<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;">Dear James,<div>That there are different patterns found in different constructions is not a problem, and not rare. Even English does not have a consistent alignment pattern in all constructions. This has been known since the work of Van Valin and Foley going back to the late 1970’s. This is a major argument for treating grammatical categories as construction-based rather than global categories in the language. Of course grammaticalization of the morphemes is also construction based (event based), and so that is another factor. Just analyse the language inductively, without assuming any necessary uniformity across constructions. Language is not a single tight logical system, it is human behaviour, and as diverse and messy as the rest of our behaviour. Enjoy the messiness!</div><div><br></div><div>All the best,</div><div>Randy<br><div>
<meta charset="UTF-8"><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;">——</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;">Professor Randy J. LaPolla</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">（罗仁地)</span><span style="font-size: 14px;">, PhD FAHA </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;">Center for Language Sciences</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;">Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;">Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;">A302, Muduo Building, #18 Jinfeng Road, Zhuhai City</span><span style="font-size: 14px;">, Guangdong</span><span style="font-size: 14px;">, China</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://randylapolla.info">https://randylapolla.info</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">ORCID ID:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="color: rgb(73, 74, 76); background-color: white;"><a href="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6100-6196">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6100-6196</a> </span></span> </div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;">邮编：519087</span><br style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">广东省珠海市唐家湾镇金凤路18号木铎楼A302</span><br style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">北京师范大学珠海校区</span><br style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">人文和社会科学高等研究院</span><br style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">语言科学研究中心 </span></div></div><div><br></div></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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<div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div>On 26 May 2023, at 8:16 AM, James Wheate <jwhe6921@uni.sydney.edu.au> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div>
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Hello everyone!<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
My name is James Wheate and I am currently an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
I write to you all today as I am facing major problems with a language (Ainu) that I am looking at for one of my classes on Linguistic typology.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
The problem in question is, Ainu is attested to having 3 separate alignment systems (Bugaeva, 2015) that are determined by pronouns. Alignment in Ainu is shown through verbal affixing alone, with the following distribution:<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
1PL, 4SG/’Indefinite person’ are marked using tripartite alignment:<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<u>1PL:<o:p></o:p></u></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
S ci-<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
A -as<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
O un-<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<u>4SG:<o:p></o:p></u></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
S a-<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
A -an<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
O i-<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
1SG is marked with nom/acc alignment:<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
S/A ku-<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
O -en<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
Lastly, 2SG, 2PL, and 3SG have ‘neutral’ alignment (so none at all, more so just indexing) in the following way:<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<u>2SG:<o:p></o:p></u></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
S/A/O e-<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<u>2PL:<o:p></o:p></u></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
S/A/O eci-<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<u>3SG:<o:p></o:p></u></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
S/A/O <span style="font-family: "Cambria Math", serif; color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;">∅-<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria Math", serif; color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria Math", serif; color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria Math", serif; color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;">As far as my understanding goes, not only is the distribution in Ainu very uncommon, but the motivations for these groups and systems to arise seem unclear.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;"><br>
</span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<font color="#202122"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">With these systems it allows me to assume there is a hierarchy as follows:</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<font color="#202122"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br>
</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<font color="#202122"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">1PL/4SG -> 1SG -> 2SG/2PL/3SG</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<font color="#202122"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br>
</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<font color="#202122"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">As far as I am aware this would be extremely rare and hard to explain.</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;">Has anyone else encountered anything similar in other languages? Is there perhaps a diachronic explanation that leads to this morphological complexity?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;">As an undergraduate I am at my wits end!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;">Thank you all very much and as the years progress, I hope I can become more active and knowledgeable on this thread!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;">Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); background-color: white;">James Wheate.</span></div>
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