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Article published In: Studies in Language
Vol. 49:2 (2025) ► pp.243–288

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Anticausativization in Gyalrongic languages

 | Nankai University School of Literature | Sichuan University, College of Foreign Languages
Published online: 15 October 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.23063.gat
Abstract
This article presents a comprehensive survey of anticausativization within Gyalrongic languages, a group of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in Sichuan, China, contributing significantly to our understanding of this phenomenon’s theoretical and diachronic underpinnings. The research affirms that anticausative alternation is predominantly associated with verbs that exhibit a change of state semantics. This categorization includes decausative and autocausative verbs, further subdivided in Gyalrongic languages into specific semantic groups such as Separation, Removal, Physical Transformation, etc. Certain verbs with agent-oriented meanings also undergo anticausative alternation, calling for a revision of previous claims. Gyalrongic languages demonstrate a unique trend in their use of anticausative marking, deviating from global patterns by avoiding the polyfunctional employment of these markers. The article traces the origins of anticausative marking to a spontaneous / non-volitional action prefix and identifies the emergence of a new non-volitional prefix that has overtones of anticausative marking, descending from an orientational / TAME prefix.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Valency changes
    • 1.2What is anticausativization?
    • 1.3Anticausatives compared to passives and reflexives
    • 1.4Gyalrongic languages
  • 2.Gyalrongic anticausativization in typological context
    • 2.1Formal typology
    • 2.2Semantic typology
  • 3.East Gyalrongic
    • 3.1Kyomkyo Situ
    • 3.2Bragbar Situ
    • 3.3Cogtse Situ
    • 3.4Bhola Situ
    • 3.5Japhug
    • 3.6Zbu
    • 3.7Tshobdun
  • 4.West Gyalrongic
    • 4.1Khroskyabs
    • 4.2Geshiza
    • 4.3Stau
    • 4.4Bragmda' rTa'u
    • 4.5Bawang
    • 4.6Stosde
    • 4.7Tangut
  • 5.Diachrony
    • 5.1Direction of derivation and voicing
    • 5.2Diachronic typology
  • 6.Orientational / TAME prefixes marking non-volitionality
  • 7.Contributions to anticausativization typology
    • 7.1Contributions to anticausative semantics
    • 7.2Diachronic contributions
  • 8.Conclusion and future research directions
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
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