Lessons of variability in clause coordination
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Aleksandr E. Kibrik
Abstract
This paper analyzes syntactic constructions of semantically coordinated clauses in 23 Daghestanian languages. The abundance of surface coding techniques calls for a principled explanation of basic grammatical and cognitive mechanisms underlying this variability and restricting it to attested patterns. The analysis is based on the hypothesis that there exists a multifactorial mechanism of mapping cognitively adjacent events that occur either sequentially or simultaneously and usually share participants in syntactically subordinating clause chaining exploiting anaphoric dependencies. Two types of factors are claimed to constitute the basis of this multifactorial mechanism: (1) strategies that are local factors determining the formation of a given type of construction, and (2) principles that relate to the basic syntactic options in a language. These determine a wide range of components of linguistic structure, especially the choice of specific strategies for forming various constructions. Instead of traditional taxonomic methods for classifying attested constructions, I propose a multifactorial second-order calculus, which operates on cognitive objects or factors that are responsible for the formation of specific constructions.
Abstract
This paper analyzes syntactic constructions of semantically coordinated clauses in 23 Daghestanian languages. The abundance of surface coding techniques calls for a principled explanation of basic grammatical and cognitive mechanisms underlying this variability and restricting it to attested patterns. The analysis is based on the hypothesis that there exists a multifactorial mechanism of mapping cognitively adjacent events that occur either sequentially or simultaneously and usually share participants in syntactically subordinating clause chaining exploiting anaphoric dependencies. Two types of factors are claimed to constitute the basis of this multifactorial mechanism: (1) strategies that are local factors determining the formation of a given type of construction, and (2) principles that relate to the basic syntactic options in a language. These determine a wide range of components of linguistic structure, especially the choice of specific strategies for forming various constructions. Instead of traditional taxonomic methods for classifying attested constructions, I propose a multifactorial second-order calculus, which operates on cognitive objects or factors that are responsible for the formation of specific constructions.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
-
Part I. Structures and typologies
- Discourse semantics and the form of the verb predicate in Karachay-Balkar 3
- Typology and channel of communication 47
- Marking versus indexing 69
- Head-marking languages and linguistic theory 91
- Lessons of variability in clause coordination 125
- Noun classes grow on trees 153
- Affecting valence in Khumi 171
- Capturing diversity in language acquisition research 195
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Part II. Distributions in time and space
- Who inherits what, when? 219
- Polysynthesis in the Arctic/Sub-Arctic 241
- A (micro-)accretion zone in a remnant zone? 265
- A history of Iroquoian gender marking 283
- The satem shift, Armenian siseṙn, and the early Indo-European of the Balkans 299
- Penultimate lengthening in Bantu 309
- Culture and the spread of Slavic 331
- The syntax and pragmatics of Tungusic revisited 357
- Some observations on typological features of hunter-gatherer languages 383
- Typologizing phonetic precursors to sound change 395
- Distributional biases in language families 415
- The morphology of imperatives in Lak 445
- Subgrouping in Tibeto-Burman 463
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Part III. A (cautionary) note on methodology
- Real data, contrived data, and the Yokuts Canon 477
- Language index 495
- Name index 499
- Subject index 505
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
-
Part I. Structures and typologies
- Discourse semantics and the form of the verb predicate in Karachay-Balkar 3
- Typology and channel of communication 47
- Marking versus indexing 69
- Head-marking languages and linguistic theory 91
- Lessons of variability in clause coordination 125
- Noun classes grow on trees 153
- Affecting valence in Khumi 171
- Capturing diversity in language acquisition research 195
-
Part II. Distributions in time and space
- Who inherits what, when? 219
- Polysynthesis in the Arctic/Sub-Arctic 241
- A (micro-)accretion zone in a remnant zone? 265
- A history of Iroquoian gender marking 283
- The satem shift, Armenian siseṙn, and the early Indo-European of the Balkans 299
- Penultimate lengthening in Bantu 309
- Culture and the spread of Slavic 331
- The syntax and pragmatics of Tungusic revisited 357
- Some observations on typological features of hunter-gatherer languages 383
- Typologizing phonetic precursors to sound change 395
- Distributional biases in language families 415
- The morphology of imperatives in Lak 445
- Subgrouping in Tibeto-Burman 463
-
Part III. A (cautionary) note on methodology
- Real data, contrived data, and the Yokuts Canon 477
- Language index 495
- Name index 499
- Subject index 505
