[Lingtyp] What is the opposite of syncretism?

[Denis CREISSELS]

Dear Cat,

Same marking of 1PL and 2SG is found in Jóola Fóoñi (aka Dyola-Fogny, Atlantic, Niger-Congo), and is perhaps not so weird as it looks at first sight. A possible  scenario is that 2SG markers commonly have the possibility of a 'non-specific-human' (impersonal) reading, and forms expressing reference to a non-specific human subject may be reinterpreted as 1PL forms, as attested in several Romance varieties (including French). However, this is purely speculative, I am aware of no concrete data, apart from the mere formal coincidence, that could support this hypothesis. And of course, this does not solve the terminological problem.

Best,
Denis

-----Message d'origine-----
De : Lingtyp [mailto:lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org] De la part de Cat Butz
Envoyé : mardi 15 août 2023 11:27
À : Lingtyp
Objet : [Lingtyp] What is the opposite of syncretism?

Hello everyone,

I'm presenting a pronoun paradigm of Dalkalaen this week at the Affixes 
symposium in Turku. It exhibits both some very weird syncretism (same 
marking of 1EX and 2nd person) and the opposite of that (e.g. plural 
being marked differently in all four persons). What do we call that? 
Just differential marking?

Thank you, and hopefully see you on Thursday/Friday,
-- 
Cat Butz (she)
HHU Düsseldorf
General Linguistics
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