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4 Applicatives and beyond: Barbareño Chumash

  • Marianne Mithun
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Applicative Morphology
This chapter is in the book Applicative Morphology

Abstract

Prototypical applicative constructions add a non-agentive participant to the set of core arguments of the clause. The added argument usually takes on the grammatical role of a transitive object, absolutive, or grammatical patient. Though applicatives are basically word-formation devices, their functions are not necessarily limited to the lexicon; they typically extend into higher levels of structure. Their role in allowing speakers to code more topical and significant participants as core arguments is now generally recognized. Such functions may set the stage for further grammatical developments. One such trajectory is illustrated here with examples from Barbareño Chumash, a language indigenous to California. Section 1 provides a brief overview of the structure of the language. Section 2 describes the four Barbareño applicatives, an Instrumental, a Locative, a Directional, and a Benefactive. Section 3 shows how the first three are used by speakers to shape the flow of information in discourse. Section 4 describes how the fourth has become crystallized in the grammar, so it is the only option for mentioning third person beneficiaries. And Section 5 traces how the discourse uses of all of them have been exploited in pervasive syntactic constructions: nominalization and the formation of headless and headed relative clauses.

Abstract

Prototypical applicative constructions add a non-agentive participant to the set of core arguments of the clause. The added argument usually takes on the grammatical role of a transitive object, absolutive, or grammatical patient. Though applicatives are basically word-formation devices, their functions are not necessarily limited to the lexicon; they typically extend into higher levels of structure. Their role in allowing speakers to code more topical and significant participants as core arguments is now generally recognized. Such functions may set the stage for further grammatical developments. One such trajectory is illustrated here with examples from Barbareño Chumash, a language indigenous to California. Section 1 provides a brief overview of the structure of the language. Section 2 describes the four Barbareño applicatives, an Instrumental, a Locative, a Directional, and a Benefactive. Section 3 shows how the first three are used by speakers to shape the flow of information in discourse. Section 4 describes how the fourth has become crystallized in the grammar, so it is the only option for mentioning third person beneficiaries. And Section 5 traces how the discourse uses of all of them have been exploited in pervasive syntactic constructions: nominalization and the formation of headless and headed relative clauses.

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