TAM en la proposición principal

Jueves 14 | 09:00-12:00 | Sesiones de trabajo
Sala E. Léger, ISH (sótano)
español Réunion interna

This session looks at the grammar of main clauses across the Cariban family, with special attention to the Cariban languages of the putative Venezuelan Branch.

  • The fundamental clause type in the family is the Set I construction, which has no case-marking of core arguments and a set of characteristic verbal morphology found nowhere else in the grammar: hierarchical person prefixes, a (possibly complex) set of TAM suffixes with a number suffix either before or infixed. All Cariban languages except Kuikuro, Mapoyo, Yawarana, and (perhaps) Makushi still use Set I clauses.
  • Subordinate clauses are often based on Action Nominalizations, which are mostly the same across the family: the verb bears a nominalizing suffix, possessive prefixes on the verb index the absolutive argument, the collective possessor suffix/enclitic indicates collective absolutive, and the agent, if it occurs explicitly, is in a dative phrase. Intransitive (SA) verbs take an additional prefix, w- ‘Sa’.
    • In some languages, these action nominalizations are now used as main clause verbs, sometimes with a copular auxiliary. The argument structure of these main clauses is (almost) identical to the nominalized clauses. Languages with this innovation include: Akawaio, Pemón, Makushi, Kuikuro, Kalapalo, Ye’kwana, and Cariña (of Venezuela), Aretyry Kari’nja (of Suriname), Mapoyo, and Yawarana.
    • In some languages, these action nominalizations occur as main clause verbs, still with absolutive indexation, but with no special case-marking on the agent and (sometimes) with an auxiliary that agrees with the nominative. So far, this clause type is attested only in Panare and Katxuyana.
    • In some languages, the action nominalization in a locative phrase becomes the main verb of a progressive or more generalized imperfective construction. In this case, the verb bears only an accusative prefix and the copular auxiliary agrees with the subject. Languages attested with this construction so far are: Panare, Pemón, Akawaio, Makushi, Apalaí, Katxuyana, and Yukpa. Probably it exists also in Mapoyo and Yawarana.
  • Participles (adverb stems derived from verbs) take no person-marking, and usually refer to (modify) only the absolutive participant. To make a participle, the verb takes the prefix t- and a suffix -se / -je / -e / -Ø. Intransitive (Sa) verbs also take the prefix w- ‘Sa’, although this often reduces to vowel length.
    • When the participle is a predicate, with a copula, it may become a passive with no agent phrase, as in Ye’kwana, or with an optional agent phrase (marked with the dative), as in Kari’nja.
    • This passive may go on to become a past-perfective main clause with ergative-absolutive alignment, as in Apalaí, Katxuyana, Kuikuro, Tiriyó, and Wayana.
    • In one language, Ye’kwana, the participle has three different prefix forms:
      • t- on transitive verbs, used for the passive.
      • tüw- on intransitive verbs, used for the past habitual.
      • tün- on transitive verbs, used for the past habitual.
  • Participant nominalizations function as relative clauses in most languages.
    • The A nominalization occurs only with transitive verb stems, using a modern reflex of *-ne(ŋ); this form is possessed by the notional P (accusative).
      • In Panare (and perhaps other languages), this form becomes a main clause verb expressing nonspecific aspect, something similar to the imperfective/present.
    • The P nominalization occurs only with transitive verb stems, using the prefix n-, and being possessed by the notional A (ergative). It usually co-occurs with an action nominalizing suffix, either *-rɨ or *-hpɨrɨ/-hpə
      • In Kuikuro, this form becomes a main clause verb in combination with certain “interactive moods”.
      • In Panare, this form extends to intransitive verbs to create a “subject focus” construction.
    • The absolutive nominalization, *-tjapə (-sak, -sa’, -ahö) occurs with both transitive and intransitive stems, and is usually possessed by the notional absolutive. In some languages, the A may be expressed in a dative phrase.
      • In Panare and Ye’kwana, this becomes a passive construction ;
      • In Akawaio, Pemón, and Kapón, this passive goes on to become a main clause construction expressing perfect aspect.