5 Deictic directionality as associated motion: motion, complex events and event integration in African languages
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Aïcha Belkadi
Abstract
The ambivalent cross-linguistic relationship between the categories of associated motion and deictic directionality has been noted in recent studies: they express different meanings but have complementary distributions and are frequently realised by the same exponents depending on their linguistic environment. My main aim in this paper is to address this yet unexplained theoretical and typological puzzle. Based on the properties and distributions of polysemous exponents across various languages indigenous to Africa, I develop a unifying semantic account of associated motion and deictic directionality. Following the views that paths can refer to events, that events are not necessarily atomic and can be decomposed into multiple temporally related sub-events, I argue that deictic directionality constitutes a subtype of associated motion. Like the latter, it is used to express complex events, differing only in how the motion it expresses temporally integrates with the event encoded by the host verb.
Abstract
The ambivalent cross-linguistic relationship between the categories of associated motion and deictic directionality has been noted in recent studies: they express different meanings but have complementary distributions and are frequently realised by the same exponents depending on their linguistic environment. My main aim in this paper is to address this yet unexplained theoretical and typological puzzle. Based on the properties and distributions of polysemous exponents across various languages indigenous to Africa, I develop a unifying semantic account of associated motion and deictic directionality. Following the views that paths can refer to events, that events are not necessarily atomic and can be decomposed into multiple temporally related sub-events, I argue that deictic directionality constitutes a subtype of associated motion. Like the latter, it is used to express complex events, differing only in how the motion it expresses temporally integrates with the event encoded by the host verb.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
-
Part I: Perspectives and general issues
- 1 Introduction: associated motion as a grammatical category in linguistic typology 3
- 2 A cross-linguistic survey of Associated Motion and Directionals 31
- 3 Serial verb constructions and motion semantics 87
- 4 Associated motion and directionals: where they overlap 129
- 5 Deictic directionality as associated motion: motion, complex events and event integration in African languages 163
- 6 A visual stimulus for eliciting associated motion 201
-
Part II: Australia and South Pacific
- 7 Associated motion in the Pama-Nyungan languages of Australia 231
- 8 Mudburra associated motion in an areal perspective 325
- 9 “Now the story’s turning around”: Associated motion and directionality in Ende, a language of Papua New Guinea 357
- 10 Preverbal directionals as markers of associated motion in Paluai (Austronesian; Oceanic) 385
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Part III: The Americas
- 11 Associated motion in Chácobo (Pano) in typological perspective 419
- 12 Pilagá directionals and the typology of associated motion 451
- 13 Associated motion in North America (including Mexico and Central America) 485
- 14 Associated motion in the Otomi family 527
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Part IV: Africa
- 15 Associated motion in Bantu languages 569
- 16 Associated motion and deictic directional in Atlantic languages 611
- 17 Ventive, associated motion and aspect in Jóola Fóoñi (Atlantic) 665
- 18 The extension of associated motion to direction, aspect and argument structure in Nilotic languages 695
- 19 The ‘along’–deictic-directional verb suffix complex in Kupsapiny 747
- 20 At the intersection of associated motion, direction and exchoative aspect in the Koman languages 779
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Part V: Asia
- 21 Associated motion in Sino-Tibetan, with a focus on Gyalrongic and Kiranti 819
- 22 Associated motion in Tungusic languages: a case of mixed argument structure 855
- Subject Index 899
- Language Index 907
- Name Index 917
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
-
Part I: Perspectives and general issues
- 1 Introduction: associated motion as a grammatical category in linguistic typology 3
- 2 A cross-linguistic survey of Associated Motion and Directionals 31
- 3 Serial verb constructions and motion semantics 87
- 4 Associated motion and directionals: where they overlap 129
- 5 Deictic directionality as associated motion: motion, complex events and event integration in African languages 163
- 6 A visual stimulus for eliciting associated motion 201
-
Part II: Australia and South Pacific
- 7 Associated motion in the Pama-Nyungan languages of Australia 231
- 8 Mudburra associated motion in an areal perspective 325
- 9 “Now the story’s turning around”: Associated motion and directionality in Ende, a language of Papua New Guinea 357
- 10 Preverbal directionals as markers of associated motion in Paluai (Austronesian; Oceanic) 385
-
Part III: The Americas
- 11 Associated motion in Chácobo (Pano) in typological perspective 419
- 12 Pilagá directionals and the typology of associated motion 451
- 13 Associated motion in North America (including Mexico and Central America) 485
- 14 Associated motion in the Otomi family 527
-
Part IV: Africa
- 15 Associated motion in Bantu languages 569
- 16 Associated motion and deictic directional in Atlantic languages 611
- 17 Ventive, associated motion and aspect in Jóola Fóoñi (Atlantic) 665
- 18 The extension of associated motion to direction, aspect and argument structure in Nilotic languages 695
- 19 The ‘along’–deictic-directional verb suffix complex in Kupsapiny 747
- 20 At the intersection of associated motion, direction and exchoative aspect in the Koman languages 779
-
Part V: Asia
- 21 Associated motion in Sino-Tibetan, with a focus on Gyalrongic and Kiranti 819
- 22 Associated motion in Tungusic languages: a case of mixed argument structure 855
- Subject Index 899
- Language Index 907
- Name Index 917
