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<DIV>Dear subscribers, dear Hans,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There is still another pattern for delocutive, which has not been
explicitly mentioned so far: that is, <EM>zero</EM> derivation, by which the
expression itself (interjection, etc.) comes to behave directly like a verb
radical, without any derivative affix.</DIV>
<DIV>An example of this "zero-derived delocutive" appears in Nigel's message,
<BR>with English /Don't <EM>darling</EM> me./, whereby the noun /darling/
becomes a transitive verb /darling s.o./. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I guess this pattern exists in many languages, at least if their verbal
morphology allows for it. </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Mwotlap</STRONG>, an Oceanic language spoken in Vanuatu by 1800
sp., has a similar example of delocutive formation through zero-derivation.
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As one would expect, kin terms in Mwotlap are nouns; as such, they are
directly predicative (no copula), but are still distinct from verbs:</DIV>
<DIV>
<UL>
<LI>/<EM>imam</EM>/ 'Dad,
father' <BR> >
<EM>Kê <U>imam</U>
mino</EM>. /3sg/Dad/my/<BR>
'He is my father' <BR>
<LI>/<EM>tita</EM>/ 'Mum, mother'
<BR> > <EM>Kê
<U>tita</U>
nônôm</EM>. /3sg/Mum/your/<BR>
'She is your mother' </LI></UL>
<DIV>Now, zero-derivation allows all these nouns to become transitive verbs,
with a delocutive meaning. </DIV></DIV>
<UL>
<LI>/<EM>imam</EM>/ 'call s.o. Dad, treat like o.'s
father' <BR><BR>
> <EM>Kêy <U>imam</U> no</EM>.
/3pl/<EM>Aorist</EM>:call.Dad/1sg/ <BR>
'They call/view me as their father.' </LI></UL>
<DIV>Like any other transitive verb, they are compatible with verbal morphology
(reduplication, aspect-mood markers...)</DIV>
<UL>
<LI>/<EM>tita</EM>/ 'call s.o. Mum, treat like o.'s
mother' <BR><BR>
> <EM>Nitog <U>titita</U> kê
van</EM>.<BR>
/Prohibitive/call.Mum:DUP/3sg/Directional/<BR>
'Stop treating her as your mother!' </LI></UL>
<DIV>This derivational pattern is productive only for kin terms (about
twelve roots). I think I have another example with "(say) hello", but I can't
find it in my fieldbooks!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Best,</DIV>
<DIV>Alex.</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<HR>
</DIV>
<DIV>Alex François</DIV>
<DIV>Lacito-CNRS<BR>22, Chemin de la Justice<BR>92290 Châtenay
Malabry<BR> FRANCE</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>