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Impersonal constructions in Ket

  • Edward J. Vajda , Andrey Nefedov and Andrej L. Malchukov
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Impersonal Constructions
This chapter is in the book Impersonal Constructions

Abstract

Agreement in Ket involves multiple techniques of verb-internal subject-object marking with intransitive subject (S) markers aligning in various ways with the transitive subject (A) or transitive object (P) markers. This article examines verbs where the S appears in slots normally reserved for P marking, while the slot normally reserved for A marking contains the invariant prefix da-. Many impersonal verbs with this da- prefix turn out to be versions of regular transitives that allow for substitution of da- by other personal subject markers. Interestingly, some intransitive verbs previously recorded as lacking da- in fact allow this prefix optionally. This suggests that the range of da- intransitives was originally broader, and that more, if not all, verbs in this class derive historically from regular transitives, Accordingly, this Ket pattern is analyzable as a ‘transimpersonal construction’, whereby a transitive verb takes an indefinite subject and experiencer object, although the transimpersonal in ket has not spread consistently across the lexicon. Keywords: subject-object marking; transimpersonal construction

Abstract

Agreement in Ket involves multiple techniques of verb-internal subject-object marking with intransitive subject (S) markers aligning in various ways with the transitive subject (A) or transitive object (P) markers. This article examines verbs where the S appears in slots normally reserved for P marking, while the slot normally reserved for A marking contains the invariant prefix da-. Many impersonal verbs with this da- prefix turn out to be versions of regular transitives that allow for substitution of da- by other personal subject markers. Interestingly, some intransitive verbs previously recorded as lacking da- in fact allow this prefix optionally. This suggests that the range of da- intransitives was originally broader, and that more, if not all, verbs in this class derive historically from regular transitives, Accordingly, this Ket pattern is analyzable as a ‘transimpersonal construction’, whereby a transitive verb takes an indefinite subject and experiencer object, although the transimpersonal in ket has not spread consistently across the lexicon. Keywords: subject-object marking; transimpersonal construction

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Impersonal constructions
  6. Towards a typology of impersonal constructions 19
  7. Overlap and complementarity in reference impersonals 57
  8. Verbs of motion 91
  9. On the distribution of subject properties in formulaic presentationals of Germanic and Romance 127
  10. Part II. Impersonal constructions
  11. Impersonal constructions and accusative subjects in Late Latin 169
  12. From passive to impersonal 189
  13. Passive to anticausative through impersonalization 229
  14. Part III. Cross-linguistic variation in Impersonal constructions
  15. The Maa (Eastern Nilotic) Impersonal construction 257
  16. Impersonal constructions in Jóola-Banjal 285
  17. Impersonal configurations and theticity 307
  18. Revisiting impersonal constructions in Modern Hebrew 323
  19. The elephant in the room 357
  20. Meteorological verbs in Uralic languages – are there any impersonal structures to be found 395
  21. Impersonal constructions in Ket 439
  22. Impersonal verbs in Central Alaskan Yupik (Eskimoan) 459
  23. Impersonals in Innu 489
  24. A diachronic study of the impersonal passive in Ainu 517
  25. Referential impersonal constructions in Mandarin 547
  26. Impersonal constructions in some Oceanic languages 581
  27. Impersonal constructions in Umpithamu and the Lamalamic languages 607
  28. Author index 627
  29. Language index 633
  30. Language index 637
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.124.15vaj

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Impersonal constructions
  6. Towards a typology of impersonal constructions 19
  7. Overlap and complementarity in reference impersonals 57
  8. Verbs of motion 91
  9. On the distribution of subject properties in formulaic presentationals of Germanic and Romance 127
  10. Part II. Impersonal constructions
  11. Impersonal constructions and accusative subjects in Late Latin 169
  12. From passive to impersonal 189
  13. Passive to anticausative through impersonalization 229
  14. Part III. Cross-linguistic variation in Impersonal constructions
  15. The Maa (Eastern Nilotic) Impersonal construction 257
  16. Impersonal constructions in Jóola-Banjal 285
  17. Impersonal configurations and theticity 307
  18. Revisiting impersonal constructions in Modern Hebrew 323
  19. The elephant in the room 357
  20. Meteorological verbs in Uralic languages – are there any impersonal structures to be found 395
  21. Impersonal constructions in Ket 439
  22. Impersonal verbs in Central Alaskan Yupik (Eskimoan) 459
  23. Impersonals in Innu 489
  24. A diachronic study of the impersonal passive in Ainu 517
  25. Referential impersonal constructions in Mandarin 547
  26. Impersonal constructions in some Oceanic languages 581
  27. Impersonal constructions in Umpithamu and the Lamalamic languages 607
  28. Author index 627
  29. Language index 633
  30. Language index 637
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