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Minhast/Noun Incorporation: Difference between revisions
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Added interaction of thematic relation-noun incorporation interactions
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Although noun incorporation in Minhast is prototypically associated with lexically transitive verbs, lexically intransitive verbs may also incorporate nouns. The processes by which NI in intransitive verbs can be divided into three major categories: | Although noun incorporation in Minhast is prototypically associated with lexically transitive verbs, lexically intransitive verbs may also incorporate nouns. The processes by which NI in intransitive verbs can be divided into three major categories: | ||
# Nouns | # Nouns of non-Patient arguments (thematic relations) | ||
# Body Parts | # Body Parts | ||
# Meteorological and other natural phenomena | # Meteorological and other natural phenomena | ||
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Syntactic restrictions and other behaviours in intransitive NI otherwise that are extremely rare in transitive NI become more salient. Intransitive NI, where certain forms of irregularities occur, also reveal clues about the Proto-Nahenic ancestor that is more difficult to discern from transitive NI, as intransitive NI was more resistant to morphological leveling than transitive NI. This resistance can be attributed to the semantic features of the incorporated noun in the three aforementioned categories of intransitive NI. | Syntactic restrictions and other behaviours in intransitive NI otherwise that are extremely rare in transitive NI become more salient. Intransitive NI, where certain forms of irregularities occur, also reveal clues about the Proto-Nahenic ancestor that is more difficult to discern from transitive NI, as intransitive NI was more resistant to morphological leveling than transitive NI. This resistance can be attributed to the semantic features of the incorporated noun in the three aforementioned categories of intransitive NI. | ||
== Incorporation of Experiencers == | == Thematic Relations == | ||
In addition to incorporating semantic patients, which is what most people think about when talking about noun incorporation, is that Minhast, can incorporate a wider range of non-patient arguments, i.e. nouns with thematic relations differing from that of a semantic patient, can be incorporated into the Minhast verb. | |||
Incorporated nouns interact with the semantics of its incorporating verb. Take for example the word ''kallutūyekaran'' (kallut-dūy-ek-ar-an), lit. "eat-fish-I-in.the.past-be". The incorporated noun is a semantic patient, and this is the prototypical type of noun incorporation that is seen most often in Minhast texts. In this example, incorporation of the patient noun has lowered the valency of the clause, as one would expect, and is further confirmed by the surfacing of the intransitive suffix -an. | |||
=== Incorporation of Direction and Goal === | |||
Compare this with the transitive clause dūy kallutekaru (dūy kallut-ek-ar-un), lit. "Fish eat-I-in.the.past-do", a transitive clause wherein the transitive suffix -u also surfaces. | |||
Now compare this with the verb complex ''iknatūmanaran'' (ikn-tūman-ar-an), lit. "go-home-in.the.past-be". This time a noun (tūman "home"), whose incorporated noun's thematic role is that of Direction/Goal, has been incorporated. I.e. this isn't a semantically direct object incorporated into the verb; instead, a syntactically oblique argument has been incorporated into the verb complex. The non-incorporated form would be Tūman=aran iknaran (house-towards.it he went), and here we can see due to the postclitic directional case (usually called dative case) clitic ''=aran'' marks tūman "house" as an oblique argument, it's not a core, absolutive argument. | |||
=== Incorporation of Location === | |||
Another example, where a noun whose thematic role is of a non-Patient role, but rather that of Location, can be incorporated by interaction with the semantics of a verb, is saššihurran (sašši-hūr-ar-an), lit. "sit-mountain-in.the.past-be". Its non-incorporated counterpart is ''hurki sašširan ''(hūr=ki sašši-ar-an), lit. "mountain=on sit-in.the.past-be". Notice that these verbs which are incorporating non-Patient nouns are usually locational, positional, or motion verbs. However, oblique noun incorporation in transitive verbs is also allowable, and the incorporated noun is usually an Instrument, e.g. Dūy kallustespirtirkaru "I ate the salmon with my hand(s)." The Patient argument ''dūy'' ("salmon"), retains its position as an independent noun phrase in the absolutive case, whilst the oblique argument ''sespir'' ("hand"), is an incorporated noun whose thematic role is that of Instrument. The valency of the sentence has not changed, as the transitive ''-u'' suffix is still retained. | |||
=== Incorporation of Experiencers === | |||
Verbs that take as their core NP with the Experiencer thematic relation often incorporate oblique nominals, whose theta role of Source or Cause, to background them, thereby focusing on Experiencer. The following two examples, the first with no incorporation, and the second with incorporation of the oblique nominal ''tipr'' ("meat") are semantically equivalent. The difference between the non-incorporated and incorporated versions is one of discourse purpose. | Verbs that take as their core NP with the Experiencer thematic relation often incorporate oblique nominals, whose theta role of Source or Cause, to background them, thereby focusing on Experiencer. The following two examples, the first with no incorporation, and the second with incorporation of the oblique nominal ''tipr'' ("meat") are semantically equivalent. The difference between the non-incorporated and incorporated versions is one of discourse purpose. | ||