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Verbs as spatial deixis markers in Jingulu

  • Rob Pensalfini
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Language Description Informed by Theory
This chapter is in the book Language Description Informed by Theory

Abstract

The Australian language Jingulu makes use of a small set of optional deictic markers on nominals which are homophonous with some of the verbal tense markers in the language. It is a fairly straightforward matter to argue that the former use is derived from the latter via re-analysis of clauses. However, the choice of theoretical framework can lead to very different synchronic analyses: the standard lexicalist approach listing the verbal and nominal uses as separate homophonous morphemes; while a late-insertion approach opens up the possibility that a single vocabulary item can appear in either the verbal or the nominal context, with its interpretation subject to morphosyntactic context alone.

Abstract

The Australian language Jingulu makes use of a small set of optional deictic markers on nominals which are homophonous with some of the verbal tense markers in the language. It is a fairly straightforward matter to argue that the former use is derived from the latter via re-analysis of clauses. However, the choice of theoretical framework can lead to very different synchronic analyses: the standard lexicalist approach listing the verbal and nominal uses as separate homophonous morphemes; while a late-insertion approach opens up the possibility that a single vocabulary item can appear in either the verbal or the nominal context, with its interpretation subject to morphosyntactic context alone.

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