Anticausative and passive in Vedic
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Hans Henrich Hock
Abstract
In a 2001 publication on reanalysis and linguistic change, Henning Andersen states that “(i)t is not clear yet what constitutes structural ambiguity in surface realizations; this remains a question for the future”. As a tribute to Henning, this paper examines a case of (near-)systematic structural ambiguity regarding Vedic passives and anticausatives and demonstrates that this ambiguity creates serious obstacles to determining whether anticausatives are reanalyzed from passives or vice versa. In fact, given the persistent structural ambiguity it is possible that different speakers preferred different accounts, whether for all relevant verbs, for subsets of the verbs, or even for individual verbs, in individual contexts.
Abstract
In a 2001 publication on reanalysis and linguistic change, Henning Andersen states that “(i)t is not clear yet what constitutes structural ambiguity in surface realizations; this remains a question for the future”. As a tribute to Henning, this paper examines a case of (near-)systematic structural ambiguity regarding Vedic passives and anticausatives and demonstrates that this ambiguity creates serious obstacles to determining whether anticausatives are reanalyzed from passives or vice versa. In fact, given the persistent structural ambiguity it is possible that different speakers preferred different accounts, whether for all relevant verbs, for subsets of the verbs, or even for individual verbs, in individual contexts.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface ix
- Perspectives on language structure and language change 1
-
Part I. On the theory of language change
- Andersen (1973) and dichotomies of change 13
- Induction and tradition 35
- Approaching the typology and diachrony of morphological reversals 81
- Deconstructing markedness in sound change typology 107
-
Part II. Indexicality
- Diachronic morphology, indexical function and a critique of the morphome analysis 125
- Word order as grammaticalised semiotic systems 151
-
Part III. Problems of reanalysis
- Anticausative and passive in Vedic 181
- Grammaticalization and degrammati(calizati)on in the development of the Iranian verb system 193
- Aspects of grammaticalization and reanalysis in the voice domain in the transition from Latin to early Italo-Romance 205
- From preverbal to postverbal in the early history of Japanese 233
- Reanalysis in the Russian past tense 253
- From a single lexical unit to multiple grammatical paradigms 271
- Morphosyntactic reanalysis in Australian languages 295
- Definiteness in Germanic and Balto-Slavic 311
-
Part IV. Actualization
- Diatopy and frequency as indicators of spread 327
- Suppletion or illusion? 345
-
Part V. Language change and diachronic typology in Balto-Slavic
- A complicated relationship 359
- Name-calling 381
- Changes of tense and modality in Late Mediaeval Slovene 395
- Index 411
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface ix
- Perspectives on language structure and language change 1
-
Part I. On the theory of language change
- Andersen (1973) and dichotomies of change 13
- Induction and tradition 35
- Approaching the typology and diachrony of morphological reversals 81
- Deconstructing markedness in sound change typology 107
-
Part II. Indexicality
- Diachronic morphology, indexical function and a critique of the morphome analysis 125
- Word order as grammaticalised semiotic systems 151
-
Part III. Problems of reanalysis
- Anticausative and passive in Vedic 181
- Grammaticalization and degrammati(calizati)on in the development of the Iranian verb system 193
- Aspects of grammaticalization and reanalysis in the voice domain in the transition from Latin to early Italo-Romance 205
- From preverbal to postverbal in the early history of Japanese 233
- Reanalysis in the Russian past tense 253
- From a single lexical unit to multiple grammatical paradigms 271
- Morphosyntactic reanalysis in Australian languages 295
- Definiteness in Germanic and Balto-Slavic 311
-
Part IV. Actualization
- Diatopy and frequency as indicators of spread 327
- Suppletion or illusion? 345
-
Part V. Language change and diachronic typology in Balto-Slavic
- A complicated relationship 359
- Name-calling 381
- Changes of tense and modality in Late Mediaeval Slovene 395
- Index 411
