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Article published In: Studies in Language
Vol. 46:3 (2022) ► pp.594–646

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Conjunctions and clause linkage in Australian languages

A typological study

 | University of Leuven
 | University of Leuven | Australian National University
Published online: 1 December 2021
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https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.20055.luk
Abstract
This study analyses the role of conjunctions in clause linkage in Australian languages. Conjunctions are seemingly straightforward clause-linking devices, but they remain under-studied, both for Australian languages and from a broader typological perspective. In this study, we propose a functional definition of conjunctions, as set against other resources for clause linkage. We show that this captures not just the prototypical free-standing elements (the equivalents of if, because, but etc.), but also various types of bound markers with a similar function (bound to clause-scoping positions or predicates). We survey the role of conjunctions in a representative sample of 53 Australian languages, showing that they are not a marginal clause linkage resource in Australia, as seems to be assumed in the relevant literature, but often form a major category within clause linkage systems. We also identify a number of areal patterns, based on the size of conjunction inventories and their morphosyntactic features.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Defining ‘conjunctions’
  • 3.Data and methods
    • 3.1Sample
    • 3.2Operationalising ‘conjunctions’
    • 3.3Semantic domains
  • 4.Survey
    • 4.1Inventory types
    • 4.2Areal patterns
  • 5.Subtypes of conjunctions
    • 5.1Clausal vs predicate-bound conjunctions
    • 5.2Further distinctions within clausal conjunctions
    • 5.3Further distinctions within predicate-bound conjunctions
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
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