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The Great Tone Split And Central Karen, William G. Kauffman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a comparative reconstruction of the tones and initial consonants of Proto-Central Karen based on the languages Eastern Kayah, Western Kayah, Geba, and Padaung. Other Karen languages are referred to but not studied to the same detail.

The study focuses on the great tone split that affected nearly all the languages of Southeast Asia, including Central Karen. I show that an understanding of the great tone split is crucial if one is to discover the phonological characteristics of Proto-Central Karen syllable-initial consonants.

In agreement with Haudricourt's (1946) analysis of Proto-Karen, I conclude that Proto-Central Karen had three proto-tones …

Imyan Tehit Phonology, Ronald Gerhard Hesse

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a description of the phonology of Imyan Tehit, a West Papuan language of Irian Jaya, Indonesia, couched in the framework of templatic syllable theory espoused by Junko Itô. It is based on 18 months (1989-1991) of linguistic fieldwork, in which the author and his family lived among the Tehit of Haha village, learning their language and culture.

Imyan Tehit has a maximal syllable template [CCVVC], obligatory onsets except word-initially, and a rare liquid coda. Syllable onset, nucleus, and coda are shown to be equally autonomous sub-syllabic structures. If they are complex or branching, they attract syllable stress. …

Interrogatives In Yanomám, Richard A. Thiele

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a general linguistic description of yes-no and information questions in Yanomám (a member of the Yanomami language family of Brazil and Venezuela) in the descriptive/typological tradition, including morphosyntax and semantics, appropriate responses, certain discourse-pragmatic conditions of their use (such as bias and focus), and intonation patterns.

Some things in the Yanomám language that are typologically unusual are an information question system that utilizes just one interrogative word, interaction of temporal-evidential particles with questions, and the occurrence of hortative constructions in questions.

My sources of information include the limited published works and articles on the language, previously unpublished …

A Grammar Sketch Of Dəməna, Cindy S. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a description of the morphology and syntax of Dəməna, a Chibchan language of northern Colombia. Dəməna is an SOV language with postpositions and genitive-nominal, noun-adjective word orders.

Unusual features of Dəməna include: case marking suffixes which occur as phrasal affixes, a fusion of person marking and deixis in verbal suffixes, and interaction of temporal and special deixis on question suffixes.

Dəməna exhibits more agreement than would be expected. Causative constructions may contain two different direct object person agreement prefixes side by side on a single verb. In cases of advancement to direct object, the same argument may …

Goals And Indirect Objects In Seri, Stephen A. Marlett

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "A significant group of Seri verbs display a sensitivity to whether a Goal is singular or plural. (I use the term 'Goal' as a cover term for 'Recipients', 'Addressees', etc.) A verb such as [...] 'give', for example, has the subcategorization frame [1 3/Sg]; that is, it accepts only a subject and an indirect object, and the indirect object must be singular. With such verbs, if the Goal is plural, it must appear as a relational noun phrase (an Oblique).

"The data which appear in this paper of typological interest. I argue that Seri has Indirect Objects, …

Obligatory Dative Clitic Doubling In Spanish, Karol Joy Hardin

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "This study investigates the phenomenon of obligatory dative doubling, examining data based upon a critique of two analyses of clitic doubling in Spanish within different grammatical frameworks. Previous analyses propose that dative clitic doubling is obligatory whenever the NP in indirect object position is not a semantic Recipient/Addressee (Goal). J. Albert Bickford's (1985) proposal within Relational Grammar and Osvaldo Jaeggli's (1982) account within Government and Binding are two representative analyses of the phenomenon which argue that conditions for doubling are based upon the thematic role of the superficial indirect object NP. Due to an incomplete corpus of …

Front Matter For Sil-Und Work Papers Vol. 37 (1993)

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

No abstract provided.

Role And Reference Grammar, Robert D. Van Valin Jr.

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "Role and Reference Grammar [RRG] (Van Valin 1993a) may be termed a "structural-functionalist theory of grammar"; this locates it on a range of perspectives from extreme formalist at one end to radical functionalist at the other. RRG falls between these two extremes, differing markedly from each. In contrast to the extreme formalist view, RRG views language as a system of communicative social action, and consequently, analyzing the communicative functions of morphosyntactic structures has a vital role in grammatical description and theory from this perspective. Language is a system, and grammar is a system in the traditional structuralist …

Seri Kinship Terminology, Mary B. Moser, Stephen A. Marlett

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "The Seri language contains over fifty kinship terms, and as such represents one of the most highly elaborated kinship systems described to date. A list of these terms was given in Kroeber 1931, although Kroeber's list was (understandably) incorrect in certain ways. Our discussion of the Seri kinship terminology centers around, but is not limited to, the set of obligatorily possessed noun stems which are inflected with the following possessive prefixes. [...]

"This paper is organized as follows. In Section 2 we discuss various kinds of terms which, although used to refer to kinsmen, are special in …

Quiegolani Zapotec Phonology, Susan Regnier

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "Quiegolani Zapotec (henceforth QZ) words contain initial consonant clusters of two or even three consonants and most of these consonant clusters show a decreasing slope of sonority. This violates sonority constraints proposed by Greenberg in 1978 and further discussed by Bell and Saka (1983). This, however, is understandable when viewed from a diachronic perspective. This will be discussed in section 6.4.

"Further, QZ, like most Zapotec languages, has a lenis-fortis distinction among some of its consonants. However, this distinction is less clear in QZ than in other Zapotec languages and carries a lower functional load."

The Binding Properties Of Quechua Suffixes, David J. Weber

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "This paper sketches an explicitly non-lexicalist application of grammatical theory to Huallaga (Huánuco) Quechua (henceforth HgQ). I hope to demonstrate the advantages of applying the binding theory to many suffixes that have previously been treated only as objects of the morphology. This is possible only if morphology and syntax are more intimately related than allowed under the lexicalist hypothesis.

Section 2 outlines some basic assumptions (categories, structures, Case assignment, θ-marking, etc.) Section 3 discusses inflection, proposing an analysis of SUBJECT MARKING ANOMALY phenomena. Section 4 argues that HgQ's complementizers are really its case-marking suffixes. Section 5 deals …

A Morphophonology Of Komo: Non-Tonal Phenomena, John Paul Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Komo, a sub-Bantu language spoken in northeastern Zaire, exhibits a number of interesting interactions between the morphology and phonology during the process of word derivation. A framework using parametric rule description, underrepresentation of morphemes, and lexical phonology is used in describing non-tonal phenomena of the language. Use of this framework results in optimalizing the description of lexical entries and simplifying the derivation of forms exhibiting complex phonological alternations. Complete paradigms of verbs in a number of tense-aspect-mood configurations are included, even though they may go beyond the requirements of the analysis. This brings to light a language that has not …

Affixes Of Salasaca Quichua With Special Attention To Derivational Affixes Which Attach To Verbs, Kristine E. Waskosky

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a synchronic description of the morphology of Salasaca Quichua (SQ) with extensive examples in interlinear texts. The meaning of each suffix and its order relative to other suffixes is described. A more expanded description is given for each of the deverbalizers (suffixes which create non-finite verbs), especially their use in subordinate clauses.

SQ is a member of the family of languages called Quechua A or Quechua II. It is an agglutinating language with up to six suffixes possible on a single root. Derivational suffixes, of which there are 15 possible for verb formation and 16 for noun …

Tone In Komo, John Paul Thomas

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "My purpose is to continue to comprehensively present and analyze Komo sound patterns as was begun in Thomas (to appear). Whereas that paper is principally concerned with advanced tongue root (ATR) and vowel height harmony, here the concentration is on tonal processes."

Front Matter For Sil-Und Work Papers Vol. 36 (1992)

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

No abstract provided.

Preposed And Postposed Adverbials In English, Stephen H. Levinsohn

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "Does it make any difference whether an adverbial clause like when the wolf arrived precedes the main verb ore follows it? For example, do (1a) and (1b) (which allude to the tale of "The Three Little Pigs") mean the same? And what about the same sentence with the subordination reversed, as in (1c,d)?

"(1) a. When the wolf arrived, he was picking apples. b. He was picking apples when the wolf arrived. c. When/While he was picking apples, the wolf arrived. d. The wolf arrived when/while he was picking apples.

"The great British linguist J. R. Firth …

The Role Of Language In The Dissolution Of The Soviet Union, David F. Marshall

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "The problem of unrest among the ethnic nationalities plagued the USSR since its inception in December 1922. [...] One crucial element in this problem had been Soviet Language-planning practices. [...]

"This study examines how language functioned with various dynamics of cultural pluralism in the enhanced ethnic mobilization and resultant dissolution of the USSR."

English Borrowing In Thai As Reflected In Thai Journalistic Texts, James Kapper

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "This study looks at patterns of occurrence of English loan words in various domains of journalistic discourse in Thai print media. By examining domains of Thai discourse where borrowing from English occurs, as well as patterns of nativization for borrowed items, we can gain insight into the economic, political, and social situations which hold between the two languages. This, in turn, will have implications not only for the study of the mechanisms at work in a language contact situation, but also for the study of English in its situation as a global prestige language.

[...]

"These issues …

The Tone System Of Foodo Nouns, Gray C. Plunkett

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an autosegmental analysis of the tone system of the nouns of Foodo, a Guang language of Benin. The goal is to give an analysis of the tone system of nouns that will account for all the surface tonal phenomena by positing two underlying tones. Foodo nouns consist of a stem together with its class prefix and/or suffix; while tonal alternations in prefixes are easily explained by two tone rules, the suffixes exhibit rather complex alternations. Many of the theoretical assumptions of lexical phonology, (especially the view that most lexical rules are cyclic and Kiparsky's Elsewhere Condition) allow …

Are Cariban Languages Moving Away From Or Towards Ergative Systems?, Desmond C. Derbyshire

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "In this paper [...] I will be arguing for a direction of change in Cariban languages from systems that are purely ergative in both nominal case marking and verb agreement patterns (and which are probably of considerable antiquity) to mixed systems where in main clauses the core nominals are not marked at all and the verb agreement patterns are a mixture of nominative and absolutive, based on an agentivity-person hierarchy. Subordinate clauses take the form of nominalizations that retain characteristics of the older pure ergative system."

The Definite Article With Proper Names For Referring To People In The Greek Of Acts, Stephen H. Levinsohn

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "I now consider the presence versus absence of the article with proper names, for people in the book of Acts, using the following four categories of description:

-- the unmarked patterns involving the first mention of a participant and further references to the participant in the same incident (Sect. 1); -- the reintroduction of participants after an absence (Sec. 2); -- further references to a participant in the same incident which are anarthrous, instead of arhrous (Sect. 3); -- the use of the article with names in reported speeches (Sect. 4).

"By dividing my discussion into four …

Front Matter For Sil-Und Work Papers Vol. 35 (1991)

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

No abstract provided.

Semanically Ergative Languages In Typological Perspective, Alexandr E. Kibrik

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the summary: "This paper demonstrates the existence of languages whose core structure is determined by the principle of consistent differentiation of semantic roles by means of case coding; that is, to demonstrate the existence of role-oriented languages. If we refrain from interpreting role-oriented languages in terms of subject and direct object, then their organization becomes extremely natural, simple, and motivated. At the same time we gain the hope that by starting with languages of pure types we can reach a deeper and more adequate understanding of the structure of mixed languages."

On The Syllabification Of /Tl/ Clusters In Spanish, Steve Parker

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction, "As is commonly known, permissible word- and syllable-initial consonant clusters in Spanish consist of a stop (p t k b d g) or f followed by one of the two liquids r or l. Of the fourteen theoretically-possible combinations which these groupings yield, two are problematic: tl and dl

"The sequence dl does not occur word-initially and its word-internal attestation is limited to second person plural "familiar" commands such as tomadlo ('drink it'), which are rarely used outside of Spain. In words of this type the syllable break unquestionably occurs between the d and the l; since …

Agutaynen Glottal Stop, J. Stephen Quakenbush

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "In his 1982 discussion of Austronesian laryngeals, Zorc called for more information on "the phonemic and morphophonemic status of [ʔ] and [h] in various Austronesian languages" (Zorc 1982:133). An analysis of glottal stop in Agutaynen does indeed yield interesting information, not so much due to any immediate relevance to the reconstruction of Austronesian proto-forms, as was Zorc's goal in 1982, but rather because it presents a clearly visible case of a sound change in progress.

"Agutaynen is unusual among Philippine languages in that its glottal stop only occurs word medially preceding another consonant. In this particular environment, …

A Double-Verb Construction In Mbyá Guaraní, Robert A. Dooley

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "In this paper, the Mbyá V1-V2 construction is examined from various points of view: lexico-semantic (Sect. 2), phonological (in relation to stress) (Sect. 3), morphological (Sect. 4) and syntactic (Sect. 5). It is seen to be a phrase in which V2 functions syntactically as a modifier of V1. This construction is then compared and contrasted with others in Mbyá, namely subordinate clauses (Sect. 6) and coordinate clauses (Sect. 7). At this point (Sect. 8), it is compared with SVCs as documented in languages of West Africa, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Papua New Guinea and in …

The Phonology Of Salasaca Quichua, Sheldon Peter Waskosky

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a description of the phonology of Salasaca Quichua (SQ), a member of the Quechua II or A language family. There are 26 phonemes which include three aspirated voiceless stops and three voiced stops.

Voiced stops have fricative allophones in intervocalic environments. There are two underspecified segments (/G/ and /N/) whose phonological realization depends on the environment which follows. The /G/ may be realized as [g], [ǥ], [k], or [x]. The /N/ may be realized as a bilabial, alveolar, alveopalatal, palatal or velar nasal.

The syllable structure of SQ has a maximal syllable template of [CCVC]. I analyze …

Language Use In The Epena District Of Northern Congo, William L. Gardner

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis, based on two language surveys conducted in 1988 and 1989, addresses the question “What language do you speak?” for the people of the district of Epena in the Likouala Region of the People’s Republic of the Congo. The goals of the study were to: 1) inventory all the languages and dialects spoken in the district; 2) clarify their relationships with each other and neighboring languages; 3) measure the degree of intelligibility between speakers of different language varieties, specifically among the Bomitaba people; 4) investigate in what situations the people use which languages; and 5) provide bases for making …

Distinctives Of Corongo Quechua: Historical And Synchronic Perspectives, Daniel J. Hintz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the structure of Corongo Quechua from four distinct but complementary perspectives. One, it describes the segmental sound system both historically and synchronically. Two, it provides a substantial amount of data in the form of glossed texts in a variety of genres. Three, it provides a brief description of the morphological structure and a complete list of suffixes with examples. Four, it includes a brief glossary of commonly occurring roots.

The description of the sound system has a comparative focus, examining those aspects of the phonological structure that are distinct from other Quecha dialects. It specifically examines Corongo …

Zapotec Pronoun Classification, Stephen A. Marlett

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

From the introduction: "Zapotec languages have sometimes been described as having two sets of (nonreflexive) personal pronouns: bound and free (Butler 1976), clitic and free (Jones and Church 1985, Marlett 1987), dependent and independent (Pickett 1960, Bartholomew 1983), inseparable and separable (Butler 1980), suffixes and pronouns (Briggs 1961), particles and pronouns (Pickett et al. 1965). The variety of terminology used indicates that the syntax of Zapotec pronouns requires further study. The goal of this article is to clarify the behavior of these pronouns across the Zapotec language family (using a subset of languages to illustrate), noting where these languages are …