[Lexicog] Invariance and exploitation

[John Roberts]

Tmesis (placing a word within a word) is not necessarily against the norm in 
a language. In Amele (Papuan) it is part of the grammatical system to place 
certain modifiers within verbs. E.g.

bahic hel-eig-a
really throw-3pl.SU-TODP
'they really threw'

hel bahic eiga
'they REALLY threw'

qee hel-el-ein
not throw-NEGP-3pl.SU
'they didn't throw'

hel qee elein
'they did NOT threw'

age dih heleiga
3pl  just
'just they threw'

age hel dih eiga
'they just threw'

Also reduplication as an inflectional process can operate on different parts 
of the verb word in Amele. In other words, the syntax has access to the 
internal structure of the verb word.

he-hel-egin
SIM-throw-3pl.SU.DS
'as they threw ...'

hel-ad-eig-a
throw-3pl.DO-3pl.SU-TODP

hel-aad-egin
throw-SIM.3pl.DO-3pl.SU.DS
'as they threw them ...'

hel-i-adad-egin
throw-PRED-SIM.3pl.IO-3pl.SU.DS
'as they threw to them ..'

heliheli-eegin
           SIM.3pl.SU.DS
'as they threw repeatedly'

SIM = simultaneous tense and is an inflectional category.
DS = different subject following

Would you call the reciprocal form of the verb in Amele a word or something 
else? In the reciprocal example below *helecebheleceb* - an inflected 
reduplicated form - functions as the verb stem with the verb agreement 
suffixation attached.

hel-ece-b
throw-DS-3sg.SU
'he threw (different subject following) ...'

age heleceb heleceb eig-a
3pl                           3pl.SU-TODP
'they threw to each other'

John Roberts




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