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Plains Cree Order as alternation

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Published/Copyright: February 21, 2024
Linguistics Vanguard
From the journal Linguistics Vanguard Volume 10 Issue s1

Abstract

This paper describes the Plains Cree phenomenon of Order as a form of alternation not yet described as such in the literature. First, we provide a brief description of relevant Plains Cree grammar and Order as a phenomenon. This is followed by an overview of how the concept of alternation has been used in linguistics as an analytic tool. Finally, we discuss how conceiving of Order as an alternation allows for not only a better understanding of the phenomenon, but also results in a new type of alternation. We name this type of alternation a paradigmatic alternation and define it as any alternation where some lexeme can make use of two or more alternative paradigms of the same size and shape but with different morphological exponents, while representing the same set of grammatical features. We exemplify this with Plains Cree, where subject/object agreement has two distinct paradigms which verbs can take while retaining similar meanings. A brief comparison with of a similar phenomenon, Koiari tense/aspect, is also included.

Keywords: alternations; Algonquian; Plains Cree; Order; paradigm
Corresponding author: Atticus G. Harrigan, Department of Linguistics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, E-mail:

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the contributions of Katherine Schmirler, Arok Wolvengrey, Jordan Lachler, and the anonymous reviewers for the helpful comments and discussion they have provided in preparing this research. We would also like to thank the organizers of the “What counts as an alternation in usage-based construction grammar? Workshop” at the 11th International Conference on Construction Grammar for hosting the workshop that inspired this paper. This work has been funded by a Partnership Grant (#895-2019-1012), as well as a personal doctoral fellowship (Harrigan), both from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada. A special thanks to all of the Plains Cree speakers with whom we have worked with while completing this research, particularly those from Maskwacîs, AB.

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Received: 2023-03-07
Accepted: 2023-04-03
Published Online: 2024-02-21

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Research Articles
  3. Introduction: what are alternations and how should we study them?
  4. Concrete constructions or messy mangroves? How modelling contextual effects on constructional alternations reflect theoretical assumptions of language structure
  5. Alternations (at) that time: NP versus PP time adjuncts in the history of English
  6. Disentangling constructional networks: integrating taxonomic effects into the description of grammatical alternations
  7. The morphosyntactic alternation between exterior locative case affixes and postpositions in Estonian
  8. In alternations, not all semantic motivation comes from semantic contrast
  9. Null and overt se constructions in Brazilian Portuguese and the network of se constructions
  10. Evaluating the importance of construal for choosing between alternating forms: the case of Spanish change-of-state verbs hacerse and volverse
  11. Differential indexing in Kamang: a viewpoint alternation
  12. Plains Cree Order as alternation
https://doi.org/10.1515/lingvan-2023-0038
Keywords for this article
alternations; Algonquian; Plains Cree; Order; paradigm

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Research Articles
  3. Introduction: what are alternations and how should we study them?
  4. Concrete constructions or messy mangroves? How modelling contextual effects on constructional alternations reflect theoretical assumptions of language structure
  5. Alternations (at) that time: NP versus PP time adjuncts in the history of English
  6. Disentangling constructional networks: integrating taxonomic effects into the description of grammatical alternations
  7. The morphosyntactic alternation between exterior locative case affixes and postpositions in Estonian
  8. In alternations, not all semantic motivation comes from semantic contrast
  9. Null and overt se constructions in Brazilian Portuguese and the network of se constructions
  10. Evaluating the importance of construal for choosing between alternating forms: the case of Spanish change-of-state verbs hacerse and volverse
  11. Differential indexing in Kamang: a viewpoint alternation
  12. Plains Cree Order as alternation
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