The Morphosyntax of the Algonquian Conjunct Verb

by Brittain,Julie

• ISBN13: 9780815340461
• ISBN10: 081534046X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-02-05
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This book investigates the syntactic distribution of the Algonquian Conjunct verb from the theoretical perspective of the Minimalist Program. Brittain provides a unified account of the occurrence of the Algonquian Conjunct verb in an otherwise unrelated set of syntactic environments.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
List of abbreviations	xiii
Introduction
Scope and aims	3	(2)
Outline of chapters	5	(2)
Introduction to Western Naskapi	7	(4)
Linguistic variability at Kawawachikamach	9	(1)
The emergence of two Naskapi dialects	10	(1)
Data	11	(2)
Textual material	11	(1)
Elicited data	12	(1)
Presentation of data in the text	12	(1)
The Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi language complex	13	(2)
Literature on Naskapi	15	(1)
The sound system	15	(2)
Relevant morphology	17	(11)
Verbal paradigms	18	(5)
Finals, theme signs and the Person/Gender hierarchy	23	(5)
Theoretical assumptions	28	(9)
Clause structure and Checking Theory	29	(2)
The status of arguments in Algonquian	31	(1)
The Polysynthesis Parameter	32	(5)
Morphologically-motivated phrase structures
Introduction: subject and object agreement in the transitive animate clause	37	(5)
The morphological distinction between Speech Act Participants and non-Speech Act Participants	42	(2)
Algonquian Speech Act Participant and non-Speech Act Participant agreement	44	(1)
The Person/Gender hierarchy, object agreement and default subject agreement	45	(24)
Local theme signs	46	(12)
Non-local theme signs	58	(11)
Concluding remarks	69	(4)
The relationship between the Conjunct verb and the complementizer position
Introduction	73	(2)
Conjunct verb movement: Long Head Movement versus movement through Tense and Agreement heads	75	(3)
Initial Change	78	(29)
The phonology of Initial Change	78	(18)
Bi-morphemic ka- and mono-morphemic ka-	96	(11)
The relationship between VCJ and a CP level	107	(40)
Subordinate clauses	110	(19)
Main clauses	129	(18)
Concluding remarks	147	(6)
Wh-constructions
Introduction	153	(2)
Support for a uni-clausal analysis of wh-questions	155	(15)
Multiple wh-questions	159	(11)
Alternative analyses: a review of the literature	170	(7)
Wolfart 1973: Plains Cree	170	(1)
Johns 1982: Rainy River Ojibwa	171	(4)
Reinholtz and Russell 1995	175	(2)
Crossover effects in Plains Cree, Western Naskapi and Mohawk	177	(23)
Strong Crossover	178	(2)
Weak Crossover	180	(20)
Implications for a uni-clausal analysis	200	(5)
Negation
Introduction	205	(1)
Nama and eka	205	(9)
The nama negator	207	(2)
The eka negator: Western Naskapi	209	(5)
Sheshatshu Innu-aimun	214	(12)
The eka and apu negators	214	(5)
Main clause past tense wh-questions	219	(7)
Concluding remarks	226	(3)
Raising constructions
Introduction	229	(3)
The lexical properties of isinakun/isinakusuw	232	(6)
The affixal status of -naku	232	(2)
Theta-role assignment and Case features	234	(4)
Raising in Cree and Western Naskapi	238	(7)
Cree data	238	(3)
Western Naskapi data	241	(4)
Expletive agreement versus CP agreement	245	(3)
Sources of dialect variation	248	(12)
Variation due to the type of A-movement permitted	248	(1)
Variation due to the availability of a null expletive	248	(6)
Variation due to the type of construction a null expletive can occur in	254	(2)
Variation due to the type of constituent licensed in the raising predicate SpecAgrSP	256	(4)
NP-raising and CP-raising	260	(8)
Raising from clauses which have an unspecified (indefinite) subject form	268	(3)
Object-to-subject raising	271	(1)
Concluding remarks	272	(5)
Summary and questions arising
Introduction	277	(1)
Argument identification and the Algonquian Person/Gender hierarchy	277	(3)
The C-checks-VCJ hypothesis	280	(5)
The [a]-comp hypothesis	280	(4)
The distribution of VCJ and a CP projection coincide	284	(1)
Wh-constructions	285	(2)
Negation	287	(1)
Raising constructions	287	(1)
Final remarks	288	(1)
References	289	(10)
Appendix 1: Abbreviations used in other authors' work	299	(2)
Appendix 2: Verb paradigms: Western Naskapi Independent Indicative Neutral and Conjunct Indicative Neutral	301	(8)
Index	309