ON KOLYMA YUKAGHIR PROPRIETIVE VERBS
Kolyma Yukaghir does not have a verb equivalent of the English ‘have.’ Instead, for the expression of predicative possession, it uses proprietive verbs derived from nouns by affixation of the suffix -n’e/-n.’ This paper describes and analyzes proprietive verbs in Kolyma Yukaghir. Particular attention will be paid to their semantic and pragmatic characteristics. After overviewing the derivation and syntax of proprietive verbs, I will discuss the semantic variations they can have, depending on the types of relationships that obtain between possessors and possessees. I will also discuss a pragmatic characteristic of their main clause use in terms of information structure, which contrasts with existential clauses.
Keywords: Kolyma Yukaghir, proprietive verb, predicative possession
References:
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4. Nagasaki, Iku. 2011. Kolyma Yukaghir. In: Yasuhiro Yamakoshi (ed.) Grammatical sketches from the fi eld, 213–256. Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University for Foreign Studies.
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Issue: 1, 2014
Series of issue: Issue № 1
Rubric: LINGUISTICS
Pages: 15 — 22
Downloads: 1169