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Chapter 4. The development of referential hierarchy effects in Sahaptian

  • Spike Gildea and Joana Jansen
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Typological Hierarchies in Synchrony and Diachrony
This chapter is in the book Typological Hierarchies in Synchrony and Diachrony

Abstract

Sahaptin and Nez Perce, the two languages of the Sahaptian family, have both been cited as case studies in the typological literature on hierarchical patterns in main clause grammar. Nez Perce has ergative case marking on only third person singular transitive subjects, plus a minor pattern of indexation of SAP participants via (rarely occurring) second position enclitics. Sahaptin has one of the more complex hierarchical systems ever described, with SAP indexation via enclitics, third person indexation on verbs, differential object marking, an inverse verbal direction prefix, and two distinct ergative suffixes, each restricted to a subset of third person singular transitive subjects (one when objects are SAP, the other when objects are third person). This paper begins by reviewing, evaluating, and occasionally expanding on existing knowledge: we summarize the hierarchical patterns in Sahaptian and characterize each distinct construction. Then we compare relevant Sahaptin morphemes with cognates in Nez Perce, and review their reconstruction to Proto-Sahaptian. The primary contribution of this paper is organizing the morphemes (and their accompanying hierarchical patterns) in both languages into cognate constructions, then reconstructing each to its Proto-Sahaptian origins. We conclude by reviewing and evaluating proposals for Pre-Proto-Sahaptian developments claimed to explain the origins of hierarchical patterns that reconstruct to Proto-Sahaptian. The mechanisms we identify as having created the Sahaptian hierarchical effects are diverse, some motivated and others not, some arising from internal sources, others arguably from contact.

Abstract

Sahaptin and Nez Perce, the two languages of the Sahaptian family, have both been cited as case studies in the typological literature on hierarchical patterns in main clause grammar. Nez Perce has ergative case marking on only third person singular transitive subjects, plus a minor pattern of indexation of SAP participants via (rarely occurring) second position enclitics. Sahaptin has one of the more complex hierarchical systems ever described, with SAP indexation via enclitics, third person indexation on verbs, differential object marking, an inverse verbal direction prefix, and two distinct ergative suffixes, each restricted to a subset of third person singular transitive subjects (one when objects are SAP, the other when objects are third person). This paper begins by reviewing, evaluating, and occasionally expanding on existing knowledge: we summarize the hierarchical patterns in Sahaptian and characterize each distinct construction. Then we compare relevant Sahaptin morphemes with cognates in Nez Perce, and review their reconstruction to Proto-Sahaptian. The primary contribution of this paper is organizing the morphemes (and their accompanying hierarchical patterns) in both languages into cognate constructions, then reconstructing each to its Proto-Sahaptian origins. We conclude by reviewing and evaluating proposals for Pre-Proto-Sahaptian developments claimed to explain the origins of hierarchical patterns that reconstruct to Proto-Sahaptian. The mechanisms we identify as having created the Sahaptian hierarchical effects are diverse, some motivated and others not, some arising from internal sources, others arguably from contact.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Part I. Setting the stage
  4. Synchronic vs. diachronic approaches to typological hierarchies 3
  5. Part II. Foundational issues
  6. Chapter 1. Evolutionary Phonology and the life cycle of voiceless sonorants 31
  7. Chapter 2. The Obligatory Coding Principle in diachronic perspective 59
  8. Chapter 3. Deconstructing teleology 111
  9. Part III. Hierarchical effects and their origins
  10. Chapter 4. The development of referential hierarchy effects in Sahaptian 131
  11. Chapter 5. Diachrony and the referential hierarchy in Old Irish 191
  12. Chapter 6. From ergative case-marking to hierarchical agreement 217
  13. Chapter 7. The direction(s) of analogical change in direct/inverse systems 257
  14. Chapter 8. Are the Tupi-Guarani hierarchical indexing systems really motivated by the person hierarchy? 289
  15. Chapter 9. Incipient hierarchical alignment in four Central Salish languages from the Proto-Salish middle 309
  16. Part IV. Conflicting hierarchical patterns and how to deal with them
  17. Chapter 10. Deictic and sociopragmatic effects in Tibeto-Burman SAP indexation 345
  18. Chapter 11. Morphosyntactic coding of proper names and its implications for the Animacy Hierarchy 377
  19. Chapter 12. Generic person marking in Japhug and other Gyalrong languages 403
  20. Author index 425
  21. Language Index 429
  22. Subject Index 433
https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.121.04gil

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Part I. Setting the stage
  4. Synchronic vs. diachronic approaches to typological hierarchies 3
  5. Part II. Foundational issues
  6. Chapter 1. Evolutionary Phonology and the life cycle of voiceless sonorants 31
  7. Chapter 2. The Obligatory Coding Principle in diachronic perspective 59
  8. Chapter 3. Deconstructing teleology 111
  9. Part III. Hierarchical effects and their origins
  10. Chapter 4. The development of referential hierarchy effects in Sahaptian 131
  11. Chapter 5. Diachrony and the referential hierarchy in Old Irish 191
  12. Chapter 6. From ergative case-marking to hierarchical agreement 217
  13. Chapter 7. The direction(s) of analogical change in direct/inverse systems 257
  14. Chapter 8. Are the Tupi-Guarani hierarchical indexing systems really motivated by the person hierarchy? 289
  15. Chapter 9. Incipient hierarchical alignment in four Central Salish languages from the Proto-Salish middle 309
  16. Part IV. Conflicting hierarchical patterns and how to deal with them
  17. Chapter 10. Deictic and sociopragmatic effects in Tibeto-Burman SAP indexation 345
  18. Chapter 11. Morphosyntactic coding of proper names and its implications for the Animacy Hierarchy 377
  19. Chapter 12. Generic person marking in Japhug and other Gyalrong languages 403
  20. Author index 425
  21. Language Index 429
  22. Subject Index 433
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