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Article published In: Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area
Vol. 49:1 (2026) ► pp.18–60

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Direction and associated motion in Barpak Ghale

ORCiD logo with link | The University of Tokyo
Published online: 16 February 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ltba.25003.yos
Abstract
This paper describes systems of direction and associated motion in Barpak Ghale, a Tamangic language spoken in Nepal. The language has two sets of suffixes to encode these grammatical categories. The first set, -pʌ and -rʌ, encodes direction and prior associated motion, while the second set, -kɰi and -ri, encodes direction and subsequent or concurrent associated motion. The co-expression of direction and associated motion raises the question of how one reading is selected over the other. Examining data from the present author’s fieldwork, this study argues that the interpretation of these suffixes depends on the semantic class of the verb root. The data generally follow the hierarchy of verb classes as proposed in typological studies. In addition, this study demonstrates that causative-motion verbs exhibit distinct behaviors depending on their subtypes. It argues that the nature of causation and the accompaniment of the causer in causative-motion verbs play a crucial role in the interpretation of suffixes.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Suffixes encoding direction and AM in Barpak Ghale
    • 1.2Co-expression of direction and AM and the hierarchy of verb classes
    • 1.3Subtypes of causative-motion verbs
    • 1.4Overview of the present study
    • 1.5Data
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Language background
    • 2.2Direction and associated motion
      • 2.2.1Direction
      • 2.2.2Associated motion and three parameters
    • 2.3Co-expression of direction and AM and the hierarchy of verb classes
    • 2.4Subtypes of causative-motion verbs
  • 3.Morphology and etymology of Set 1 and Set 2 suffixes
  • 4.Interpretation of Set 1 suffixes: -pʌ and -rʌ
    • 4.1Set 1 suffixes with path-of-motion verbs
    • 4.2Set 1 suffixes with manner-of-motion verbs
    • 4.3Set 1 suffixes with the general motion verb
    • 4.4Set 1 suffixes with causative-motion verbs
    • 4.5Set 1 suffixes with verbs involving activities without translational motion
    • 4.6Ambiguity of Set 1 suffixes in verbs of contact and verbs of utterance
  • 5.Interpretation of Set 2 suffixes: -kɰi and -ri
    • 5.1Set 2 suffixes with verbs involving activities without translational motion
      • 5.1.1Concurrent and subsequent AM with only S or A as a moving figure
      • 5.1.2Concurrent and subsequent AM with both A and P as moving figures
    • 5.2Set 2 suffixes with causative-motion verbs
      • 5.2.1Controlled causative-motion verbs
      • 5.2.2Co-motional causative-motion verbs
      • 5.2.3Ballistic causative-motion verbs
    • 5.3Set 2 suffixes with the general motion verb
  • 6.Discussion
    • 6.1Interpretation of the Set 1 and Set 2 suffixes in a typological context
    • 6.2Subtypes of causative-motion verbs
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Abbreviations
  • Notes
  • References
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