Volume 13, Issue 3

The Algonquian prominence hierarchy, usually characterized as 2 > 1 > 3, is often cited as a counterexample to claims that 1st person outranks 2nd universally. Data from five Algonquian languages show that rankings 1 > 2, 2 > 1, and 1 = 2 are actually found, depending on the affix position and language, leading to the conclusion that the hierarchy should be SAP > 3. We also find two distinct models of hierarchy: a scalar model upon which a transition between paradigms or categories of affixes is made at various points by different languages, and a relational model which requires an evaluation of the relative ranking of two arguments on a scale, with the conclusion leading to a choice between markers within a single paradigm.

The article deals with discontinuous nominal expressions in three languages of the North Caucasus region: Lak (Nakh-Daghestanian), Circassian (Abkhaz-Adyghe), and Nogai (Turkic). It is argued that discontinuity in these languages can bring about “non-configurational” structure, where the noun and the modifier are co-dependents of the verb. Particular attention is paid to the opposition of “simple” and “inverted splits”, with the parts of the discontinuous nominals in their canonical or an inverted order. It is demonstrated that inverted splits in the languages under study regularly are morphologically more complex than simple splits. Some typological consequences of this observation are discussed.

In this article, I observe that Ossetic has a system of possessive pronouns with two features untypical for Iranian languages. First, along with genitive forms of full pronouns, it has a full paradigm of possessive proclitics. Second, while having accusative enclitics, it lacks possessive enclitics. I argue that the former trait is likely to have developed under West Caucasian influence. As for the absence of possessive enclitics, it is a nearly universal areal feature in the Caucasus. To substantiate these claims, I give an overview of possession marking in Iranian languages and in languages of the Caucasus and compare it to the Ossetic system. I suggest a possible scenario for the grammaticalization of possessive proclitics.