Individuation and definiteness in Santiago del Estero Quichua
Implications for the structure of the nominal phrase
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21820080 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mayra Juanatey (0000-0003-3461-840X, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 78 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 465-490 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-25 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Language Typology and Universals (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1867-8319 • E-ISSN: 2196-7148 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1515/stuf-2025-2015 |
| OpenAlex | W4415310948 |
| Language | IT |
| References cited | 19 |
Referential expressions in a language may vary depending on the degree of individuation assigned to each referent mention by the speaker and/or the assumed identifiability of the referent in discourse – that is, definiteness. This study examines how individuation and definiteness are expressed in Santiago del Estero Quichua (Quechua, Argentina) and their impact on noun phrase structure. Through empirical analysis using a text corpus, it was found that the morphology of the noun phrase, including determiners, quantifiers, adjectives, possessive suffixes, and case marking interact to signal different degrees of individuation and definiteness. In this language, the outermost positions (initial and final) of the noun phrase are typically reserved for discourse-referential modifiers, which play a key role in specifying and grounding referents. This conforms to the typological expectation that discourse-referential modifiers are semantically located in the outer layer of the noun phrase – an organization reflected iconically in the syntax. The study offers new insights into the noun phrase structure of Santiago del Estero Quichua, highlighting features such as differential object marking and flexible noun–adjective word order, which remain understudied. Moreover, they contribute to the understanding of how individuation and definiteness are expressed across world languages and the typology of noun phrase structures
Definiteness · Determiner phrase · Genitive case · Individuation · Nominalization · Noun · Noun phrase · Phrase · Referent · Diverse Interdisciplinary Research Studies · Spanish Linguistics and Language Studies · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
Demonstratives
Reference in Discourse
Demonstratives in Narrative Discourse
Topic Continuity in Discourse
The Noun Phrase
Nominalización en quichua santiagueño
The definiteness of subjects and objects in Malagasy
Estado, capital y proceso sociolingüístico del quichua santiagueño (siglos xix-xxi)
Re-discovering the Quechua adjective
Descriptive and discourse-referential modifiers in a layered model of the noun phrase
Ecuadorian Highland Quichua and the Lost Languages of the Northern Andes
| Highly cited | No |
|---|