Mosetén and Chimane argument coding: A layered system

Sakel, Jeanette

Abstract

This paper discusses the argument-coding system of Mosetenan, a small language family spoken in the Bolivian Amazon. While there is no case marking on nouns, all coding of arguments is found in the cross-reference ending of verbs. Intransitive verbs are marked for the gender of their subjects, except for the first-person plural inclusive, which has a marker, -ja', that does not indicate the gender of the subject. Transitive cross-referencing is more complicated. It is a layered system that combines the grammatical relation of the participant (S, A, or O) with the person (1, 2, 3) and number (singular and plural). Again, the forms of first-person plural inclusive subjects are unique. The second most important forms are third-person objects, which appear before any of the speech-act participants (SAP). I analyze the Mosetenan system, discussing how language contact can shape the general outline of an argument-coding system by the introduction of a new category such as an inclusive/exclusive distinction in the first-person plural. © 2011 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

• Journal Article Type: Review
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2011
• Deposit Date: Nov 3, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 15, 2016
• Journal: International Journal of American Linguistics
• Print ISSN: 0020-7071
• Electronic ISSN: 1545-7001
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 77
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 537-557
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/662159
• Keywords: Mosetén, Chimane, cross-reference, inclusive/exclusive, hierarchical system
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/958854
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/662159
• Contract Date: Nov 15, 2016