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Chapter 17. Nominalization and its pervasiveness in Xavante

  • Adriana M. Estevam
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Abstract

The aim of this presentation is to show the ubiquitous character of nominalizations in Xavante, a Jê language spoken in central Brazil by approximately 15,000 speakers. After a brief presentation of background information, we will give a synchronic description of lexical and grammatical nominalizations. The section devoted to grammatical nominalization points out the hybrid nature of constituents we are inclined to call ‘nominalized clauses’: it offers an analysis of their internal (clausal) structure and their syntactic (nominal) behaviour. A final section presents a diachronic hypothesis involving several contexts where nominalizations can be argued to have operated at the clause level in a previous state of the language.

Abstract

The aim of this presentation is to show the ubiquitous character of nominalizations in Xavante, a Jê language spoken in central Brazil by approximately 15,000 speakers. After a brief presentation of background information, we will give a synchronic description of lexical and grammatical nominalizations. The section devoted to grammatical nominalization points out the hybrid nature of constituents we are inclined to call ‘nominalized clauses’: it offers an analysis of their internal (clausal) structure and their syntactic (nominal) behaviour. A final section presents a diachronic hypothesis involving several contexts where nominalizations can be argued to have operated at the clause level in a previous state of the language.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Chapter 1. Nominalization in languages of the Americas 1
  4. Part I. Nominalization theory, definitions and typology
  5. Chapter 2. What is nominalization? Towards the theoretical foundations of nominalization 15
  6. Chapter 3. Nominalization in cross-linguistic diachronic perspective 169
  7. Part II. Areal studies on nominalization in South America
  8. Chapter 4. Case markers as subordinators in South American indigenous languages 197
  9. Chapter 5. Nominalized constructions with argument functions in the languages of the Chaco 249
  10. Part III. Case studies on nominalization in individual languages
  11. Chapter 6. Nominalization in Central Alaskan Yup’ik 273
  12. Chapter 7. The ‘relative’ illusion and the origin of non-subject nominalizers in Cahita (Uto-Aztecan) 301
  13. Chapter 8. On habitual periphrasis in Cuzco Quechua 341
  14. Chapter 9. Life of =ti : Use and grammaticalization of a clausal nominalizer in Yurakaré 363
  15. Chapter 10. The rise of the nominalizations 391
  16. Chapter 11. Form and functions of nominalization in Wampis 419
  17. Chapter 12. Nominalization in Harakmbut 455
  18. Chapter 13. Nominalization in Shawi/Chayahuita 491
  19. Chapter 14. Clausal nominalization in Kakataibo (Panoan) 515
  20. Chapter 15. Nominalization and switch-reference in Iskonawa (Panoan, Peru) 537
  21. Chapter 16. Lexicalized nominalized clauses in Matses (Panoan) 557
  22. Chapter 17. Nominalization and its pervasiveness in Xavante 591
  23. Chapter 18. Innovation in nominalization in Tupí-Guaraní languages 625
  24. Subject index 657
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