31 Non-verbal predication in Nungon
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Hannah S. Sarvasy
Abstract
This chapter is an introduction to non-verbal predication in the Finisterre Papuan language Nungon, spoken by about 1,000 people in the Saruwaged Mountains of Papua New Guinea. Nungon has no copulae. It has one existential verb, it- ‘exist, stay, be’; two other lexical verbs, to- ‘do’ and yo- ‘say,’ can also support non-verbal predication in light verb constructions. In Nungon, identity and inclusion predication have the same formal expression. When nominal arguments and/or predicates are marked for grammatical roles, a range of semantic effects beyond identity and inclusion result, including possession (through genitive and pertensive, i.e., possessive, marking), location (through locative marking), and accompaniment (through comitative marking). Nominal, adjectival, demonstrative, and other non-verbal predicates lack most verb-like marking, such as TAM or person/number indexation. The only affix that both verbal and non-verbal predicates can bear is the “attention-commanding” suffix -a.
Abstract
This chapter is an introduction to non-verbal predication in the Finisterre Papuan language Nungon, spoken by about 1,000 people in the Saruwaged Mountains of Papua New Guinea. Nungon has no copulae. It has one existential verb, it- ‘exist, stay, be’; two other lexical verbs, to- ‘do’ and yo- ‘say,’ can also support non-verbal predication in light verb constructions. In Nungon, identity and inclusion predication have the same formal expression. When nominal arguments and/or predicates are marked for grammatical roles, a range of semantic effects beyond identity and inclusion result, including possession (through genitive and pertensive, i.e., possessive, marking), location (through locative marking), and accompaniment (through comitative marking). Nominal, adjectival, demonstrative, and other non-verbal predicates lack most verb-like marking, such as TAM or person/number indexation. The only affix that both verbal and non-verbal predicates can bear is the “attention-commanding” suffix -a.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- List of the Authors V
- Acknowledgments
- Contents IX
- Crucial issues in non-verbal predication: A questionnaire 785
-
Part II: Case studies
- 22 Non-verbal predication in Maltese 789
- 23 Non-verbal predication in Nilotic 829
- 24 Non-verbal predication in Cushitic 865
- 25 Non-verbal predication in Mandinka and other Mande languages 915
- 26 Non-verbal predication in Cuwabo (Bantu) 955
- 27 Non-verbal predication in Ju 993
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Austronesia, Papunesia, Australia
- 28 Non-verbal predicates in Oceanic languages 1021
- 29 Non-verbal predication in Formosan languages 1067
- 30 Non-verbal predication in three families of Papunesia: Teiwa, Tidore and Mian 1103
- 31 Non-verbal predication in Nungon 1143
- 32 Non-verbal predication in Ngumpin-Yapa languages (Australia) 1169
-
Part III: Conclusion and prospects
- 33 Non-verbal predication: Results and perspectives 1213
- Subject index 1275
- Language index 1283
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- List of the Authors V
- Acknowledgments
- Contents IX
- Crucial issues in non-verbal predication: A questionnaire 785
-
Part II: Case studies
- 22 Non-verbal predication in Maltese 789
- 23 Non-verbal predication in Nilotic 829
- 24 Non-verbal predication in Cushitic 865
- 25 Non-verbal predication in Mandinka and other Mande languages 915
- 26 Non-verbal predication in Cuwabo (Bantu) 955
- 27 Non-verbal predication in Ju 993
-
Austronesia, Papunesia, Australia
- 28 Non-verbal predicates in Oceanic languages 1021
- 29 Non-verbal predication in Formosan languages 1067
- 30 Non-verbal predication in three families of Papunesia: Teiwa, Tidore and Mian 1103
- 31 Non-verbal predication in Nungon 1143
- 32 Non-verbal predication in Ngumpin-Yapa languages (Australia) 1169
-
Part III: Conclusion and prospects
- 33 Non-verbal predication: Results and perspectives 1213
- Subject index 1275
- Language index 1283
