Tense-aspect morphology from nominalizers in Newar
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Carol Genetti
Abstract
This paper examines the historical status of tense-aspect suffixes in the Kathmandu Valley and Eastern branches of Newar. By comparing across branches and triangulating with Classical Newar, the paper demonstrates that the innovative past anterior and present tense markers in Eastern Newar were derived from nominalizers. The future tense marker -i, which is found in both branches of the family, also had nominalizing functions, as did the precursors of every suffix now used in finite contexts in Kathmandu Newar. This suggests that the current finite morphology in the Kathmandu Valley varieties was entirely derived from nominalizers as the original system of verb agreement was lost. The mechanism for this process would have been non-embedded nominalization, a common syntactic pattern of Tibeto-Burman.
Abstract
This paper examines the historical status of tense-aspect suffixes in the Kathmandu Valley and Eastern branches of Newar. By comparing across branches and triangulating with Classical Newar, the paper demonstrates that the innovative past anterior and present tense markers in Eastern Newar were derived from nominalizers. The future tense marker -i, which is found in both branches of the family, also had nominalizing functions, as did the precursors of every suffix now used in finite contexts in Kathmandu Newar. This suggests that the current finite morphology in the Kathmandu Valley varieties was entirely derived from nominalizers as the original system of verb agreement was lost. The mechanism for this process would have been non-embedded nominalization, a common syntactic pattern of Tibeto-Burman.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction ix
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Part I. Typological studies
- Non-aprioristic typology as a discovery tool 3
- Chorophorics, or the difference between place as an entity and place as a position in space 27
- On the diachrony of the ‘Ethical Dative’ 43
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Part II. Contributions to historical linguistics
- Biactantial agreement in the Gongduk transitive verb in the broader Tibeto-Burman context 69
- The dinguist’s dilemma 83
-
Part III. TAME and case alignment
- Person-sensitive TAME marking in Galo 107
- Agent case marking in Sahaptian 131
-
Part IV. Multi-clause constructions
- The Kurtöp - si construction 155
- Verb serialization in Ede from a diachronic perspective 179
- Tense-aspect morphology from nominalizers in Newar 195
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Part V. Functional motivation and extension
- Predicting reference form 223
- Causation as “functional sink” in Northern Paiute 237
- The challenge of Maa ‘Away’ 259
- Name index 283
- Language index 287
- Subject index 291
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction ix
-
Part I. Typological studies
- Non-aprioristic typology as a discovery tool 3
- Chorophorics, or the difference between place as an entity and place as a position in space 27
- On the diachrony of the ‘Ethical Dative’ 43
-
Part II. Contributions to historical linguistics
- Biactantial agreement in the Gongduk transitive verb in the broader Tibeto-Burman context 69
- The dinguist’s dilemma 83
-
Part III. TAME and case alignment
- Person-sensitive TAME marking in Galo 107
- Agent case marking in Sahaptian 131
-
Part IV. Multi-clause constructions
- The Kurtöp - si construction 155
- Verb serialization in Ede from a diachronic perspective 179
- Tense-aspect morphology from nominalizers in Newar 195
-
Part V. Functional motivation and extension
- Predicting reference form 223
- Causation as “functional sink” in Northern Paiute 237
- The challenge of Maa ‘Away’ 259
- Name index 283
- Language index 287
- Subject index 291
