Cover not available

Article published In: Diachronica
Vol. 33:1 (2016) ► pp.1–30

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
authorization required

From ergative to comparee marker

Multiple reanalyses and polyfunctionality

 | Centre national de la Recherche Scientifique
Published online: 12 May 2016
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.33.1.01jac
This article describes the uses of the marker kɯ in Japhug, which presents many distinct functions, including ergative, instrumental, distributive, causal linker, manner linker and comparee marker in the comparative construction. A series of grammaticalization pathways, some of which have never been documented before, are proposed to account for the polyfunctionality of this marker.
References (37)
Benedict, Paul K. 1972. Sino-Tibetan: Conspectus. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Comrie, Bernard. 2011. Alignment of case marking of full noun phrases. In Matthew S. Dryer & Martin Haspelmath (eds.), The world atlas of language structures online, chap. 98. Munich: Max Planck Digital Library.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
DeLancey, Scott. 1984. Etymological notes on Tibeto-Burman case particles. Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area 8(1). 59–77.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gaby, Alice. 2010. From discourse to syntax and back: The lifecycle of the Kuuk Thaayorre ergative morphology. Lingua 120(7). 1677–1692. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gong, Xun. 2014. Personal agreement system of Zbu rGyalrong (Ngyaltsu variety). Transactions of the Philological Society 112(1). 44–60. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Haller, Felix. 2004. Dialekt und Erzählungen von Themchen. Bonn: VGH Wissenschaftsverlag.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Heine, Bernd & Tania Kuteva. 2002. World lexicon of grammaticalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Himmelmann, Nikolaus P. 2014. Asymmetries in the prosodic phrasing of function words: Another look at the suffixing preference. Language 90(4). 927–960. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jacques, Guillaume. 2004. Phonologie et morphologie du japhug (Rgyalrong): Université Paris VII - Denis Diderot dissertation.
. 2008. 嘉絨語研究 Jiāróngyǔ yánjiū. 北京：民族出版社 Beijing: Mínzú chūbǎnshè. (向柏霖).Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2010. The inverse in Japhug Rgyalrong. Language and Linguistics 11(1). 127–157.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2011. The structure of the Tangut verb. Journal of Chinese Linguistics 39(2). 419–441.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2013a. Applicative and tropative derivations in Japhug Rgyalrong. Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area 36(2). 1–13.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2013b. Harmonization and disharmonization of affix ordering and basic word order. Linguistic Typology 17(2). 187–217. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2014a. A new grammaticalisation pathway: From non-finite verb to ergative marker. Central Asiatic Journal 571. 59–69.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2014b. Clause linking in Japhug Rgyalrong. Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area 37(2). 263–327. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2014c. Denominal affixes as sources of antipassive markers in Japhug Rgyalrong. Lingua 1381. 1–22. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. Forthcoming. Generic person marking in Japhug and other Rgyalrong languages. In Joana Jansen & Spike Gildea (eds.), Diachrony of hierarchical systems. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Jacques, Guillaume, Anton Antonov, Yunfan Lai & Lobsang Nima. 2014. Person marking in Stau. Himalayan Linguistics 13(1). 82–92.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jacques, Guillaume & Zhen Chen. 2010. Une version rgyalrong de l’épopée de Gesar. Osaka: National Museum of Ethnology.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lai, Yunfan. 2013. La morphologie affixale du lavrung wobzi. Université Paris III MA thesis.
LaPolla, Randy. 1995. Ergative marking in Tibeto-Burman. In Yoshio Nishi, James A. Matisoff & Yasuhiko Nagano (eds.), New horizons in Tibeto-Burman morphosyntax (Senri Ethnological Studies 41), 189–228. Osaka: National Museum of Ethnology.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lin, Youjing. 2002. A dimension missed: East and West in Situ rGyalrong orientation marking. Language and Linguistics 3(1). 27–42.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lín, Xiàngróng. 1993. 嘉戎語研究 Jiāróngyǔ yánjiū ( A study on the Rgyal-rong language). 成都：四川民族出版社 Chéngdū: Sìchuān mínzú chūbǎn-shè. (林向榮).Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mauri, Caterina & Anna Giacalone-Ramat. 2012. The development of adversative connectives: stages and factors at play. Linguistics 50(2). 191–239. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Michailovsky, Boyd, Martine Mazaudon, Alexis Michaud, Séverine Guillaume, Alexandre François & Evangelia Adamou. 2014. Documenting and researching endangered languages: The Pangloss collection. Language Documentation and Conservation 81. 119–135.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Palancar, Enrique. 2002. The origin of agent markers. Berlin: Akademie. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Stassen, Leon. 2011. Comparative constructions. In Matthew S. Dryer & Martin Haspelmath (eds.), The world atlas of language structures online, chap. 121. Munich: Max Planck Digital Library.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sun, Hongkai. 1995. 藏缅语疑问方式试析 Zàngmiǎnyǔ yíwèn fāngshì shìxī (An analysis of interrogatives forms in Tibeto-Burman languages). Minzu yuwen 51. 1–11.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sun, Jackson T.-S. 2000. Parallelisms in the verb morphology of Sidaba rGyalrong and Lavrung in rGyalrongic. Language and Linguistics 1(1). 161–190.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2012. Complementation in Caodeng rGyalrong. Language and Linguistics 13(3). 471–498.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tournadre, Nicolas. 1996. L’ergativité en tibétain. Louvain: Péeters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2010. The Classical Tibetan cases and their transcategoriality, from sacred grammar to modern linguistics. Himalayan Linguistics 9(2). 87–125.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
von Wartburg, Walther. 1958. Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 8. Band. Basel: R.G. Zbinden & Co.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zhou, Maocao (vBrugmo vtsho). 2003. 玛曲藏语研究 Maqu Zangyu yanjiu (A study of Rmachu Tibetan). Beijing: Minzu chubanse.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (15)

Cited by 15 other publications

Lu, Man, Yu Ma, Jeroen van de Weijer & Zhen Yi
2024. Waning and waxing. Language and Linguistics. 語言暨語言學 25:4 ► pp. 644 ff. DOI logo
Pons, Marie-Caroline
2021. On the origin of 2nd person prefix #tV- in Trans-Himalayan languages. Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area 44:2 ► pp. 226 ff. DOI logo
Kuteva, Tania, Bernd Heine, Bo Hong, Haiping Long, Heiko Narrog & Seongha Rhee
2019. World Lexicon of Grammaticalization, DOI logo
Jacques, Guillaume
2016. Complementation in Japhug Gyalrong. Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area 39:2 ► pp. 222 ff. DOI logo
Jacques, Guillaume
2022. Egophoric marking and person indexation in Japhug. Language and Linguistics. 語言暨語言學 ► pp. 515 ff. DOI logo
Jacques, Guillaume
2023. Estimative constructions in cross-linguistic perspective. Linguistic Typology 27:1 ► pp. 157 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2019. References. In World Lexicon of Grammaticalization, ► pp. 517 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2019. Language Index. In World Lexicon of Grammaticalization, ► pp. 622 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2019. Grammatical Concepts Used in This Work. In World Lexicon of Grammaticalization, ► pp. 23 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2019. Target–Source List. In World Lexicon of Grammaticalization, ► pp. 476 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2019. List of Languages. In World Lexicon of Grammaticalization, ► pp. 489 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2019. Author Index. In World Lexicon of Grammaticalization, ► pp. 612 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2019. Introduction. In World Lexicon of Grammaticalization, ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2019. Source–Target Lexicon. In World Lexicon of Grammaticalization, ► pp. 34 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2019. Source–Target List. In World Lexicon of Grammaticalization, ► pp. 463 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 8 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue