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On the morphosyntax of main and subordinate clauses in Xokleng

An analysis of Xokleng sentence structure

Author

  • David Gert

Summary, in English

This is a thesis on the Gê language of Xokleng and its means of subordination. This work is based on previous publication on the Xokleng language (Urban 1985, Gakran 2005, Gakran 2015). In this highly isolation language with almost no inflection, a large set of grammatical and lexical monosyllabic particles are used to express TAM(E). The most obvious grammatical particle is the sentence final marker which expresses the aspect of every main clause. These markers codes perfective, imperfective, progressive (in three physical positions) and stative (the vã-clauses). In my data and conclusion, the vã-clauses stick out from the other main clauses and show the same characteristics as subordinate clauses. The grammatical feature that the vã-clauses and the subordinate clauses have in common, among other things, is the use of the particle tõ, separating the subject from the verb phrase. In this thesis the main questions are: what are vã-clauses,what’s the meaning of tõ, and what is the relation between them. In previous works on Xokleng the answer is that subordinate clauses and vã-clauses follow an ergative-absolutive pattern, and that tõ is used as an ergative marker on the transitive subject. In my conclusions I offer an alternative analysis: subordinate clauses, including vã-clauses, are to be treated as nominalized possessive constructions and the tõ functions as a disambiguator appearing between the subject and the nominal in the verb phrase. The tõ appears between the possessive pronoun and the object to distinguish a nominalized verb phrase from an action of a possessed noun. The analysis in this thesis is based on data from Gakran 2005 and 2015 and field work in Brazil. During one week I conducted interviews with one native speaker of Xokleng. The translations and stimuli were mainly focused on subordinate and vã-clauses. Frog story and narrative speech were also used.
Keywords: Subordination, word order, Xokleng, nominalization

Summary, in English

This is a thesis on the Gê language of Xokleng and its means of subordination. This work is based on previous publication on the Xokleng language (Urban 1985, Gakran 2005, Gakran 2015). In this highly isolation language with almost no inflection, a large set of grammatical and lexical monosyllabic particles are used to express TAM(E). The most obvious grammatical particle is the sentence final marker which expresses the aspect of every main clause. These markers codes perfective, imperfective, progressive (in three physical positions) and stative (the vã-clauses). In my data and conclusion, the vã-clauses stick out from the other main clauses and show the same characteristics as subordinate clauses. The grammatical feature that the vã-clauses and the subordinate clauses have in common, among other things, is the use of the particle tõ, separating the subject from the verb phrase. In this thesis the main questions are: what are vã-clauses,what’s the meaning of tõ, and what is the relation between them. In previous works on Xokleng the answer is that subordinate clauses and vã-clauses follow an ergative-absolutive pattern, and that tõ is used as an ergative marker on the transitive subject. In my conclusions I offer an alternative analysis: subordinate clauses, including vã-clauses, are to be treated as nominalized possessive constructions and the tõ functions as a disambiguator appearing between the subject and the nominal in the verb phrase. The tõ appears between the possessive pronoun and the object to distinguish a nominalized verb phrase from an action of a possessed noun. The analysis in this thesis is based on data from Gakran 2005 and 2015 and field work in Brazil. During one week I conducted interviews with one native speaker of Xokleng. The translations and stimuli were mainly focused on subordinate and vã-clauses. Frog story and narrative speech were also used.
Keywords: Subordination, word order, Xokleng, nominalization

Publishing year

2019

Language

English

Document type

Student publication for Bachelor's degree

Topic

  • Languages and Literatures

Keywords

  • subordination
  • word order
  • Xokleng
  • nominalization

Supervisor

  • Arthur Holmer (docent)