[Lingtyp] Zero verb root in Papuan languages

[Hilario de Sousa]

哈佬 Joe:

The positive past declarative copulas in Menggwa Dla (Senagi) have a
zero root, e.g. 0-wa-hwa 'she was', 0-0-hwa 'he was' (cf.
semi(-wa)-hwa '(s)he took'). (wa)hwa '(s)he was' can be a complete
utterance on its own.

(The other copulas have an overt root. Appendix 2 of de Sousa (2006):
https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/handle/2123/1341/10appendix2.pdf)

Hilário

On Sat, 24 Feb 2024 at 07:07, Pun Ho Lui <luiph001 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Dear All,
>
> Recently I am interested in the “zero verb root” in Papuan languages, that is, the meaning of the verb(s) are indicated by a root that has no phonological expression (Comrie and Zamponi 2019), as in (1).
>
> (1) Selepet (McElhanon 1973)
> Ø-nek-sap
> see-1sGO-3SGS.IMMPST
> 'He saw me’
>
> The Papuan languages (potentially) with zero verb root I have collected so far are: Abau, Abun, Coastal Marine, Edolo, Kalamang, Main, Nimboran, Amele, Yeri, Yima, Whitehead, Awe,Siroi, Gahuku, Bukiyip, Anêm, Kâte and Selepe.
>
> I am wondering do you know of other Papuan languages with this feature.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Warmest,
> Pun Ho Lui Joe
>
> References:
>
> Bernard Comrie and Raoul Zamponi. 2019. Verb Root Ellipsis. In Matthew Baerman, Oliver Bond, Andrew Hippisley (eds.): Morphological perspectives: Papers in honour of Greville G. Corbett, 233–280. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
>
> McElhanon, Kenneth A. 1972. Selepet Grammar. Part 1: From Root to Phrase. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
>
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