[Lingtyp] Zero verb root in Papuan languages

[Pun Ho Lui]

Dear All, and 哈佬 Hilario, 

Thank you for all the responses.

To slightly summarize (which is already claimed by Comrie and Zamponi 2019), the zero verb root/allomorph can be found in Trans New Guinea (e.g. Horokoi by Wesley Kuhron Jones). Those verbs tend to be semantically light, e.g. ‘hit’, ‘come’, ‘give’ and ‘be’ (e.g. Menggwa Dla).
It also seems like such phenomenon can be found in other languages, e.g. Yawuru (Nyulnyulan) and Bardi in Australia, and potentially Ket.

Warmest,
Joe 

> Pun Ho Lui <luiph001 at gmail.com> 於 2024年2月24日 下午2:06 寫道：
> 
> 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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