query: coordination and syntactic categories

[Wolfgang Schulze]

Dear David,
I do not know whether you also accept answers of the type 'in parts 
yes'. Nevertheless let me mention Sumerian: The language has a distinct 
conjunction for 'and' (as opposed to the comitative), namely /u/ (<ù>) 
that, however, has been borrowed from Akkadian. The native Sumerian 
strategy to link two NPs  is the use of /-bi-da/ (clitic to the second 
NP), meaning 'with it', e.g.  áb amar-bi-da (cow calf-3sg:nhum-COM) 'cow 
and calf' or ÍDIdigin ÍDBuranun-bi-da 'Tigris and Euphrat', lit. 'Tigris 
with its Euphrat'. -da etymologically means 'side' and is also used as a 
simple comitative, e.g.

<É.an.na.túm ....-ke4 En.á.ka.le ensi2 UmmaKI-da ki e-da-sur>
/Eannatum ...k-e Enakal-e ensi Umma-da ki in-da-n-sur/
Eannatum [NP]-GEN-ERG Enakale prince Umma:GEN-COM earth 
PV-COM-3SG:A-mark:PAST
'Eannatum  of [NP] marked off the boundary with Enakale, the prince of 
Umma' (Thomsen 1984:100).

Sumerian seems thus to meet your first condition. The second condition 
(use of the COM in verbal coordination), however, is not met. Obviously, 
this has to do with the fact that -bi-da include an anaphoric element 
(-b-) that takes up the first referent in a chain, that is a nominal. 
Verbal conjunction applies the Akkadian /u/ (if ever).

In addition: Although the corresponding proposal would face a number of 
problems with respect to form history and functions, one might speculate 
(!) whether Indo-European *(-)kom 'with' (Latin cum etc.) is related to 
IE *-kwe 'and', *(-)kom being a derivation from *-kwe (Latin -que etc.) 
by adding an element *-m (< *kwe-m). But again, the second condition 
would fail.... [I guess that most fellow-Indo-Europeanists will raise 
their eyebrows...]

Very best wishes,
Wolfgang    

David Gil schrieb:
> Dear all,
>
> I am looking for a language expert who can answer one relatively 
> simple question about a language satisfying the following two criteria:
>
> (1) It uses the same word for 'and' and 'with' (John WORD Bill left / 
> John left WORD Bill).
> (2) It uses the same word for nominal and verbal coordination (John 
> WORD Bill left / John came WORD left).
>
> Plus, I would prefer that the language in question not be Austronesian.
>
> Both of the above criteria constitute feature values in WALS chapters, 
> by Leon Stassen and Martin Haspelmath respectively.  The WALS database 
> lists a mere 11 languages satisfying the above two criteria, of which 
> 6 are Austronesian and just 5 non-Austronesian -- the latter being 
> Greenlandic (West), Khasi, Navajo, Sango, and Tzutujil.
>
> So if you are familiar with such a language, here's my question:
>
> Can the 'and'/'with' word be used to coordinate a noun and a verb?
>
> (If the language distinguishes between finite and non-finite verbs, I 
> am interested in the possibility of coordinating a noun with a finite, 
> ie. more verblike form.)
>
> Thanks,
>
> David
>

-- 

*Prof. Dr. Wolfgang 
Schulze    *                                                               
 

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