in Indo-Aryan

Diachronica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Stroński ◽  
Leonid Kulikov
Keyword(s):  
Recent Discussion ◽  
Verbal System ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Differential Object Marking ◽  
Role And Reference Grammar ◽  
Reference Grammar ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
History Of ◽  
Object Marking ◽  
The One

Abstract Non-finite forms constitute an important component of the verbal system of Indo-Aryan (IA) languages. On the one hand, some of them, such as e.g., converbs, have already received proper attention in historical linguistics and typological literature, with regard to Old Indo-Aryan (OIA), Middle Indo-Aryan (MIA) and New Indo-Aryan (NIA) (cf. Tikkanen 1987; Peterson 1998; Subbarao 2012 among others). Other forms, such as participles, have usually been analysed in the wider context of reorganisation of a finite verbal system which led to alignment change (for recent discussion see Dahl and Stroński 2016). On the other hand, adverbial participles or infinitives have so far been under-studied (cf. Sigorski 2005), particularly within early NIA. This period in the history of IA languages witnessed several important morphosyntactic developments and still requires in-depth study, particularly due to the lack of well-edited corpora. The aim of the present paper is to partly fill this gap by highlighting major trends in the development of constructions based on various non-finite forms in early NIA. We focus on main argument marking in converbal chain constructions and its interplay with the animacy hierarchy. We demonstrate a relative stability of differential case marking (DCM), focusing mainly on conditions on differential subject marking (DSM) and differential object marking (DOM). In addition, we compare converbal chain constructions with participial absolute constructions (AC). Finally, in order to give a holistic view of converbal constructions, we verify the type of linking instantiated by them, focusing on three scopal parameters in converbal constructions (Tense, Illocutionary Force and Negation) and using the apparatus of Role and Reference Grammar and Multivariate Analysis.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document