Studies in Southern Wakashan (Nootkan) grammar

487 Pages·2002·1.688 MB·English

by  by Matthew Davidson.

STUDIES IN SOUTHERN WAKASHAN (NOOTKAN) GRAMMAR

by
Matthew Davidson
June 2002

A dissertation submitted to the
Faculty of the Graduate School of State
University of New York at Buffalo
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics
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Acknowledgements
I have many people to thank for their contributions to my dissertation. First, I must thank the
people of Neah Bay, Washington for their hospitality and generosity during my stay there. The
staff of the Makah Cultural and Reseach Center and the Makah Language Program merit special
recognition for their unwavering support of my project, so thanks to Janine Bowechop, Yvonne
Burkett, Cora Buttram, Keely Parker, Theresa Parker, Maria Pascua, and Melissa Peterson. Of all
my friends in Neah Bay, I am most indebted to my primary Makah language consultant, Helma
Swan Ward, who spent many patient hours answering questions about Makah and sharing her
insights about the language with me.
My project has benefited greatly from the labors of my dissertation committee at SUNY Buf-
falo, Karin Michelson, Matthew Dryer, and Jean-Pierre Koenig. Their insights concerning both
analytic matters and organizational details made the dissertation better than it otherwise would
have been. Bill Jacobsen, my outside reader, deserves my gratitude for his meticulous reading of
the manuscript on short notice, which resulted in many improvements to the final work. Thanks
also to Jay Powell, who facilitated my initial contact with the Makah. I gratefully acknowledge
funding for my research from the Jacobs Research Funds and the Mark Diamond Research Fund
of the Graduate Student Association of the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Thanks to all my friends in graduate school, Wendy Baldwin, David Houghton, David Kem-
merer, Alissa Melinger, Greg Gulrajani, Eve Ng, Holger Diessel, Julie Olenn, who made my
years in Buffalo intellectually stimulating as well as a lot of fun. Tom Graves deserves special
thanks for friendship above and beyond the call of duty and all those bottomless cups of coffee at
Waatch and Buffalo.
Finally, I thank my father and mother, Robert and Mary Davidson, and my sister Sharon, for
their support in this and all other endeavors in my life.
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements..........................................................................................................................ii
Table of Contents............................................................................................................................iv
List of Tables..................................................................................................................................xi
Abbreviations and Symbols..........................................................................................................xiii
Abstract.........................................................................................................................................xvi
1 Introduction..............................................................................................................................1
1.1 Genetic affiliation............................................................................................................1
1.2 Genesis of the dissertation...............................................................................................2
1.3 Corpus..............................................................................................................................3
1.4 Previous literature............................................................................................................6
2 Segmental Phonology and Accent...........................................................................................9
2.1 Consonants.......................................................................................................................9
2.2 Vowels...........................................................................................................................12
2.3 Coda nasals and post-nasal murmur-vowels..................................................................15
2.4 Ablaut.............................................................................................................................23
2.5 Accent............................................................................................................................24
3 Phonological Alternations......................................................................................................27
3.1 Neutralization of vowel length.......................................................................................28
3.2 Automatic alternations...................................................................................................32
3.2.1 Umlaut....................................................................................................................32
3.2.2 Neutralization of labialized and non-labialized consonants...................................33
3.2.3 Reduction of vowel sequences...............................................................................36
3.2.3.1 Sequences not involving the first root vowel.....................................................37
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3.2.3.2 Sequences involving the first root vowel...........................................................38
3.3 Morpheme-specific alternations.....................................................................................40
3.3.1 Affix-associated CV templates..............................................................................40
3.3.2 Glottalizing suffixes...............................................................................................54
3.3.3 Leniting suffixes....................................................................................................57
3.3.4 Reduction of VFV sequences.................................................................................60
3.3.5 Denasalization........................................................................................................63
3.3.6 Nasalization............................................................................................................65
3.3.7 Final /K/ deletion.....................................................................................................66
3.3.8 Initial consonant deletion.......................................................................................69
3.3.9 Alternating initial consonants................................................................................70
3.4 Appendix on Makah.......................................................................................................74
3.4.1 Segment inventory.................................................................................................75
3.4.2 Glottalization and lenition......................................................................................78
3.4.3 Vowel insertion and loss........................................................................................83
3.4.4 Appended vowels...................................................................................................88
4 Grammatical Sketch...............................................................................................................91
4.1 Word classes..................................................................................................................91
4.2 Morphology....................................................................................................................92
4.2.1 Word structure.......................................................................................................92
4.2.2 Lexical suffixes......................................................................................................95
4.2.3 Aspect....................................................................................................................97
4.3 Structure of the predicate...............................................................................................99
4.3.1 Mood and pronominal marking..............................................................................99
4.3.2 Tense....................................................................................................................104
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4.3.3 Other clitics..........................................................................................................105
4.3.4 Predicate modifiers..............................................................................................106
4.4 Basic clause structure...................................................................................................109
4.4.1 RP functions and constituent order......................................................................109
4.4.2 The grammar and functional dynamics of subject choice....................................116
4.4.3 Clause types.........................................................................................................118
4.4.3.1 Verbal predicates.............................................................................................118
4.4.3.2 Nominal predicates..........................................................................................126
4.5 Referring phrases.........................................................................................................136
4.5.1 Simple RPs...........................................................................................................136
4.5.2 Root RPs..............................................................................................................142
4.6 Complex constructions.................................................................................................148
4.6.1 Adverbial clauses.................................................................................................149
4.6.1.1 Bare absolute constructions.............................................................................149
4.6.1.2 Mood-marked adverbial clauses......................................................................153
4.6.2 Complement constructions...................................................................................154
4.6.2.1 Bare absolute complements.............................................................................155
4.6.2.2 Mood-marked complements............................................................................158
5 Topics in Word Structure.....................................................................................................160
5.1 Formal structure...........................................................................................................160
5.2 Roots............................................................................................................................170
5.2.1 Bound roots..........................................................................................................170
5.2.2 Free roots.............................................................................................................172
5.2.2.1 Combining forms and the buffer consonant.....................................................173
5.2.2.2 Free root types..................................................................................................174
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5.2.2.3 Use of combining forms...................................................................................177
5.3 Classification of suffixes..............................................................................................179
5.4 Nuclear suffixes...........................................................................................................186
5.4.1 Verbalizing suffixes.............................................................................................186
5.4.2 Nominalizing suffixes..........................................................................................193
5.4.3 Quantifier suffixes...............................................................................................195
5.4.4 Temporal suffixes................................................................................................196
5.5 Restrictive suffixes.......................................................................................................196
5.5.1 Path-orientation suffixes......................................................................................196
5.5.2 Locative suffixes..................................................................................................200
5.5.3 Degree suffixes....................................................................................................204
5.5.4 Plural formations..................................................................................................205
5.6 Special suffixes............................................................................................................212
5.7 Etymological relations between lexical suffixes and roots..........................................213
5.8 Specialization...............................................................................................................214
6 Aspect..................................................................................................................................217
6.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................217
6.2 The character of aspect in Southern Wakashan...........................................................218
6.3 Formal expression of aspect.........................................................................................222
6.4 Perfective.....................................................................................................................224
6.5 Imperfective.................................................................................................................230
6.5.1 Graduative............................................................................................................230
6.5.2 Durative................................................................................................................232
6.5.3 Continuative.........................................................................................................234
6.5.4 Repetitive.............................................................................................................237
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6.5.5 Iterative................................................................................................................240
6.5.5.1 Formation of iterative I....................................................................................240
6.5.5.2 Formation of iterative II...................................................................................242
6.5.5.3 Comparison of functions..................................................................................244
6.6 Aspect combinations....................................................................................................245
6.7 Aspect and lexical suffixes..........................................................................................248
7 Clitics...................................................................................................................................252
7.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................252
7.2 Mood and pronominal clitics.......................................................................................255
7.2.1 Makah mood-pronominal forms..........................................................................255
7.2.2 Nuuchahnulth mood-pronominal forms...............................................................264
7.2.3 Mood combinations and other modal formatives.................................................266
7.2.4 Indicative..............................................................................................................267
7.2.5 Purposive..............................................................................................................270
7.2.6 Quotative..............................................................................................................271
7.2.7 Subordinate..........................................................................................................272
7.2.8 Inferential (Makah)..............................................................................................275
7.2.9 Inferential I (Nuuchahnulth)................................................................................275
7.2.10 Mirative (Makah).................................................................................................276
7.2.11 Conditional...........................................................................................................276
7.2.12 Relative (Makah).................................................................................................281
7.2.13 Definite Relative (Nuuchahnulth)........................................................................281
7.2.14 Indefinite Relative (Nuuchahnulth).....................................................................282
7.2.15 Content and Polar Interrogatives (Makah)...........................................................285
7.2.16 Interrogative (Nuuchahnulth)...............................................................................287
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7.2.17 Inferential II (Nuuchahnulth)...............................................................................289
7.2.18 Dubitative (Nuuchahnulth)..................................................................................290
7.2.19 Assertive..............................................................................................................290
7.2.20 Imperative moods.................................................................................................292
7.2.21 The articles...........................................................................................................297
7.3 Pre-modal clitics..........................................................................................................300
7.3.1 Diminutive...........................................................................................................300
7.3.2 Intentive future (Nuuchahnulth)...........................................................................305
7.3.3 Temporal specifier...............................................................................................306
7.3.4 Possessive............................................................................................................307
7.3.5 Passive-inverse.....................................................................................................309
7.3.6 Irrealis (Nuuchahnulth)........................................................................................315
7.4 Post-modal clitics.........................................................................................................316
7.4.1 Third plural..........................................................................................................316
7.4.2 Habitual................................................................................................................318
7.4.3 Responsive (Makah)............................................................................................319
7.4.4 ‘Again’.................................................................................................................320
7.5 Organization of the clitic sequence..............................................................................320
8 Word Classes.......................................................................................................................324
8.1 Inventory......................................................................................................................324
8.2 Nominals......................................................................................................................327
8.2.1 Nouns...................................................................................................................327
8.2.2 Numerals, quantity words, and quantifiers..........................................................334
8.2.3 Independent pronouns..........................................................................................338
8.3 Verbs............................................................................................................................342
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8.4 Predicate modifiers......................................................................................................348
Appendix A: Lexical Suffixes.....................................................................................................356
Appendix B: Makah Vocabulary.................................................................................................381
References....................................................................................................................................464
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List of Tables
Table 1. Nuuchahnulth consonant inventory.................................................................................10
Table 2. Symbol correspondences.................................................................................................10
Table 3. Nuuchahnulth vowel inventory........................................................................................13
Table 4. Articulatory effects of pharyngeals..................................................................................15
Table 5. Effects of glottalizing suffixes.........................................................................................55
Table 6. Effects of leniting suffixes...............................................................................................58
Table 7. Realization of alternating initial consonants....................................................................74
Table 8. Makah consonant inventory.............................................................................................75
Table 9. Makah vowel inventory...................................................................................................77
Table 10. Effects of glottalizing suffixes in Makah......................................................................79
Table 11. Effects of leniting suffixes in Makah.............................................................................81
Table 12. Summary of (non-inherent) aspect marking................................................................222
Table 13. Perfective allomorphs in Nuuchahnulth.......................................................................227
Table 14. Makah pronominals - combinations of first and second person..................................256
Table 15. Makah pronominals - first and second.........................................................................257
Table 16. Makah mood clitics......................................................................................................260
Table 17. Nuuchahnulth pronominal subject sets........................................................................264
Table 18. Nuuchahnulth mood clitics..........................................................................................265
Table 19. Nuuchahnulth non-Imperative mood-pronominal paradigms......................................266
Table 20. Makah Simple Imperative............................................................................................292
Table 21. Nuuchahnulth Present and Future Imperative paradigms............................................294
Table 22. Nuuchahnulth Directional Imperative paradigms........................................................296
Table 23. Makah possessive clitics..............................................................................................300