List of Abbreviations

174 Pages·2013·2.02 MB·English

Alyawarr Verb Morphology

David Campbell Moore, Bachelor of Arts (Honours).

This thesis is presented for the degree Master of Arts of the
University of Western Australia.

School: Social Sciences.

Discipline: Linguistics.

Thesis submitted in 2012
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Abstract

The Alyawarr Language Region is located in the Sandover and Barkly areas of the Northern
Territory. Alyawarr is a language with around 2000 first language speakers. Although the
Alyawarr language has been studied since the 1930s, only recently has long-term detailed
fieldwork been undertaken in Alyawarr.

Alyawarr verbs are agglutinative, suffixing and compounding. Alyawarr is in rich inflectional
and derivational morphology. One significant category is Motion.

Chapter One is an introduction to the Alyawarr language and reviews the literature on the
language. Verb roots and types of word formation are explored in Chapter 2. Subsequent
chapters explore different categories which follow the verb root. Chapter 3 covers Derivation
and Number. Chapter 4 explores the categories of Motion and Aspect. Chapter 5 is dedicated to
the inflectional categories of Tense and Mood and to complex clauses.

This research represents seventeen years of research in the Alyawarr language based upon
extensive text collections and data elicitation. Although this thesis builds on that of Stanham
(1972), Turtle (n.d) and Yallop (1977), it contains new perspectives on understanding the
Alyawarr verb and further refines previous analyses.

This thesis is also distinctive and interesting because of further detailed information about
reduplication in Alyawarr. Basic Motion verbs are explained and the category of Motion
including an account of vertical motion. Another feature of this thesis is an exploration of the
aspectual system of Alyawarr and its relationship to the categories of tense and mood along with
a number of hitherto undescribed inflections.
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... 4
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. 7
Table of Abbreviations ............................................................................................. 8
Figures ................................................................................................................... 11
Tables .................................................................................................................... 11
1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 14
1.1 The Alyawarr language region............................................................................. 14
1.2 Classification of the Alyawarr language ............................................................... 14
1.2.1 Typological features of the Alyawarr language .................................................................... 15
1.2.2 Thesis orthography: Sounds and their representation in Alyawarr ...................................... 15
1.3 Review of Linguistic Research in the Alyawarr language ...................................... 17
1.3.1 Early Research: Wordlists ..................................................................................................... 18
1.3.2 Anthropological research in the Alyawarr region ................................................................. 19
1.3.3 Professional Linguistic Research from 1930 ......................................................................... 19
1.3.4 Verb morphology .................................................................................................................. 22
1.4 Linguistic Variation ............................................................................................. 22
1.5 Social context of the language ............................................................................ 23
1.5.1 Wider contacts with other languages of Central Australia ................................................... 23
1.5.2 Mutual intelligibility and relatedness of Alyawarr dialects ................................................... 25
1.5.3 Speakership and language ownership .................................................................................. 27
1.5.4 Areal Features ....................................................................................................................... 27
1.6 Language change ................................................................................................ 28
1.6.1 The profile of Alyawarr in Central Australia .......................................................................... 28
1.6.2 Mobility ................................................................................................................................. 28
1.6.3 Demographics ....................................................................................................................... 29
1.6.4 Alyawarr and English ............................................................................................................. 30
1.6.5 The influence of literacy and education ............................................................................... 30
1.6.6 Two way education ............................................................................................................... 31
1.6.7 The influence of media ......................................................................................................... 31
1.7 The data and sources .......................................................................................... 32
1.7.1 Participant observation ......................................................................................................... 32
1.7.2 Types of data ......................................................................................................................... 32
1.7.3 Texts ...................................................................................................................................... 33
1.7.4 Genre .................................................................................................................................... 33
1.7.5 Elicitation .............................................................................................................................. 34
1.7.6 Observed speech................................................................................................................... 35
1.7.7 Translations ........................................................................................................................... 35
1.7.8 Introspective comments of speakers .................................................................................... 35
1.7.9 Learning the Alyawarr language ........................................................................................... 36
1.7.10 The roles of language consultants .................................................................................... 37
1.7.11 Recording techniques ....................................................................................................... 38
1.8 The outline and scope of this work...................................................................... 38
2 The Alyawarr Verb........................................................................................... 39
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2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 39
2.2 Verb structure .................................................................................................... 39
2.3 Properties of Verb Roots: Transitivity .................................................................. 40
2.4 Verbal Sub-categories ......................................................................................... 41
2.4.1 Basic Motion verbs ............................................................................................................... 42
2.4.2 Basic Stance verbs ................................................................................................................ 46
2.5 Compound Verbs ................................................................................................ 49
2.5.1 Other evidence for compound status .................................................................................. 50
2.5.2 Subclassification of compounding types .............................................................................. 53
2.5.3 Compounds based upon IV and TV ...................................................................................... 56
2.6 Verbal Reduplication .......................................................................................... 60
2.6.1 Semantics of reduplication and iconicity ............................................................................. 61
2.6.2 Pre-bases .............................................................................................................................. 62
2.6.3 RED.elp Attenuative ............................................................................................................. 64
2.6.4 RED.ep Frequentive .............................................................................................................. 67
3 Derivation and Number .................................................................................... 70
3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 70
3.2 Derivation .......................................................................................................... 70
3.3 Verbalising suffixes ............................................................................................. 70
3.3.1 Intransitive Verbaliser -irr .................................................................................................... 71
3.3.2 Attribute Intransitive Verbaliser -elh .................................................................................... 71
3.4 Mediopassive -elh .............................................................................................. 71
3.4.1 Reflexive ............................................................................................................................... 73
3.4.2 Passive .................................................................................................................................. 76
3.4.3 Middle .................................................................................................................................. 76
3.4.4 Antipassive ........................................................................................................................... 76
3.5 Reciprocal -err .................................................................................................... 79
3.6 Transitive Verbaliser ........................................................................................... 81
3.6.1 Nominal bases ...................................................................................................................... 81
3.6.2 Verb bases ............................................................................................................................ 82
3.6.3 Transitiviser -ern ................................................................................................................... 84
3.7 The Category of number ..................................................................................... 84
3.7.1 Plural -err and -arr ................................................................................................................ 86
3.7.2 -enherr .................................................................................................................................. 86
3.7.3 -erl.ew plural with Basic Motion verbs ................................................................................. 87
3.7.4 RED.ew- ................................................................................................................................ 87
3.7.5 -elhelerr ................................................................................................................................ 88
3.7.6 -arlelherr ............................................................................................................................... 88
3.8 Discrete -am ....................................................................................................... 89
4 Motion and Aspect ........................................................................................... 91
4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 91
4.2 The category of Motion ...................................................................................... 91
4.3 PATH morphemes ............................................................................................... 92
4.3.1 -eyn Return ........................................................................................................................... 92
4.3.2 -enh Point ............................................................................................................................. 95
4.4 Sequenced Motion compounds ........................................................................... 98
4.4.1 DO&MOTION -erl.................................................................................................................. 99
4.4.2 MOTION&DO -ey ................................................................................................................ 101
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4.4.3 Reduplication and Motion compounding ...........................................................................104
4.4.4 RUN .....................................................................................................................................105
4.4.5 Compositionality and motion compounds ..........................................................................109
4.4.6 Compounding vs. morphemic complexes ...........................................................................110
4.5 Rapid actions.................................................................................................... 111
4.5.1 -erl.iw SIDE ..........................................................................................................................111
4.5.2 (-erl).iw Small Repetitive Reduplication ..............................................................................112
4.5.3 -erl.ayn AWAY .....................................................................................................................114
4.6 Action along a path .......................................................................................... 115
4.6.1 -erl.ap Convey something along .........................................................................................115
4.6.2 -erlenty.akng Distributed motion .......................................................................................117
4.7 Vertical movement and ‘do while Y approaches’ ............................................... 118
4.7.1 -ey.aynt ‘UP’ ........................................................................................................................119
4.7.2 -erl.arrern ‘DOWN’ ..............................................................................................................122
4.8 Cultural explanation for complex motion verbs ................................................. 124
4.8.1 Example of Motion..............................................................................................................125
4.9 ASPECT............................................................................................................. 127
4.9.1 Continuous Aspect ..............................................................................................................128
4.9.2 -erl.an State.........................................................................................................................130
5 Obligatory verb marking ............................................................................... 132
5.1 Tense and Aspect ............................................................................................. 132
5.1.1 -eyel Present .......................................................................................................................133
5.1.2 -eyenh Future ......................................................................................................................135
5.1.3 -ek/-ew Past Perfective .......................................................................................................136
5.1.4 -enh Past Imperfective IMPP...............................................................................................137
5.1.5 Relative Past Tense .............................................................................................................139
5.1.6 -eyartingkerr Past Habitual .................................................................................................140
5.1.7 -ey.inkwern Past Habitual2 .................................................................................................140
5.2 Mood ............................................................................................................... 141
5.2.1 Imperative ...........................................................................................................................141
5.2.2 -ey Hortative .......................................................................................................................142
5.2.3 -etyek, -eyew, -eyek Purposive............................................................................................142
5.2.4 -em Potential.......................................................................................................................143
5.2.5 -ey.angenh, -eyang Negation ..............................................................................................148
5.3 Complex Sentences .......................................................................................... 150
5.3.1 Purposive in complex sentences .........................................................................................151
5.3.2 -ey.alkenh, -ey.akenh, Subsequent .....................................................................................151
5.3.3 -enty Irrealis ........................................................................................................................152
5.3.4 -emer Subjunctive ...............................................................................................................157
5.3.5 -el Same Subject ..................................................................................................................159
5.3.6 -ekerr/-ewerr Apprehensive ...............................................................................................160
5.3.7 -ekerr-awaty Before ............................................................................................................161
5.3.8 Characteristic -ey.angker and -enh.RED .............................................................................161
5.4 An alternative classification .............................................................................. 162
5.4.1 Aspectual Category Two: Intentional Mood .......................................................................163
5.4.2 Aspectual Category Three ...................................................................................................163
6 Future Research ............................................................................................ 166
References ........................................................................................................... 167

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Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to my supervisor John Henderson of the Linguistics Discipline Group in the
School of Social Sciences who encouraged this project from the beginning in 2005. I have had
many long distance conversations with John while I worked on this project and have benefitted
from his wealth of knowledge of Central Australian languages. Thanks also to Alan Dench and
the Department of Linguistics at UWA whose support has enabled me to understand the issues
involved in analysing languages

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Table of Abbreviations

A Transitive Subject
ABL Ablative -they
AED Alyawarr to English
Dictionary
(Green 1992)
AED2 Alyawarr to English
Dictionary revision
ALL Allative -warl
APP Apprehensive -ekerr 5.3.6
ADV Adverbialiser -el
ASSOC Associated with -areny
ATT Attenuative 2.6.3
AVERS Aversive -kety, -wety
AWAY Away from -erl.ayn 4.5.3
BASE&DO Move to base and do V -ey.alp 4.4.2.2
BEFORE Before -ekerr-awaty 5.3.7
CHAR Characteristic -ey.angker 5.3.8
CHAR1 Characteristic 1 -angker 5.3.8
CHAR2 Characteristic 2 -enh 5.3.8
COM Comitative -akert
CONJ Conjunction -ap
CONT1 Continuous 1 -aynt 4.9.1.1
CONT2 Continuous 2 -erl.aynt 4.1.9.2
CONV Convey -erl.ap 4.6.1
DAT Dative -ek/-ew
DISC Discrete -am 3.8
DISTR Distributive -erlenty.akng 4.6.2
DAT Dative case -ew, -ek
DO&BASE Do V and then move to base -erl.alp 4.4.1.2
DO&GO Do action and go -erl.alh 4.4.2.1
DO&RUN Do action and run -erl.elp 4.4.4.2
DOWN Do verb action while -erl.arrern 4.7.2
ECAED mEaosvteinrng adnodw Cn entral Arrernte
to English Dictionary
(Henderson and Dobson
1994)
EMPH Emphasis -ey
ERG Ergative -el
EX Exclusive marking on -en
pronoun
FIRST Occurs first in sequence -tangkwel
FOC Focus -an
FREQ Frequentive -ep 2.6.4
FUT Future -eyenh 5.1.2
GO&DO Go and then do action -ey.alh 4.4.2.1
HAB Past Habitual -eyartingkerr 5.1.6
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HAB2 Past Habitual -ey.inkwern 5.1.7
HORT Hortative -ey 5.2.2
IMP.S Imperative -Ø 5.2.1
IMP.DU Dual -enh(err)atherr 5.2.1
IMP.PL Plural -enh(err)arey 5.2.1

IMPP Past Imperfective -enh 5.1.4
INS Instrumental -el
IRR Irrealis -enty 5.3.3
IV Intransitive verbaliser -irr 3.6
LOC Locative -el, -ew, -ek, -itwew, -
itwek, -itwel
LOTS Lots of, numerous -angketyarr
MED Mediopassive, middle voice -elh 3.4
NEG Negative, negation -eyang, ey.angenh 5.2.5
NOM Nominative
NP Noun phrase
NPL Nominal Plural -rnem
O Object, grammatical object
PERL Perlative, through -angkwarr
PP Past Perfective -ek/-ew 5.1.3
PL Plural
POINT Action occurs at point on -enh 4.3.2
path
POSS Possessive -kenh/-wenh
POT Potential -em 5.2.4
PRES Present tense -eyel 5.1.1
PRIV Privative -weny
PURP Purposive -etyek, eyew 5.2.3
QUOT Quote -wenh
REAS Reason -wety, -kety
REC Reciprocal -err 3.5
RED Reduplication
REP Small repetitive movement
RET Return -eyn 4.3.1
ROUND around -anyem
RUN&DO Run and do -ey.elp 4.4.4.1
S Intransitive Subject
SAE Standard Australian English
SBJV Subjunctive -emer 5.3.4
SEMB Semblative -ilkwer
SIDE Move to the side -erl.iw 4.5.1
SRC Source -penh
SS Same subject -el 5.3.5
STAT State -erl.an 4.9.2
STILL Still occuring -antey
SUB Subordinate clause marker -arl
SUBS Subsequent action -ey.alkenh 5.3.2
THEN Temporal succession -anem
TV Transitive Verbaliser -il, -elhil 3.6
UP Do action while moving -ey.aynt 4.7.1
u pwards
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1S First person singular
1D First person dual
1PL First person plural
2S Second person singular
2D Second person dual
3S Third person singular
3D Third person dual
3PL Third person plural

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