Pronouns: temporal paradigms

[Jan Terje Faarlund]

At 14:54 26.03.2003 +0000, Daniel Everett wrote:
>In the Wari' language of Rondonia Brazil, there are two paradigms of 
>demonstrative pronouns, distinguished by spatial vs. temporal orientation.
>
>So, one series is, roughly, 'proximate to speaker', 'proximate to hearer', 
>and 'distal'. The other is, roughly' currently present', 'recently 
>absent', 'long absent'. (These are discussed in Everett & Kern 1996, 306ff.)
>
>Does anyone on this list know of similar paradigms, specifically the 
>temporal paradigm, in other languages?
>
>One more point: Wari' lacks personal pronouns, e.g. he, she, it, etc.
>
>-- Dan Everett
>

Much closer to home, in the dialects of Eastern Norway there are two sets 
of distal demonstratives: one for spatial deictic reference: masc./fem. 
DANA, neuter DATA, pl. DASA, and one for anaphoric and contextual 
reference: m/f DEN, n DÆ:, pl. DEI. Since temporal expressions are abstract 
and therefore non-deicitc, they can only be used with the second set:

         dana bu:ka 'that book' (over there)
         den bu:ka 'that book' (which we are talking about)
         den da:gen 'that day' (which we are talking about)
         *dana da:gen 'that day' (*over there)

I know of no other Germanic language which makes such a distinction. Does 
anybody out there?

Jan Terje


Professor Jan Terje Faarlund
Universitetet i Oslo
Institutt for nordistikk og litteraturvitskap
Postboks 1013 Blindern
N-0315 Oslo (Norway)

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