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13th International morphology meeting5.02.2008,Vienna

Variation

of oblique noun stem markers in Daghestanian languages

Aleksandr Kibrik

Russia, Lomonosov Moscow State University

aekibrik@gmail.ru

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Remarkable properties Remarkable properties of noun declension of Daghestanian of noun declension of Daghestanian

languages:languages:

• the wide spread two-stem inflection: the opposition of initial stem

(coinciding with nominative case) and oblique stem for other cases,

• the multiplicity of oblique stem markers (further - oblique markers) and, especially,

• their intricate distribution with regard to initial noun stems,

• the multiplicity of plural markers.

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One stem pattern (Khinalug)

gis-irdir-i

gis-iERG

gis-irdirgisNOM

‘root’ (sg –pl)

mɩda-d-imɩd-iERG

mɩda-dmɩdaNOM

‘mountain’ (sg –pl)

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Two stem pattern (Archi)

el-um-če-ngel-li-nGEN

gel-um-čajgel-li-∅ERG

gel-umgelNOM

Cup (sg – pl)

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Is there zero ergative marker?Is there zero ergative marker?

• Decision1: -li is the ergative marker, other cases being derived from ergative (tradition & I.A. Melchuk)

• Decision 2: -li is the oblique marker, all cases being derived from it, including ergative. It is the least marked case, naturally using zero marker. The majority of Daghestanian languages use overt case markers for ergative.

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Two stem pattern (Bagvalal)

zin-ē-lazin-a-laDAT

zin-ē-rzin-a-rERG

zin-azinNOM

Cow (sg – pl)

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Ergative markersErgative markers

• Languages with zero ergative markers:• Lezgic:

Archi,LezgiTabasaran,Agul

• TsezicKhvarshiBezhta

• Other languages have overt ergative marker

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Variation of one - two stem Variation of one - two stem inflectioninflection

56%44%Hinukh

100% 0%Agul, Lak, Dargwa, Tabasaran

50%50%Tsez, Khvarshi

~100%~0%Archi, Agul, Kryz, Budukh

35%65%Tsakhur

90%10%Bezhta, Hunzib20%80%Udi, Akhvakh

70%30%Tindi5%95%Chamalal, Gigatli dialect

60%40%Chamalal, Gakwari dialect

0%100%Khinalug

Two stem-One stem-

LanguageTwo stem-

One stem-

Language

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Multiplicity of oblique Multiplicity of oblique markersmarkers

Archi

boc-ro-sbacmoon

mež-de-smocʼorbeard

niӀš-i-snoӀšhorse

berq-e-sbarqsun

kʼas-a-skʼosknife

bošor-mu-s

bošorhusband

noʟʼ-li-snoʟʼhouse

DAT.SGNOM.SGmeaning

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Multiplicity of oblique markers

17Udi

11Avar, Akhvakh, Tindi

13Bezhta, Hinukh, Agul

14Andi

15Lezgi

20Hunzib

24Rutul

>30Lak

Number of OBL markers

Languages

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Paradigmatic versatility of oblique markers

In many languages, especially in Avar, nouns can have alternative case

forms, see Sogratl dialect

CONTESSIVEχir-i-χ / χer-du-χχer grass

SUPERESSIVEtʼeh-da/ tʼoh-u-da tʼehflower

ERGʕiždi-la / ʕožd-o-la / ʕiždi-du-la

ʕiždi axe

ERGʟʼili-la / ʟʼol-o-la / ʟʼili@-du-la

ʟʼilisaddle

Oblique caseVariants of oblique caseNOM.SGMeaning

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Multiplicity of plural markersMultiplicity of plural markers

9Dargi, Archi, Budukh, Khinalug

10Rutul, Kryz

11Akhvakh, Bezhta

13Hunzib

14Andi

17Udi

>30Lak

Number of PL markers

Languages

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Historical grounds Historical grounds of this tremendous of this tremendous multi-dimensional multi-dimensional

variationvariation

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In what follows

a long period of the historical development

of Proto-Daghestanian is assumed.

The properties attributed to the proto-stage

should therefore

not be assumed to have evolved simultaneously.

We first summarize those inflectional phenomena

that are relevant for the historical reconstruction

of Daghestanian inflection.

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Evidence from obliquesEvidence from obliques • Two-stem inflection

distinguishing the oblique cases from the nominative presupposes a stage when this opposition was alive.

• The multiplicity of oblique singular markers preserves a stage when the direct/oblique case

opposition was not yet generalized and only existed in the form of various noun classes

differently interacting with syntactic positions.In general,

• two-stem inflection appears to be rare. In Burushaski, where this phenomenon is attested, only female nouns can have oblique singular stem

markers added to all the oblique cases.

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Evidence from the pluralEvidence from the plural

In addition to the multiplicity

of plural markers in Daghestanian

these also occur in different orders

relative to oblique markers,

or they may also be cumulated with them (with obl.pl markers being

relatively regular).

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CASE + NUMBERCASE + NUMBER

R.OBL-OBL.PL-GEN

R.OBL-OBL.SG-GEN

R-PL.NOMR(+SG.NOM)

burc’-urdi-lburc’-i-lbarc’-rubarc’

‘wolf’Lak

R-OBL-OBL.PL-ERG

R-OBL-ERGR-PL.NOMR(+SG.NOM)

p’ɩz-ɩ-mɩ-rp’ɩz-ɩ-rp’ɩz-bɩrp’ɩz

‘lip’Rutul

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• This contrasts with generally rather regular

cross-linguistic patterns of number being closer

to stems than case and other relational marking.

• In one of the rare instances of case being closer

to stems than number, seen in Kajtitj (an Arandic Australian language), dual and plural markers originate from independent words 'two' and 'many' and, not yet fully grammaticalized, are still outside nominal case markers.

• On such evidence plural as a unified category plural as a unified category

can be inferred not to have been original in Daghestanian. can be inferred not to have been original in Daghestanian.

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PROTODAGHESTANIAN PROTODAGHESTANIAN WITHOUT CASE AND NUMBERWITHOUT CASE AND NUMBER

• Lacking case and number in the present sense, Proto-Daghestanian arguably had different inflections for different classes of nouns.

• The argument thus is that the singular/plural opposition emerged as a reinterpretation of noun class oppositions. The plural originally appeared, at least in some noun classes, as a derivational category sensitive to meanings of noun roots. This hypothesis is supported by several arguments, both typological and from within the Daghestanian languages .

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• For one thing, there is a correlation between the absence of number and the presence of numeral classifiers.

• Then, the co-existing irregular and unproductive plural markers in Daghestanian make diachronic sense as reinterpreted nominal classifiers. Some current markers have semantic properties (e.g., human, masculine, feminine, animate, animals, birds and insects).

• Last, in languages with elaborate class systems such as Fula case is lacking and number is co-expressed with class, class functioning both derivationally and inflectionally.

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The origin of the case The origin of the case systemsystem

It is primarily connected

with the direct/oblique opposition,

where the (unmarked) direct covered

the core grammatical relations (S,A,P) and

oblique - the peripheral relations.

Though differing from contemporary Daghestanian, such two-way case systems

with such a distribution of labour are encountered elsewhere, for instance in Bare (Arawak family) and in Riau Indonesian (Sumatra).

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After separationAfter separation

All individual Daghestanian languages acquired the grammatical categories

of number, case, and localization,

drifting in the same direction

from their common past.

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Drift to current case Drift to current case systemssystems

• The oblique case was split into an ergative (inheriting the oblique form if unmarked) and completive cases (with adverbial or

locative meaning), along with the restriction of the direct case

to absolutive meaning.• This yields the ergative pattern which the

Daghestanian langages have preserved to the present time.

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The previous multiplicity of oblique The previous multiplicity of oblique markers markers

• is reduced and sometimes fossilized;

• regular, productive markers are developed, distributed morphonologically or by default rules;

• versatility of oblique markers is developed;

• the previous pattern may also be obliterated entirely, drifting from two-way to one-way inflection.

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TDhanks for your attention