Article published In: Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area
Vol. 47:2 (2024) ► pp.284–317
Argument indexation on verbs in Pangkhua and South Central Tibeto-Burman (Kuki‑Chin)
Published online: 8 October 2024
https://doi.org/10.1075/ltba.00022.akt
https://doi.org/10.1075/ltba.00022.akt
Abstract
Both Pangkhua and South Central languages exhibit an elaborate indexation of arguments on verbs. Pangkhua shares
many of the characteristics of argument indexation with other languages in South Central while showing a relatively more
innovative pattern in this domain (verbal argument indexation). In South Central, major tendencies of argument indexation include
the loss of archaic patterns in mostly Central languages as opposed to Northwestern and Peripheral languages, the retention of
archaic forms in mostly negative constructions, and the relatively higher complexity in 1st person and 2nd person argument
indexation than in 3rd person. There is a notable affinity between a few Central and Peripheral languages in the
grammaticalization of directional markers as argument indexes. This affinity in specific functional domains indicates the
likelihood of language contact at a post proto-SC period.
Keywords: South Central, Kuki-Chin, Pangkhua, argument indexation, directionals, reconstruction, retention, innovation, Bangladesh
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Argument indexation on verbs in Pangkhua
- 2.1Pangkhua and South Central
- 2.2Morphosyntactic preliminaries
- 2.3Argument indexes
- 2.4Argument indexation on verbs
- 2.5Argument indexation in imperative constructions
- 2.6Some notable characteristics of argument indexation in Pangkhua
- 2.6.1Animacy hierarchy
- 2.6.2Marking of agentivity
- 2.6.3Argument marking deriving from directional marking
- 3.Argument indexation on verbs in South Central (Kuki-Chin)
- 3.1Subject argument indexes
- 3.1.11st person subject
- 3.1.22nd person subject
- 3.1.33rd person subject
- 3.2Object argument indexes
- 3.2.11st person object
- 3.2.22nd person object
- 3.2.33rd person object
- 3.1Subject argument indexes
- 4.Major findings
- 5.Conclusion
- Notes
- Abbreviations
References
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