Argument Encoding and Pragmatic Marking of the Transitive Subject in Shiwilu (Kawapanan)

Datos Bibliográficos

ID5114004
AutoresPilar M Valenzuela, Patricia Valenzuela (0000-0001-6035-962X, Chapman University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2011
Volumen77
Número1
Páginas91-120
Fecha de publicación2011-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaInternational Journal of American Linguistics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0020-7071 • E-ISSN: 1545-7001
EditorialUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/657989
OpenAlexW2044505448
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas11
Referencias citadas16

Shiwilu (a.k.a. Jebero) is a nearly extinct Kawapanan language from Peruvian Amazonia. The goal of this article is twofold. First, it investigates the obligatory crossreferencing of arguments in the complex Shiwilu verb. This system is predominantly nominative–accusative, with the caveat that main clause object markers coincide with those conveying subject in one type of clause involving nominal predicates, as well as subject and object of dependent clauses.Second, this article provides a first analysis of the enclitic =ler, which may attach to transitive subjects and thus exhibits an ergative-like distribution. Unlike the situation in languages with syntacticized ergative systems, omission of =ler does not yield ungrammatical utterances; however, transitive clauses displaying a =ler-marked subject NP are not unusual either. It is argued that =ler has discriminatory and discourse-pragmatic functions, and is comparable to instances of “optional” or pragmatic marking of the ergative/agentive in other languages

Argument (complex analysis · Combinatorics · Dative case · Dependent clause · Ergative case · Linguistics · Nominative case · Object (grammar · Subject (documents · Transitive relation · Verb · Computer Science · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Mathematics · Philosophy · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation