Chapter 5. Diachrony and the referential hierarchy in Old Irish
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Aaron Griffith
Abstract
A set of Old Irish clitic person markers may co-index subject or object markers on the verb. Only one clitic of this set may appear at a time, however. The clitic, if present, indexes the verbal argument highest on the scale 1st person > 2nd person > 3rd person animate > inanimate. The restriction of one clitic per verb, a prerequisite for the hierarchy, is explained here as a result of the deictic origin of the clitic set. The deictic origin further favors the marking of local persons over non-local persons. For the upper and lower end of the hierarchy, however, the ranking appears to be determined rather by considerations of function. Since the clitics can mark topics, they favor 1st persons over 2nd and animates over inanimates.
Abstract
A set of Old Irish clitic person markers may co-index subject or object markers on the verb. Only one clitic of this set may appear at a time, however. The clitic, if present, indexes the verbal argument highest on the scale 1st person > 2nd person > 3rd person animate > inanimate. The restriction of one clitic per verb, a prerequisite for the hierarchy, is explained here as a result of the deictic origin of the clitic set. The deictic origin further favors the marking of local persons over non-local persons. For the upper and lower end of the hierarchy, however, the ranking appears to be determined rather by considerations of function. Since the clitics can mark topics, they favor 1st persons over 2nd and animates over inanimates.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
-
Part I. Setting the stage
- Synchronic vs. diachronic approaches to typological hierarchies 3
-
Part II. Foundational issues
- Chapter 1. Evolutionary Phonology and the life cycle of voiceless sonorants 31
- Chapter 2. The Obligatory Coding Principle in diachronic perspective 59
- Chapter 3. Deconstructing teleology 111
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Part III. Hierarchical effects and their origins
- Chapter 4. The development of referential hierarchy effects in Sahaptian 131
- Chapter 5. Diachrony and the referential hierarchy in Old Irish 191
- Chapter 6. From ergative case-marking to hierarchical agreement 217
- Chapter 7. The direction(s) of analogical change in direct/inverse systems 257
- Chapter 8. Are the Tupi-Guarani hierarchical indexing systems really motivated by the person hierarchy? 289
- Chapter 9. Incipient hierarchical alignment in four Central Salish languages from the Proto-Salish middle 309
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Part IV. Conflicting hierarchical patterns and how to deal with them
- Chapter 10. Deictic and sociopragmatic effects in Tibeto-Burman SAP indexation 345
- Chapter 11. Morphosyntactic coding of proper names and its implications for the Animacy Hierarchy 377
- Chapter 12. Generic person marking in Japhug and other Gyalrong languages 403
- Author index 425
- Language Index 429
- Subject Index 433
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
-
Part I. Setting the stage
- Synchronic vs. diachronic approaches to typological hierarchies 3
-
Part II. Foundational issues
- Chapter 1. Evolutionary Phonology and the life cycle of voiceless sonorants 31
- Chapter 2. The Obligatory Coding Principle in diachronic perspective 59
- Chapter 3. Deconstructing teleology 111
-
Part III. Hierarchical effects and their origins
- Chapter 4. The development of referential hierarchy effects in Sahaptian 131
- Chapter 5. Diachrony and the referential hierarchy in Old Irish 191
- Chapter 6. From ergative case-marking to hierarchical agreement 217
- Chapter 7. The direction(s) of analogical change in direct/inverse systems 257
- Chapter 8. Are the Tupi-Guarani hierarchical indexing systems really motivated by the person hierarchy? 289
- Chapter 9. Incipient hierarchical alignment in four Central Salish languages from the Proto-Salish middle 309
-
Part IV. Conflicting hierarchical patterns and how to deal with them
- Chapter 10. Deictic and sociopragmatic effects in Tibeto-Burman SAP indexation 345
- Chapter 11. Morphosyntactic coding of proper names and its implications for the Animacy Hierarchy 377
- Chapter 12. Generic person marking in Japhug and other Gyalrong languages 403
- Author index 425
- Language Index 429
- Subject Index 433