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Impersonal constructions in some Oceanic languages

  • Claire Moyse-Faurie
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Impersonal Constructions
This chapter is in the book Impersonal Constructions

Abstract

Kanak and the Polynesian languages exhibit a wide range of impersonal constructions which may involve: (i) the lack or frequent omission of arguments; (ii) optional impersonal construction of monovalent verbs or intransitive construction of bivalent verbs, associated with different meanings; (iii) differential agent marking such as oblique adjuncts or agents/experiencers expressed as a possessor; (iv) the use of impersonal pronouns or non-referential ‘dummy’ pronouns. These constructions are considered to be impersonal from two perspectives: (a) as constraints (impersonal verbs, dummy pronouns) and options (labile verbs) offered by a language system, and (b) as discourse strategies offered to the speaker of a language to make the agent impersonal (through its omission, by making it peripheral as an oblique adjunct or a possessor). Keywords: Oceanic languages; labile verbs; argument omission; differential agent marking; impersonal pronouns

Abstract

Kanak and the Polynesian languages exhibit a wide range of impersonal constructions which may involve: (i) the lack or frequent omission of arguments; (ii) optional impersonal construction of monovalent verbs or intransitive construction of bivalent verbs, associated with different meanings; (iii) differential agent marking such as oblique adjuncts or agents/experiencers expressed as a possessor; (iv) the use of impersonal pronouns or non-referential ‘dummy’ pronouns. These constructions are considered to be impersonal from two perspectives: (a) as constraints (impersonal verbs, dummy pronouns) and options (labile verbs) offered by a language system, and (b) as discourse strategies offered to the speaker of a language to make the agent impersonal (through its omission, by making it peripheral as an oblique adjunct or a possessor). Keywords: Oceanic languages; labile verbs; argument omission; differential agent marking; impersonal pronouns

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.124.20moy

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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