[Lingtyp] for-to infinitival

[Christian Lehmann]

While I certainly have no desire to terminate the discussion here, for 
which I am very grateful, let me just use the occasion for a few 
clarifications.

@Elena: This is a surprising idea which I would have liked to adopt. 
Unfortunately, there are almost no rules to require or block coreference 
of any of the nominals of the superordinate clause with any of the 
nominals of the /-klä/ nominalization (@Ellison). The only coreference 
which is apparently non-standard [assuming that such a concept makes 
sense in an almost unwritten language] is between the absolutive of the 
superordinate clause with the (overt!) absolutive of the infinitival.
@Jürgen and Nigel: Like other infinitives in the world, the Cabecar 
vacant-subject nominalized form [it serves as an infinitive, but also as 
a nomen agentis, which is why I call it that] is subject to syntactic 
control by rules of grammar in suitable contexts, as Jürgen observes; 
and in other contexts, as Nigel observes, it is not. I therefore prefer 
the more general term 'phoric control' [~ referential control; some 
attribute is necessary here to prevent confusion with that control which 
distinguishes the actor from the undergoer].
@Ellison: It is true that /-klä/ partly undoes the effect of the 
vacant-subject nominalizer. However, the -klä nominalization does 
inherit a few properties of the vacant-subject nominalization; for 
instance, neither allows representation of an ergative actant. 
Otherwise, I concede that the hope of building a regular syntax on 
splitting little morphemes in inflected forms may be methodologically 
naive in certain cases.
@Riccardo: The grammar of the language does not lend itself to such a 
terminological move. On the one hand, as you say, the infinitive is an 
inflected form [something that should, in fact, prevent use of the term 
'inflected infinitive' for cases like the Portuguese one]. On the other, 
Cabecar lacks person marking on the verb, no matter whether finite or 
non-finite.

I remain grateful for more ideas,
Christian
-- 

Prof. em. Dr. Christian Lehmann
Rudolfstr. 4
99092 Erfurt
Deutschland

Tel.: 	+49/361/2113417
E-Post: 	christianw_lehmann at arcor.de
Web: 	https://www.christianlehmann.eu
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