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Nominalization instead of modification

Abstract

In Dënesųłıné, an underdocumented indigenous language of Canada, the nominalization of full, finite clauses is highly productive. As a contribution to language description as well as to the study of nominalization, I show many examples of this construction, and give evidence that they are indeed nominalizations. I also show that these nominalizations are used instead of attributive modification of a noun, i.e. instead of adjectives and relative clauses. This fact turns out to be theoretically highly significant, because, as I argue, it is a strong piece of evidence that nouns in Dënesųłıné are inherently entities (type 〈e〉). Based on Chierchia’s (1998) nominal mapping parameter, I develop a typology where nouns in some languages are mapped to type 〈e〉 and, unlike better-known type 〈e〉 languages such as Mandarin, remain of that type throughout the derivation, without ever shifting to the predicative type, 〈e,t〉. I speculate on reasons for the emergence of this kind of language, and based on Dënesųłıné, develop its major characteristics.

Abstract

In Dënesųłıné, an underdocumented indigenous language of Canada, the nominalization of full, finite clauses is highly productive. As a contribution to language description as well as to the study of nominalization, I show many examples of this construction, and give evidence that they are indeed nominalizations. I also show that these nominalizations are used instead of attributive modification of a noun, i.e. instead of adjectives and relative clauses. This fact turns out to be theoretically highly significant, because, as I argue, it is a strong piece of evidence that nouns in Dënesųłıné are inherently entities (type 〈e〉). Based on Chierchia’s (1998) nominal mapping parameter, I develop a typology where nouns in some languages are mapped to type 〈e〉 and, unlike better-known type 〈e〉 languages such as Mandarin, remain of that type throughout the derivation, without ever shifting to the predicative type, 〈e,t〉. I speculate on reasons for the emergence of this kind of language, and based on Dënesųłıné, develop its major characteristics.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Cross-linguistic investigations of nominalization patterns vii
  4. Part 1. Verbal structure inside nominalizations
  5. Nominalizations in Ojibwe 3
  6. Nominalizing Inner Aspect 25
  7. Nominalization instead of modification 51
  8. Part 2. The referent of nominalization
  9. Assigning reference in clausal nominalizations 85
  10. Simple event nominalizations 119
  11. Malagasy fact- and claim-type nominals 145
  12. Part The nature of the nominalizer
  13. Derivation by gender in Lithuanian 169
  14. Patterns of nominalization in Blackfoot 189
  15. Index 215
Cross-linguistic Investigations of Nominalization Patterns
This chapter is in the book Cross-linguistic Investigations of Nominalization Patterns
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.210.03wil

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Cross-linguistic investigations of nominalization patterns vii
  4. Part 1. Verbal structure inside nominalizations
  5. Nominalizations in Ojibwe 3
  6. Nominalizing Inner Aspect 25
  7. Nominalization instead of modification 51
  8. Part 2. The referent of nominalization
  9. Assigning reference in clausal nominalizations 85
  10. Simple event nominalizations 119
  11. Malagasy fact- and claim-type nominals 145
  12. Part The nature of the nominalizer
  13. Derivation by gender in Lithuanian 169
  14. Patterns of nominalization in Blackfoot 189
  15. Index 215
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