[Lingtyp] "Double reflexive" constructions

Thu Dec 9 12:04:31 UTC 2021

Dear Riccardo,

In Mwotlap (an Oceanic language of Vanuatu), the reflexive/reciprocal is
usually unmarked:  such interpretations are usually simply inferred from
the co-reference between the agent and the patient [e.g. “I saw me”].

With a 3rd non-singular pronoun (dual, trial or plural), there is an
ambiguity between
(a) a simple transitive clause with distinct referents for agent & patient
(b) a reflexive interpretation
(c) a reciprocal interpretation

Thus ex (1) has three interpretations:
1) *Kōyō*  mu-wuh   mat    *kōyō*.
  3du   PFT-hit  dead  3du
   a/ “They killed them.”   [2 people killed 2 other people, total 4
participants]
   b/ “They killed themselves.”  [2 people committing suicide]
   c/ “They killed each other.”

Now, Mwotlap also has a reversive ('refactive'?) postverb *lok* 'back,
again':
2)  Nok  so        m̄ōl        *lok     *    l-ēm̄.
    1sg Prosp  return  REVERS  Loc-house
   “Let me go *back* home.”

3)  Vap   *lok *       se!
    say  REVERS  also
   “Say it *again*!”

If you use that reversive *lok*  in a sentence like (1) above, you
disambiguate its meaning by ruling out interpretations (a) and (c);
essentially you're left with an interpretation as a reflexive:

4) *Kōyō*  mu-wuh   mat    *lok*        *kōyō*.
    3du   PFT-hit  dead  REVERS 3du
  ? *a/ “They killed them.”   [2 people killed 2 other people, total 4
participants]*
   b/ “They killed themselves.”  [2 people committing suicide]
  ? *a/ “They killed each other.”  *

This seems to be the sort of structure you were looking for.
____
Reference: See page 372 of my dissertation:

   - François, Alexandre. 2001.
   *Contraintes de structures et liberté dans l'organisation du discours:
   Une description du mwotlap, langue océanienne du Vanuatu
   <http://alex.francois.online.fr/AFpub_books_e.htm#01>*.
   Doctoral dissertation in Linguistics, Université Paris-IV Sorbonne. 1078
   pp.

best,
Alex
------------------------------

Alex François
LaTTiCe <http://www.lattice.cnrs.fr/en/alexandre-francois/> — CNRS–
<http://www.cnrs.fr/index.html>ENS
<https://www.ens.fr/laboratoire/lattice-langues-textes-traitements-informatiques-et-cognition-umr-8094>
–Sorbonne nouvelle
<http://www.univ-paris3.fr/lattice-langues-textes-traitements-informatiques-cognition-umr-8094-3458.kjsp>
Australian National University
<https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/francois-a>
Personal homepage <http://alex.francois.online.fr/>
_________________________________________

On Wed, 8 Dec 2021 at 18:16, Riccardo Giomi <rgiomi at campus.ul.pt> wrote:

> Dear typologists,
>
> I am looking for languages in which, with some predicates at least,
> unambiguous expression of reflexivity is only attained by combining two
> separate markers. Typically, the elements participating in such
> "double-reflexive" constructions (quotes needed) belong to one of the
> following, broadly-defined classes:
>
> - a valency-decreasing "middle" marker / intransitivizer (usually, though
> not necessarily a bound morpheme);
>
> - a reflexive, personal or logophoric pronoun;
>
> - a so-called reflexive intensifier, i.e. an element that functions like
> English reflexive pronouns in appositional or adverbial position (e.g. *I
> myself swept the ground / I swept the ground myself*).
>
> Below are a few examples of possible combinations of such elements (I have
> harmonized the glosses used by the various authors):
>
> Intransitivizer + reflexive pronoun: Kuuk Thaayorre
> [image: immagine.png]
>
> Intransitivizer + personal pronoun: Hmwaveke
> [image: immagine.png]
>
> Intransitivizer + intensifier (attached to the (subject) nominal and
> glossed 'SELF'): Dyirbal
> [image: immagine.png]
>
> Intransitivizer + intensifier (attached to the verb): Mezquital Otomí
> [image: immagine.png]
>
> (Gast & Siemund 2006: 368. The authors also give an example in which the
> intensifier takes the longer form *sε̌hε̒ *and occurs as an unbound
> adverb-like element.)
>
> Intensifier (marked ergative, in apposition to the (subject) nominal) +
> personal/logophoric pronoun (marked absolutive) : Tsakhur
> [image: immagine.png]
>
> If any of you is aware of a language in which "double marking" of
> reflexivity is the only option, that would be especially helpful; but, more
> generally, I am interested in all such constructions -- or possibly other,
> comparable ones which I may be leaving out of the picture. (Please don't
> bother signalling Germanic or Romance data like German *sich + selbst* or
> Spanish *si + a si mismo* -- I am already taking those into account.)
>
> Many thanks in advance, best wishes,
> Riccardo
>
> References
> Dik, Simon C. 1983. The Status of verbal reflexives. In Liliane Tasmowski
> & Dominique Willems (eds.), *Problems in syntax*, 231–255. New York &
> London: Plenum Press.
> Gaby, Alice. 2006. *A grammar of Kuuk Thaayorre.* Melbourne: University
> of Melbourne dissertation.
> Gast, Volker & Peter Siemund. 2006. Rethinking the relationship between
> SELF-intensifiers and reflexives". *Linguistics* 44(2), 343-381.
> Lyutikova, Ekaterina A. 2000. Reflexives and emphasis in Tsaxur
> (Nakh-Dagestanian). In Z. Frajzyngier and T. Curl (eds.), *Reflexives:
> Forms and Functions, *227-255. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
> Moyse-Faurie, Claire. 2008. Constructions expressing middle, reflexive and
> reciprocal situations in some Oceanic languages. In Ekkehard König & Volker
> Gast (eds.), *Reciprocals* *and reflexives: Theoretical and typological
> explorations*, 105–168. Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
>
> --
> Riccardo Giomi, Ph.D.
> University of Liège
> Département de langues modernes : linguistique, littérature et traduction
> Research group *Linguistique contrastive et typologie des langues*
> F.R.S.-FNRS Postdoctoral fellow (CR - FC 43095)
> _______________________________________________
> Lingtyp mailing list
> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lingtyp/attachments/20211209/35ed391f/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: immagine.png
Type: image/png
Size: 30363 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lingtyp/attachments/20211209/35ed391f/attachment.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: immagine.png
Type: image/png
Size: 9007 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lingtyp/attachments/20211209/35ed391f/attachment-0001.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: immagine.png
Type: image/png
Size: 21769 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lingtyp/attachments/20211209/35ed391f/attachment-0002.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: immagine.png
Type: image/png
Size: 9146 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lingtyp/attachments/20211209/35ed391f/attachment-0003.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: immagine.png
Type: image/png
Size: 10372 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lingtyp/attachments/20211209/35ed391f/attachment-0004.png>