Cover not available

Article published In: Journal of Historical Linguistics
Vol. 14:1 (2024) ► pp.108–141

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

Alignment variations in the diachrony of Basque

The case of periphrastic constructions

ORCiD logo with link | Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour – Iker UMR 5478
Published online: 15 August 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jhl.21037.mou
Abstract
Besides highly grammaticalized analytic verb forms that constitute the system’s main tense, aspect, and mood forms, Basque has a handful of less grammaticalized periphrases for secondary aspectual and modal meanings. In both older and more recent texts, some of these periphrases have been reanalyzed as monoclausal and readjusted in accordance with the auxiliated verb’s argument structure. This readjustment or actualization process involves changes in two respects: case-marking and indexation through auxiliary change. The reanalysis and actualization of theses periphrases seem to be driven by analogy with highly extended and frequent analytic verb forms. With regard to their actualization, it seems to depend on three factors: word order, valency of the auxiliated verb, and plural patient agreement.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Generalities of the Basque verb
    • 2.1Verbal morphology
    • 2.2Argument coding and verbal indexing
    • 2.3Transitivity and ergative alignment
  • 3.Accusative alignments in the ergative language
    • 3.1Simplex verbs
    • 3.2Light verb compounds
    • 3.3TAM periphrases
  • 4.Alignment adjustments within periphrastic constructions
    • 4.1The progressive periphrasis ari izan
    • 4.2Modal periphrases based on behar *edun ‘need’ and nahi *edun ‘want’
    • 4.3Periphrases based on joan ‘go’
    • 4.4The imperfective analytic verb form
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
References (41)
References
Alberdi, Xabier. 2003. Euskal aditz mailegatuen erregimena: Hurbilketa [Argument Structure of Borrowed Verbs in Basque: First Remarks]. Euskal gramatikari eta ikerketari buruzko ikerketak XXI. mendearen atarian. Gramatika gaiak ed. by Jesus Mari Makatzaga & Bernard Oyharçabal, 37–60. (= Iker, 14–1). Bilbao: Euskaltzaindia.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Anderson, Gregory. 2006. Auxiliary Verb Constructions. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Baltza, Irene. 2018. Syntactic Structure and Modal Interpretation: The Case of Basque Behar. PhD Dissertation: Universidad del Pais Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea.
Bybee, Joan, William Pagliuca & Revere Perkins. 1994. The Evolution of Grammar: Tense, Aspect and Modality in the Languages of the World. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Creissels, Denis. 2008. Direct and Indirect Explanations of Typological Regularities: The Case of Alignment Variations. Folia Linguistica 42:1.1–38. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2015. Univerbation of Light Verb Compounds and the Obligatory Coding Principle. Approaches to Complex Predicates ed. by Léa Nash & Pollet Samvelian, 46–69. Leiden: Brill.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2018. Transitivity Prominence in Typological Perspective: The Case of Basque. Studia Philologica et Diachronica in Honorem Joakin Gorrotxategi ed. by Joseba Lakarra & Blanca Urgell, 175–187. Leioa: Universidad del País Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Creissels, Denis & Céline Mounole. 2017. Non-Canonical Valency Patterns in Basque, Variation and Evolution. Contrastative Studies in Verbal Valency ed. by Lars Hellan, Andrej Malchukov & Michaela Cennamo, 151–174. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Etxepare, Ricardo. 2003. Valency and Argument Structure in the Basque Verb. A Grammar of Basque ed. by José Ignacio Hualde & Jon Ortiz de Urbina, 363–426. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gómez, Ricardo & Koldo Sainz. 1996. On the Origin of the Finite Forms of the Basque Verb. Towards a History of Basque ed. by José Ignacio Hualde, Joseba Lakarra & Robert Lawrence Trask, 235–254. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Harris, Alice. 2017. Analogy and Extension. The Cambridge Handbook of Historical Syntax ed. by Adam Ledgeway & Ian Roberts, 92–112. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Harris, Alice & Lyle Campbell. 1995. Historical Syntax in Cross-Linguistic Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Heine, Bernard. 1993. Auxiliaries: Cognitive Forces and Grammaticalization. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hualde, José Ignacio & Jon Ortiz de Urbina (eds.). 2003. A Grammar of Basque. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kuteva, Tania. 2001. Auxiliation: An Inquiry into the Nature of Grammaticalization. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lafitte, Pierre. 1944. Grammaire basque (navarro-labourdin littéraire). Bayonne: Elkar.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lafon, René. 1943. Le système du verbe basque au XVIème siècle. Bordeaux: Delmas.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Laka, Itziar. 1993. The Structure of Inflection. Generative Studies in Basque Linguistics ed. by Jon Ortiz de Urbina & José Ignacio Hualde, 21–70. (=Current Issues in Linguistic Theory, 105). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2004. Ari progresiboaz: euskararen kasu markak [On the Progressive ari: Case-Marking in Basque]. Euskal gramatika XXI. mendearen atarian: arazo zaharrak, azterbide berriak ed. by Pablo Albizu & Beatriz Fernández, 113–132. Vitoria-Gasteiz: Diputación Foral de Alava.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lakarra, Joseba. 1997. Euskararen historia eta filologia: arazo zahar, bide berri [History of Basque and Philology: Old Problems and New Perspectives]. Anuario del Seminario de Filología Vasca « Julio de Urquijo » 31:2.447–535.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lakarra, Joseba & Julen Manterola. 2019. Euskal hiztegi historiko-etimologikoa [Basque Historical and Etymological Dictionary]. Bilbao: Euskaltzaindia.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Levin, Beth. 1983. On the Nature of Ergativity. PhD Dissertation.: MIT, Cambridge, MA.
Mitxelena, Koldo. [1961] 1990. Fonética histórica vasca. 3rd ed. (= Supplements of ASJU, IV). Donostia-San-Sebastián: Diputación Foral de Guipúzcoa.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mounole, Céline. 2008. Sintaxi diakronikoa eta aditz multzoaren garapena: inperfektibozko perifrasiaren sorreraz [Diachronic Syntax and Evolution of the Verbal System: On the Emergence of the Imperfective Periphrasis]. Gramatika jaietan Patxi Goenagaren omenez ed. by Xabier Artiagoitia & Joseba Lakarra, 585–604. (= Supplements of Anuario del Seminario de Filología Vasca « Julio de Urquijo », LI). Bilbao: Universidad del País Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2010. Alineazio aldaketak euskararen diakronian [Alignment Changes in the Diachrony of Basque]. Euskara eta euskarak: aldakortasun sintaktikoa aztergai ed. by Beatriz Fernández, Pablo Albizu & Ricardo Etxepare, 151–169. (= Supplements of Anuario del Seminario de Filología Vasca « Julio de Urquijo », LII). Bilbao: Universidad del País Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2012. The Evolution of Transitive Verbs in Basque and the Emergence of Dative-Marked Patients. Ergativity, Valence and Voice ed. by Gilles Authier & Katharina Haude, 355–380. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2018. Le verbe basque ancien: étude philologique et diachronique. (=Anuario del Seminario de Filología Vasca « Julio de Urquijo », 48). Bilbao: Universidad del País Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2021. Adizki jokatuak [Finite Verbs]. Euskararen gramatika ed. by Peio Salaburu, 1005–1067. Bilbao: Academy of the Basque Language-Euskaltzaindia.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ortiz de Urbina, Jon. 2003a. Periphrastic Constructions. A Grammar of Basque ed. by José Ignacio Hualde & Jon Ortiz de Urbina, 284–300. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2003b. Semiauxiliary Verbs. A Grammar of Basque ed. by José Ignacio Hualde & Jon Ortiz de Urbina, 300–323. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Oyharçabal, Bernard. 2007. Basque Light Verb Constructions. Studies in Basque and Historical Linguistics in Memory of R.L. Trask ed. by Joseba Lakarra & José Ignacio Hualde, 787–806. Bilbao: Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa-Universidad del Pais Vasco.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Perlmutter, David. 1978. Impersonal Passives and the Unaccusative Hypothesis. Proceedings of the 4th Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society, 157–189. Berkeley: UC Berkeley. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rebuschi, Georges. 1984. Structure de l’énoncé en basque. (= L’Europe de la tradition orale, 3). Paris: Société d’Etudes Linguistiques et Anthropologiques de France.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Salaburu, Pello (ed.). 2021. Euskararen gramatika [The Grammar of Basque]. Bilbao: Euskaltzaindia-Royal Academy of the Basque Language.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sarasola, Ibon. 1977. Sobre la bipartición inicial en el análisis en constituyentes. (=Anuario del Seminario de Filología Vasca “Julio de Urquijo”, XI). Anuario del Seminario de Filología Vasca 101:51–90.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Timberlake, Alan. 1977. Reanalysis and Actualization in Syntactic Change. Mechanisms of Syntactic Change ed. by Charles Li, 141–178. Austin: University of Texas Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Trask, Robert Lawrence. 1990. The -n Class of Verbs in Basque. Transactions of the Philological Society 88:1.111–128. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 1995. On the History of the Non-Finite Verb Forms in Basque. Towards a History of Basque ed. by José Ignacio Hualde, Joseba Lakarra & Robert Lawrence Trask, 207–234. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2002. Ergativity and Accusativity in Basque. The Nominative and Accusative and Their Counterparts ed. by Kristin Davidse & Béatrice Lamiroy, 265–285. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zuazo, Koldo. 1998. Euskalkiak, gaur [The Basque Dialects Nowadays]. Fontes Linguae Vasconum 781:191–233. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue