23.4178, Diss: Algonquian/ Morphology/ Semantics/ Syntax/ Ojibwa/ Severn: Slavin: 'The Syntax and Semantics of Stem Composition in Ojicree'

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LINGUIST List: Vol-23-4178. Sun Oct 07 2012. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 23.4178, Diss: Algonquian/ Morphology/ Semantics/ Syntax/ Ojibwa/ Severn: Slavin: 'The Syntax and Semantics of Stem Composition in Ojicree'

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Date: Sun, 07 Oct 2012 16:46:54
From: Tanya Slavin [tanya.slavin at mail.mcgill.ca]
Subject: The Syntax and Semantics of Stem Composition in Ojicree

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Institution: University of Toronto 
Program: Department of Linguistics 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2012 

Author: Tanya Slavin

Dissertation Title: The Syntax and Semantics of Stem Composition in Ojicree 

Dissertation URL:  https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/32322/3/Slavin_Tanya_201203_PhD_thesis.pdf

Linguistic Field(s): Morphology
                     Semantics
                     Syntax

Subject Language(s): Ojibwa, Severn (ojs)

Language Family(ies): Algonquian


Dissertation Director(s):
Elizabeth Cowper
Keren Rice
Diane Massam
Norvin Richards
Susana Bejar

Dissertation Abstract:

This thesis explores the structure of the verb stem in Ojicree, a dialect 
of Ojibwe. I argue that the surface complexity of the stem structure in 
this language can be explained if we distinguish between two types of 
roots: strong roots and weak roots. Strong roots combine with a verbal 
head to build a full stem. I call these simple stems. Weak roots build a 
more complex structure. Their combination with a verbal head is not 
enough to build a complete verb stem and some additional material 
needs to appear to the left of the root to form a full stem. I refer to 
these stems as complex stems and to the requirement posed by the 
weak roots the left edge requirement. In the traditional templatic view of 
the Algonquian stem weak roots correspond to an element called 'pre-
final' or the lexical portion of the concrete final. Strong roots fall into the 
traditional slot 'initial'. In the first part of the thesis I argue that weak 
and strong roots build two fundamentally different structures. Complex 
stems (build from weak roots) are dynamic syntactic constructs, while 
simple stems (build from strong roots) need to be stored. I bring both 
syntactic and phonological evidence for this distinction. In the second 
part of the thesis I explore the nature of the left edge requirement in 
complex stems, arguing that it is a semantic constraint that has to do 
with event composition. Weak roots are semantically deficient 
elements, and the left edge element fills a gap in their semantics and 
completes event composition. The syntactic composition of the stem 
reflects event composition. Finally, I extend the idea of the left edge 
requirement to a certain type of noun incorporation construction. The 
proposed analysis advances our understanding of the Ojicree 
morphosyntax by moving away from the traditional templatic view of the 
stem, situating it within the current syntactic framework of Minimalism 
and proposing answers to some long standing questions from a new 
perspective. More broadly, it furthers our understanding of how words 
are formed in the Algonquian languages and in polysynthetic 
languages in general. 






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