[An-lang] Javanese NP

[Paz B. Naylor]

It looks like the "n" in the phrase you cite, "iki n anak", is not a
determiner (not 'the'); rather it appears to be  an attributive marker.
Given what I heard others say re the closeness of  Tagalog with (Old)
Javanese and what Sander Adelaar has said, it looks like the view of the "n"
in the phrase, "ika n anak", as being like the ubiquitous Tagalog
attributive marker "na" (which becomes an enclitic post vocalically (-Vng)
/na+ang (generally referred to by Tagalists as the "linker") may well be on
the right track. Tagalog "na/ng/nang" mark attributive relation, thus
"linking" attributively related words such as modifier-modified,
attribute-attribuee, etc.

Compare:  Tagalog  itong bata (< ito  na   bata)
                                                    this attr.child

                                         with:   iki   na    anak
                                                   this attr? baby

You may wish to see:
Foley, William A.  1976.  Comparative syntax in Austronesian.  Ph.D.
Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley.
Naylor, Paz Buenaventura.  1979.  "Linking, Relation-Marking, and Tagalog
Syntax."  In Naylor (ed.) 1979, Papers from
                                                      the Second Eastern
Conference on Austronesian Linguistics. Michigan Papers on South
                                                      and Southeast Asian
Studies, CSSEAS Publications. The University of Michigan.

Hope this helps.  Paz


----- Original Message -----
From: <william-davies at uiowa.edu>
To: <an-lang at anu.edu.au>
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 4:37 PM
Subject: Re: [An-lang] Javanese NP


>
> I would like to share with the list the answer that I received from Sander
> Adelaar regarding my query of November 3.  And I would like to express my
thanks
> to all who sent me answers.
>
> Bill Davies
> University of Iowa
>
>
> >I would like some help with a grammaticality judgment.  In at least 3
> >theoretical discussions about determiner phrases that I have looked
> >at recently,
> >the following is cited as a form from Javanese:
> >
> >ika  n   anak
> >this the baby
> >
> >This looks like no Javanese form that I have ever encountered, and the
two
> >friends that I can easily ask confirm this.  However, I'd like to inquire
of a
> >larger group of speakers whether this is, in fact, grammatical and if it
means
> >something along the lines of 'this baby/child'.  Thanks for any
assistance.
>
> This is Old Javanese, a language which was used between 9th century
> and 15th century AD., so no wonder it does not register with your
> informants. The form is correct though. See Zoetmulder's grammar and
> dictionary of Old Javanese.
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>


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