Claude Hagège
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199575008
- eISBN:
- 9780191722578
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199575008.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This pioneering study is based on an analysis of over 200 languages, including African, Amerindian, Australian, Austronesian, Indo-European and Eurasian (Altaic, Caucasian, Chukotko-Kamchatkan, ...
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This pioneering study is based on an analysis of over 200 languages, including African, Amerindian, Australian, Austronesian, Indo-European and Eurasian (Altaic, Caucasian, Chukotko-Kamchatkan, Dravidian, Uralic), Papuan, and Sino-Tibetan. Adpositions are an almost universal part of speech. English has prepositions; some languages, such as Japanese, have postpositions; others have both; and yet others, kinds that are not quite either. As grammatical tools they mark the relationship between two parts of a sentence: characteristically one element governs a noun or noun-like word or phrase while the other functions as a predicate. From the syntactic point of view, the complement of an adposition depends on a head: in this last sentence, for example, a head is the complement of on while on a head depends on depends, and on is the marker of this dependency. Adpositions lie at the core of the grammar of most languages, their usefulness making them recurrent in everyday speech and writing. The author examines their morphological features, syntactic functions, and semantic and cognitive properties. He does so for the subsets both of adpositions that express the relations of agent, patient, and beneficiary, and of those which mark space, time, accompaniment, or instrument. Adpositions often govern case and are sometimes gradually grammaticalized into case. The author considers the whole set of function markers, including case, which appear as adpositions and, in doing so, throws light on processes of morphological and syntactic change in different languages and language families.Less
This pioneering study is based on an analysis of over 200 languages, including African, Amerindian, Australian, Austronesian, Indo-European and Eurasian (Altaic, Caucasian, Chukotko-Kamchatkan, Dravidian, Uralic), Papuan, and Sino-Tibetan. Adpositions are an almost universal part of speech. English has prepositions; some languages, such as Japanese, have postpositions; others have both; and yet others, kinds that are not quite either. As grammatical tools they mark the relationship between two parts of a sentence: characteristically one element governs a noun or noun-like word or phrase while the other functions as a predicate. From the syntactic point of view, the complement of an adposition depends on a head: in this last sentence, for example, a head is the complement of on while on a head depends on depends, and on is the marker of this dependency. Adpositions lie at the core of the grammar of most languages, their usefulness making them recurrent in everyday speech and writing. The author examines their morphological features, syntactic functions, and semantic and cognitive properties. He does so for the subsets both of adpositions that express the relations of agent, patient, and beneficiary, and of those which mark space, time, accompaniment, or instrument. Adpositions often govern case and are sometimes gradually grammaticalized into case. The author considers the whole set of function markers, including case, which appear as adpositions and, in doing so, throws light on processes of morphological and syntactic change in different languages and language families.
Pietro Bortone
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199556854
- eISBN:
- 9780191721571
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199556854.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
Chapter 1 examines which items are functionally equivalent to prepositions, crosslinguistically and at different stages in the history of one language. It then considers the main syntactic forms that ...
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Chapter 1 examines which items are functionally equivalent to prepositions, crosslinguistically and at different stages in the history of one language. It then considers the main syntactic forms that prepositions can take.Less
Chapter 1 examines which items are functionally equivalent to prepositions, crosslinguistically and at different stages in the history of one language. It then considers the main syntactic forms that prepositions can take.
Hilda Koopman
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195393675
- eISBN:
- 9780199796847
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195393675.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter constitutes the first elaborate cartographic analysis of the fine structure of PPs based on an in-depth study of Dutch, and provides the background for many of the contributions to this ...
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This chapter constitutes the first elaborate cartographic analysis of the fine structure of PPs based on an in-depth study of Dutch, and provides the background for many of the contributions to this volume. In addition to postulating a PlaceP hosting stative prepositions inside a PathP hosting directional prepositions, the author’s proposal offers evidence for a number of functional projections between the two and above PathP to make room for the movement of er pronouns, degree phrases and other modifiers. The author’s analysis in terms of leftward movements and pied-piping of inner constituents of the extended projection of PPs is the first attempt to offer an account of the complex internal syntax of Dutch (and German) PPs; languages which feature prepositions, postpositions and circumpositions.Less
This chapter constitutes the first elaborate cartographic analysis of the fine structure of PPs based on an in-depth study of Dutch, and provides the background for many of the contributions to this volume. In addition to postulating a PlaceP hosting stative prepositions inside a PathP hosting directional prepositions, the author’s proposal offers evidence for a number of functional projections between the two and above PathP to make room for the movement of er pronouns, degree phrases and other modifiers. The author’s analysis in terms of leftward movements and pied-piping of inner constituents of the extended projection of PPs is the first attempt to offer an account of the complex internal syntax of Dutch (and German) PPs; languages which feature prepositions, postpositions and circumpositions.
Máire Noonan
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195393675
- eISBN:
- 9780199796847
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195393675.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter argues for a richly articulated structure where a nominal head (Place) (cf. Terzi’s contribution) is embedded within an extended functional projection, itself embedded under additional ...
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This chapter argues for a richly articulated structure where a nominal head (Place) (cf. Terzi’s contribution) is embedded within an extended functional projection, itself embedded under additional functional structure in the presence of directional prepositions. The author compares German (addressing the syntax and morphology of such ‘doubling’ cases as Er sitzt auf dem Tisch drauf ‘he sits on the table there-on’), English and French, discussing in particular the position of the prepositions zu, to, and à within the proposed hierarchy. Prominent in the discussion are also such parameters as pronunciation/nonpronunciation of material merged in specifier or head position in the hierarchy and movement of subconstituents of the hierarchy.Less
This chapter argues for a richly articulated structure where a nominal head (Place) (cf. Terzi’s contribution) is embedded within an extended functional projection, itself embedded under additional functional structure in the presence of directional prepositions. The author compares German (addressing the syntax and morphology of such ‘doubling’ cases as Er sitzt auf dem Tisch drauf ‘he sits on the table there-on’), English and French, discussing in particular the position of the prepositions zu, to, and à within the proposed hierarchy. Prominent in the discussion are also such parameters as pronunciation/nonpronunciation of material merged in specifier or head position in the hierarchy and movement of subconstituents of the hierarchy.
URPO NIKANNE
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199260195
- eISBN:
- 9780191717345
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199260195.003.0010
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics
This chapter discusses the axis system lexicalized in the semantics of Finnish postpositions. There are two kinds of postposition in Finnish meaning ‘in front of’ and ‘behind’: these postpositions ...
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This chapter discusses the axis system lexicalized in the semantics of Finnish postpositions. There are two kinds of postposition in Finnish meaning ‘in front of’ and ‘behind’: these postpositions indicate that both the Figure and the reference object are moving or are neutral with respect to motion. It is also shown that the Finnish prepositions meaning ‘in front of’ and ‘behind’ do not only refer to horizontal spatial relations, but any one-dimensional relation. Those postpositions that mean ‘beside’ refer to two-dimensional relations. However, the postpositions that mean ‘above’ and ‘below’ can only refer to vertical relations. The dimensional system and the orientation of the axes (horizontal, vertical, side-to-side) are dependent on each other and should be described as parts of the same system, at least when it comes to the semantics of Finnish postpositions.Less
This chapter discusses the axis system lexicalized in the semantics of Finnish postpositions. There are two kinds of postposition in Finnish meaning ‘in front of’ and ‘behind’: these postpositions indicate that both the Figure and the reference object are moving or are neutral with respect to motion. It is also shown that the Finnish prepositions meaning ‘in front of’ and ‘behind’ do not only refer to horizontal spatial relations, but any one-dimensional relation. Those postpositions that mean ‘beside’ refer to two-dimensional relations. However, the postpositions that mean ‘above’ and ‘below’ can only refer to vertical relations. The dimensional system and the orientation of the axes (horizontal, vertical, side-to-side) are dependent on each other and should be described as parts of the same system, at least when it comes to the semantics of Finnish postpositions.
William Snyder
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199693498
- eISBN:
- 9780191741715
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199693498.003.0011
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, Syntax and Morphology
Talmy's (2000) verb-framed/satellite-framed typology is examined from the perspective of parameter theory. The objectives and methods of typology, versus parameter theory, are contrasted. The ...
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Talmy's (2000) verb-framed/satellite-framed typology is examined from the perspective of parameter theory. The objectives and methods of typology, versus parameter theory, are contrasted. The Compounding Parameter (TCP, Snyder 2001) is argued to play an important role in many constructions typical of satellite-framed languages. Yet, other points of variation interact with TCP, such as whether the language has “incremental” Ps (Gehrke 2008), and whether V is allowed to take a small-clause complement. Washios (1997) distinction between weak and strong resultatives is reinterpreted as a distinction between AP-resultatives and SC-resultatives. A similar distinction is proposed in the domain of motion predicates: In a [+TCP] language that has both SC-complements and incremental Ps, an accomplishment event can be constructed by combining a pure manner-of-motion verb with either an incremental PP (denoting a path), or a locative SC (denoting a result state). Evidence is considered from English, Spanish, Russian, and Japanese.Less
Talmy's (2000) verb-framed/satellite-framed typology is examined from the perspective of parameter theory. The objectives and methods of typology, versus parameter theory, are contrasted. The Compounding Parameter (TCP, Snyder 2001) is argued to play an important role in many constructions typical of satellite-framed languages. Yet, other points of variation interact with TCP, such as whether the language has “incremental” Ps (Gehrke 2008), and whether V is allowed to take a small-clause complement. Washios (1997) distinction between weak and strong resultatives is reinterpreted as a distinction between AP-resultatives and SC-resultatives. A similar distinction is proposed in the domain of motion predicates: In a [+TCP] language that has both SC-complements and incremental Ps, an accomplishment event can be constructed by combining a pure manner-of-motion verb with either an incremental PP (denoting a path), or a locative SC (denoting a result state). Evidence is considered from English, Spanish, Russian, and Japanese.
Uta Reinöhl
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198736660
- eISBN:
- 9780191800368
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198736660.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This book outlines the rise of configurational structure in Indo-Aryan as a by-product of the grammaticalization of postpositions. While Vedic Sanskrit lacks function words that constrain nominal ...
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This book outlines the rise of configurational structure in Indo-Aryan as a by-product of the grammaticalization of postpositions. While Vedic Sanskrit lacks function words that constrain nominal expressions into phrasal units—one of the characteristics of a non-configurational language—New Indo-Aryan languages have postpositions which organize nominal expressions into postpositional phrases. The grammaticalization of postpositions and concomitant syntactic changes are traced through the three millennia of Indo-Aryan attested history, with a focus on the varieties of Vedic Sanskrit, Middle Indic Pali and Apabhramsha, Early New Indic Old Awadhi, and finally Hindi. Historical attestations of forerunner forms of the Hindi simple postpositions mẽ ‘in’ and par ‘on’ form the empirical core of this book, as these two elements can be traced back to their origins as a relational noun (mẽ) and adverb (par), and because they are the first postpositions of Hindi to grammaticalize. The book is organized according to the various aspects of the grammaticalization of the postpositions and its impact on the general syntax of the Indo-Aryan languages. Among the topics discussed are the original constructions in which the postpositions grammaticalize, the origins of the postpositional template (in contrast to the prepositional one in other branches of Indo-European), the obligatorification of the postpositions’ nominal dependents, and the paradigmatization of the various elements involved into a single functional class of postpositions. Throughout the book, it is outlined how semantic and pragmatic changes induce changes on the expression side, ultimately resulting in the establishment of phrasal, and thus low-level configurational, syntax.Less
This book outlines the rise of configurational structure in Indo-Aryan as a by-product of the grammaticalization of postpositions. While Vedic Sanskrit lacks function words that constrain nominal expressions into phrasal units—one of the characteristics of a non-configurational language—New Indo-Aryan languages have postpositions which organize nominal expressions into postpositional phrases. The grammaticalization of postpositions and concomitant syntactic changes are traced through the three millennia of Indo-Aryan attested history, with a focus on the varieties of Vedic Sanskrit, Middle Indic Pali and Apabhramsha, Early New Indic Old Awadhi, and finally Hindi. Historical attestations of forerunner forms of the Hindi simple postpositions mẽ ‘in’ and par ‘on’ form the empirical core of this book, as these two elements can be traced back to their origins as a relational noun (mẽ) and adverb (par), and because they are the first postpositions of Hindi to grammaticalize. The book is organized according to the various aspects of the grammaticalization of the postpositions and its impact on the general syntax of the Indo-Aryan languages. Among the topics discussed are the original constructions in which the postpositions grammaticalize, the origins of the postpositional template (in contrast to the prepositional one in other branches of Indo-European), the obligatorification of the postpositions’ nominal dependents, and the paradigmatization of the various elements involved into a single functional class of postpositions. Throughout the book, it is outlined how semantic and pragmatic changes induce changes on the expression side, ultimately resulting in the establishment of phrasal, and thus low-level configurational, syntax.
Veronika Hegedűs
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198709855
- eISBN:
- 9780191780165
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198709855.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter discusses the grammaticalization and cyclical development of adpositions in Hungarian and changes within the adpositional phrase (PP). Postpositions often develop in possessive ...
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This chapter discusses the grammaticalization and cyclical development of adpositions in Hungarian and changes within the adpositional phrase (PP). Postpositions often develop in possessive structures and can go through several steps in grammaticalization by losing their nominal features and becoming more functional elements, sometimes losing their spatial meaning by the end of the process. At this point a new cycle of grammaticalization may begin. As a result of grammaticalization a functional projection on the left periphery of the PP developed, the head of this new projection being different from the more lexical postpositional head, in that it is peripheral within the phrase and does not have to follow its complement. The fact that these elements are no longer in a strictly head-final structure results in them moving in the phrase and clause freely, and they can function as (verbal) particles within the clause.Less
This chapter discusses the grammaticalization and cyclical development of adpositions in Hungarian and changes within the adpositional phrase (PP). Postpositions often develop in possessive structures and can go through several steps in grammaticalization by losing their nominal features and becoming more functional elements, sometimes losing their spatial meaning by the end of the process. At this point a new cycle of grammaticalization may begin. As a result of grammaticalization a functional projection on the left periphery of the PP developed, the head of this new projection being different from the more lexical postpositional head, in that it is peripheral within the phrase and does not have to follow its complement. The fact that these elements are no longer in a strictly head-final structure results in them moving in the phrase and clause freely, and they can function as (verbal) particles within the clause.
Claire Lefebvre
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199945290
- eISBN:
- 9780190201203
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199945290.003.0006
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
Although Haitian and Saramaccan share a common Gbe substrate, there are differences between them. As was shown in Chapter 3, these discrepancies may be due to differences between their superstrate ...
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Although Haitian and Saramaccan share a common Gbe substrate, there are differences between them. As was shown in Chapter 3, these discrepancies may be due to differences between their superstrate languages or to different amounts of exposure by the creoles’ creators to their respective superstrate languages. This chapter explores a third potential cause of differences between creoles that share the same substrate languages, demonstrating that creoles’ creators have relabeling options; they may choose different ones, resulting in differences between two creoles. In this chapter, relabeling options are addressed on the basis of the following differences between Saramaccan and Haitian: Saramaccan has postpositions and morphological reduplication, like its substrate languages, but Haitian does not. The content of this chapter is a reply to Norval Smith’s “Voodoo Chile” (2001).Less
Although Haitian and Saramaccan share a common Gbe substrate, there are differences between them. As was shown in Chapter 3, these discrepancies may be due to differences between their superstrate languages or to different amounts of exposure by the creoles’ creators to their respective superstrate languages. This chapter explores a third potential cause of differences between creoles that share the same substrate languages, demonstrating that creoles’ creators have relabeling options; they may choose different ones, resulting in differences between two creoles. In this chapter, relabeling options are addressed on the basis of the following differences between Saramaccan and Haitian: Saramaccan has postpositions and morphological reduplication, like its substrate languages, but Haitian does not. The content of this chapter is a reply to Norval Smith’s “Voodoo Chile” (2001).
Andres Pablo Salanova
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- June 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198778264
- eISBN:
- 9780191823770
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198778264.003.0008
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Theoretical Linguistics
Mẽbengokre exhibits a causative construction that is constructed as an applicative, introducing a low argument without displacing the external argument from its subject function. In the typical case, ...
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Mẽbengokre exhibits a causative construction that is constructed as an applicative, introducing a low argument without displacing the external argument from its subject function. In the typical case, this causative could be seen as an instance of the so-called sociative causative, whereby the causee is accompanied in the action by the causer, rather than being simply induced to action by the causer. These causatives can be straightforwardly analysed as comitative applicatives. However, Mẽbengokre displays the peculiarity that causatives of most verbs that involve a change of state decidedly do not get a sociative interpretation. This chapter addresses the puzzle of how a true causative semantics can arise in such cases, claiming that the applicative morpheme in these causatives has a grammatical use not unlike that of subject-reintroducing ‘by’ in English passives, and that this grammatical function is tied with a null causative morpheme that attaches only to certain verbal stems.Less
Mẽbengokre exhibits a causative construction that is constructed as an applicative, introducing a low argument without displacing the external argument from its subject function. In the typical case, this causative could be seen as an instance of the so-called sociative causative, whereby the causee is accompanied in the action by the causer, rather than being simply induced to action by the causer. These causatives can be straightforwardly analysed as comitative applicatives. However, Mẽbengokre displays the peculiarity that causatives of most verbs that involve a change of state decidedly do not get a sociative interpretation. This chapter addresses the puzzle of how a true causative semantics can arise in such cases, claiming that the applicative morpheme in these causatives has a grammatical use not unlike that of subject-reintroducing ‘by’ in English passives, and that this grammatical function is tied with a null causative morpheme that attaches only to certain verbal stems.
Veronika Hegedűs
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199687923
- eISBN:
- 9780191767319
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199687923.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter proposes an account for the grammaticalization of Hungarian postpositions. Based on Old Hungarian data, it is argued that the change from nouns to postpositions goes via an intermediate ...
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This chapter proposes an account for the grammaticalization of Hungarian postpositions. Based on Old Hungarian data, it is argued that the change from nouns to postpositions goes via an intermediate stage, which corresponds to an intermediate syntactic category and position, AxialPart. In Old Hungarian, some Postpositional Phrases (PPs) exhibit a syntactic variation analogous to possessive constructions, which suggests that those postpositional elements still have some nominal features and that they are not fully grammaticalized Ps yet. Those elements that do not show possessive variation and those that are suffixal are P heads, that is, they are generated either in a Place head or in a Path head within the PP.Less
This chapter proposes an account for the grammaticalization of Hungarian postpositions. Based on Old Hungarian data, it is argued that the change from nouns to postpositions goes via an intermediate stage, which corresponds to an intermediate syntactic category and position, AxialPart. In Old Hungarian, some Postpositional Phrases (PPs) exhibit a syntactic variation analogous to possessive constructions, which suggests that those postpositional elements still have some nominal features and that they are not fully grammaticalized Ps yet. Those elements that do not show possessive variation and those that are suffixal are P heads, that is, they are generated either in a Place head or in a Path head within the PP.
Uta Reinöhl
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198736660
- eISBN:
- 9780191800368
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198736660.003.0003
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter outlines the etymologies that have been proposed for the seven simple postpositions of Hindi. The historical attestations of these postpositions form the empirical backbone of this book, ...
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This chapter outlines the etymologies that have been proposed for the seven simple postpositions of Hindi. The historical attestations of these postpositions form the empirical backbone of this book, so that their etymological reconstruction is essential for assembling the data corpus. Whereas some of the postpositions can be traced as far as Old Indic with certainty (Hindi mẽ ‘in’ and par ‘on’), others do not have an uncontroversial etymological reconstruction, such as Hindi ko (DAT/ACC) or se (INS/ABL). Even though the historical phonology of Indo-Aryan has been researched in detail, high frequency elements such as adpositions do not abide by the general phonological changes, which is a challenge for reconstruction. Therefore, it is pointed out what can be relied on and what is more speculative, which will be referred back to in subsequent chapters.Less
This chapter outlines the etymologies that have been proposed for the seven simple postpositions of Hindi. The historical attestations of these postpositions form the empirical backbone of this book, so that their etymological reconstruction is essential for assembling the data corpus. Whereas some of the postpositions can be traced as far as Old Indic with certainty (Hindi mẽ ‘in’ and par ‘on’), others do not have an uncontroversial etymological reconstruction, such as Hindi ko (DAT/ACC) or se (INS/ABL). Even though the historical phonology of Indo-Aryan has been researched in detail, high frequency elements such as adpositions do not abide by the general phonological changes, which is a challenge for reconstruction. Therefore, it is pointed out what can be relied on and what is more speculative, which will be referred back to in subsequent chapters.
Uta Reinöhl
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198736660
- eISBN:
- 9780191800368
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198736660.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
Chapter 4 discusses the major prior proposal that has been put forward regarding the origin of postpositions in Indo-Aryan. It has been argued by several authors, both specialists and non-specialists ...
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Chapter 4 discusses the major prior proposal that has been put forward regarding the origin of postpositions in Indo-Aryan. It has been argued by several authors, both specialists and non-specialists of Indo-Aryan, that the postpositions continue the old category of Proto Indo-European local particles. However, while this scenario accounts adequately for the origins of adpositions in other branches of Indo-European, this chapter shows that it must be rejected for Indo-Aryan. Instead, the postpositions grammaticalize from a variety of nominal, verbal, and adverbial forms and thus present entirely novel formations. In order to account for this divergence of Indo-Aryan from the rest of the language family, I propose a mismatch between semantic and prosodic structure in the usage of local particles in early Old Indic, which lead to their early loss in functions foreshadowing adpositional usage.Less
Chapter 4 discusses the major prior proposal that has been put forward regarding the origin of postpositions in Indo-Aryan. It has been argued by several authors, both specialists and non-specialists of Indo-Aryan, that the postpositions continue the old category of Proto Indo-European local particles. However, while this scenario accounts adequately for the origins of adpositions in other branches of Indo-European, this chapter shows that it must be rejected for Indo-Aryan. Instead, the postpositions grammaticalize from a variety of nominal, verbal, and adverbial forms and thus present entirely novel formations. In order to account for this divergence of Indo-Aryan from the rest of the language family, I propose a mismatch between semantic and prosodic structure in the usage of local particles in early Old Indic, which lead to their early loss in functions foreshadowing adpositional usage.
