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Chapter 9. Incipient hierarchical alignment in four Central Salish languages from the Proto-Salish middle

  • Zalmai Zahir
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Typological Hierarchies in Synchrony and Diachrony
This chapter is in the book Typological Hierarchies in Synchrony and Diachrony

Abstract

There are three distinct transitive constructions in four Coast Salish languages, Squamish, Halkomelem, Klallam and Lushootseed. In the V-tr construction, both A and P are unmarked for case; in the V-mid construction (often considered antipassive), A is unmarked and P marked; in the V-tr-mid construction (often considered passive), P is unmarked and A marked. Individually, none of these constructions is a hierarchical system, but in combination, asymmetries in their distribution are well on the way to creating a person-based hierarchical system. This paper discusses the diachronic development of each of these constructions, then describes their differential distribution into the four functional domains: local (SAP A → SAP P), direct (SAP → 3P), nonlocal (3A → 3P), and inverse (3A → SAP P). While the distribution is not identical in each of the languages, the trend is clear: the etymologically passive V-tr-mid construction cannot occur in the direct domain and has become the pragmatically unmarked construction in the inverse domain, whereas the etymologically antipassive V-mid construction cannot occur in the inverse domain. While it only occurs in the direct and nonlocal domains, even there it is rare, giving the appearance that its function is still that of an antipassive. In combination, the result is that whenever the two core arguments of a clause are an SAP and a third person, regardless of grammatical role the SAP participant is always an unmarked core argument, whereas the third person is most often marked, leading to a situation where the oblique case in these languages is beginning to resemble the obviative case-marker of inverse languages.

Abstract

There are three distinct transitive constructions in four Coast Salish languages, Squamish, Halkomelem, Klallam and Lushootseed. In the V-tr construction, both A and P are unmarked for case; in the V-mid construction (often considered antipassive), A is unmarked and P marked; in the V-tr-mid construction (often considered passive), P is unmarked and A marked. Individually, none of these constructions is a hierarchical system, but in combination, asymmetries in their distribution are well on the way to creating a person-based hierarchical system. This paper discusses the diachronic development of each of these constructions, then describes their differential distribution into the four functional domains: local (SAP A → SAP P), direct (SAP → 3P), nonlocal (3A → 3P), and inverse (3A → SAP P). While the distribution is not identical in each of the languages, the trend is clear: the etymologically passive V-tr-mid construction cannot occur in the direct domain and has become the pragmatically unmarked construction in the inverse domain, whereas the etymologically antipassive V-mid construction cannot occur in the inverse domain. While it only occurs in the direct and nonlocal domains, even there it is rare, giving the appearance that its function is still that of an antipassive. In combination, the result is that whenever the two core arguments of a clause are an SAP and a third person, regardless of grammatical role the SAP participant is always an unmarked core argument, whereas the third person is most often marked, leading to a situation where the oblique case in these languages is beginning to resemble the obviative case-marker of inverse languages.

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.121.09zah

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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