[Lingtyp] TR : Query: modality, copulas and possessive pronouns

[VANHOVE Martine]

Dear all,

I hope this message finds you all well.

I am currently working on modality in Beja (Cushitic) which shows two intriguing (at least for me) morpho-syntactic features, and I am wondering whether they occur in other languages as well (so far I have not seen anything like this in the literature on modality, but I may have overlooked something).

The first feature is the cliticization of nominative POSSESSIVE bound pronouns (NOT the usual OBJECT pronouns) to finite verb forms to either (i) mark the protatis of a conditional clause as in example (1) wit the Aorist paradigm:


(1)              w=haˈwaːd          jʔ-i=juːk                                           majʔa     rhatnija

            def.sg.m=night   come-aor.3sg.m=poss.2sg.nom    light        see-ipfv.2sg.m

            ‘If night falls upon you, you'll see a light.’ (bej_mv_narr_05_eritrea_111-112)


or (ii) a deontic modality of capacity as in example (2) with the negative Optative paradigm:


(2)            oː=kʷhaːn                    i=ba=a-hass-aj=uːk

           def.sg.m.acc=flood  rel.m=opt=1sg-pass-neg.opt=poss.2sg.nom

           i-sanni=hoːk-a

           3sg.m-wait\ipfv=obj.2sg-adrf.m

           ‘May you find the flooding river that can prevent you from crossing!’ (lit. the flood that (says) ‘I won’t let you pass’ is waiting) (bej_mv_narr_12_witch_133-134)


The second feature concerns the citicization of the nominal copula to finite or non-finite verb forms, not for the expression of focus as I first thought, but to express epistemic and deontic modalities as in (3) and (4) (with a simultaneity converb):


(3)            diw-iːni                    winneːt   saːlhi            tak     siːleːl=iːb

           sleep-IPFV.3SG.M   plenty    noble_man   man   prayer=LOC.SG

           gʷada-am-i=b=u=it

           splash-MID-AOR.3SG.M=INDF.M.ACC=COP.3SG=CSL

           ‘He slept, since he was a very noble man who would perform his ablutions before praying.’ (BEJ_MV_NARR_17_shoemaker_094-096)


(1)            doːr   han   naː=t                 baː=ʃuːm-eː=ji

           time   also  thing=INDF.F   NEG.PROH=go_in-CVB.SMLT=COP.3SG

           ‘without even anything being able to go in, this time (…)’ (BEJ_MV_NARR_17_shoemaker_191)

Thanks a lot in advance for your help!

Best wishes and keep safe!

Martine

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