MIRATIVITY QUESTION

[Carl Rubino]

Dear Colleagues,
        Greetings from Australia.  I am writing to the list to ask
questions about mirativity, a category which is often neglected in
linguistic description.  Mirativity (from the label admirative) can be
defined as a grammatical category responsible for encoding SURPRISE or
anything CONTRARY to EXPECTATION.  Languages in the world that encode such
a concept morphologically do so in various ways (conjunctions, clitics,
particles, etc.)
        I would like to ask you if you know of any language that has
mirative morphemes for me to look up (references and/or texts).
        I am also posting some sample data on mirativity following this
message.
        All the best from Australia and I thank you all for your time,

        Carl Rubino


SAMPLE DATA:


        In Achenese, the mirative morpheme is a proclitic meu(ng)=  which
immediately precedes predicates it marks as surprising.  It is related to
the subordinating conjunction meu(ng) (Durie 1985:269).

MIRATIVE USE

        meu=i=kap=keuh
        surprise=3=bite=2
        'If it didn't go and bite you!'

        ka=eu   meung=meuleuhöp=kuh
        2=see   surprise=muddy=1
        'You see I'm muddy!'

CONDITIONAL USE

        meu=ji=jak      lôn=seutöt
        if=3=go 1=follow
        'If he goes, I'll follow.'


        In Chrau, the particle  dÐ_e is placed before unexpected clauses;
when placed before the subject, it refers to the whole clause, not just the
subject (Thomas 1971:88).

        anh     vlam    d_e     co^     sipai
        'I met (surprise) the rabbit.'

        ne&h    de&h    d_e@    la at -u.
        'She gave birth to a coconut!'

        In Philippine languages, various adverbials (non-deriving
particles) encode things that are surprising or contrary to expectation:
(Ilk, Knk. gayam, Tag. pala).  Certain morphemes may also be used for a
similiar purpose:  (Ilk nag- -en, Bontoc -et).

i.e.  Tag:    Ikaw pala.      So it's you!
        Iloc:   Nagbassiten!    How small!  (admirative)

      Tukang Besi (data from Mark Donohue 1995:425-6), a language from
South Sulawesi, has two conjunctions used to connote surprise or
exceptional information: padahal, a loan from Indonesian, and io.

        Io      te      karna           te      anu,    o-koruo na      amai
        in.fact CORE    because CORE    whatsit 3R-many NOM     they

        Rupu,   s{um}ikola,     wila    [m]-o-daga,     wila    [m]a-langke
        Rupu    school{SI}      go      REC.SI-trade    go      OCC.SI-sail

        i       Ambo,   i       Singapura, Malahau.
        OBL     Ambon   OBL     Singapore       Malahau

        'In fact it's because it's, what's that, ,all of those Rupu go to
school, go trading, go sailing in Ambon, to Singapore, to Malahau.'

        Io              te      i-manga i-helo'a-no             iso
        whereas CORE    OP-eat          OP-cook-3POSS   yon

        mbea-'e a       hebuntu,        te      watu    na      ni-helo'a-n(o)
        not.exist       NOM     state           CORE    stone   NOM
OP-cook-3POSS

        Kilivila (Senft, p.c.) has a pre-nominal interjectional particle
commonly used with kinterms and nouns to express mild shock.

        ake inagu.
        'oh my, it's my mother.'

        Some languages express surprise in their tense/aspect systems
(Georgian), or by hearsay evidentials (Turkish).  If you can refer me to
similar data along these lines, I would be very interested.



=\\=//=\\=//=\\=//=\\=//=\\=//=\\=//=\\=//=\\=\\=
Dr. Carl Rubino
Centre for Linguistic Typology
F-Block OAA
Australian National University,
Canberra, ACT 0200,  AUSTRALIA
Phone: +61 2 6249 2053 (office)
Fax:  +61 2 6249 0332