obviation in Siouan languages

[shokooh Ingham]

Those are interesting examplels. I think it is not topic in the sense of English subject, but something more general.  They are all definite in the sense of either having ki or being proper names.  So I suppose iNs^ le aNpetu ki,  le aNpetu ki iNs^ and iNs^Mary could all be changes of topic in some definition of the term
Bruce

REGINA PUSTET <pustetrm at yahoo.com> wrote: It all depends on how you define “topic”. If topic is the same as the English subject, then there is, as you say, a topic change on the two examples I gave. It’s different here:
   
  h^tal-ehaN wophethuN wa-I na iNs^ le aNpetu ki chuwignake waN wa-kayeg^e
  yesterday  shop  1SG.AG-go and CON this day DEF  dress IDF  1SG.AG-sew
  ‘yesterday I went shopping and today I sewed a dress’
   
  h^tal-ehaN wophethuN wa-I na le aNpetu ki iNs^ chuwignake waN wa-kayeg^e
  yesterday  shop  1SG.AG-go and this day DEF  CON dress IDF  1SG.AG-sew
  ‘yesterday I went shopping and today I sewed a dress’
   
  Harry Sally wowapi k’u na iNs^ Mary waks^ica cha k’u
  H.     S.  book  give  and   CON  M. plate  such   give
  ‘Harry gave Sally books and he gave Mary plates’
   
  Regina


shokooh Ingham <shokoohbanou at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:  Interestingly, however, your two examples do show change of topic.  Can you think of an example where it doesn't?
Bruce

REGINA PUSTET <pustetrm at yahoo.com> wrote:    In my data, i(N)s^ is used mainly as a marker for strong contrast, as in
   
  Sally is^tiNme na  Harry iNs^ TV waNyaNke
  S.     sleep       and H.    CON  TV   watch
  ‘Sally is sleeping and Harry is watching TV’
   
  or
   
  Sally is^tiNme na iNs^ Harry TV waNyaNke
  S.     sleep       and CON  H.    TV   watch
  ‘Sally is sleeping and Harry is watching TV’
   
  This can, but doesn’t have to, be accompanied by topic change, introduction of a different argument, and similar notions. 
   
Regina

shokooh Ingham <shokoohbanou at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:   It would be a great help if they were, as I always find this difficult in Lakota.  The is^ eya complex often seems to signify a change of topic or subject, but it is very hard to tie down
Bruce

ROOD DAVID S <rood at spot.Colorado.EDU> wrote:   
Lungstrum's dissertation claims that chanke and yukhan are switch 
reference markers, defining "reference" as any major change of scene, 
characters, point of view, or some other discontinuity. I wasn't  
convinced.

David


David S. Rood
Dept. of Linguistics
Univ. of Colorado
295 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0295
USA
rood at colorado.edu

On Fri, 1 Jun 2007, willemdereuse at unt.edu wrote:

> Hi all:
>
> I have always thought that the chankhe/yunkhan alternation of conjunctions in 
> Lakota texts, first discussed by Chafe (I think) and then by Dahlstrom had 
> something to do with obviation. It is definitely not switch-reference. Does 
> Richard Lungstrum's diss. say anything about this? I am sorry to say I have 
> not yet gotten hold of a copy of Richard's diss.
>
> Willem de Reuse Quoting "Rankin, Robert L" :
>
>> As Rory points out, Dhegiha languages have something very similar 
>> distinguishing primary from non-primary actors. Ardis's dissertation was 
>> at least partly on this distinction in Omaha.
>> 
>> I have  toyed with the idea of trying to redefine the "switch-reference" 
>> distinction in those Siouan languages that have it as an obviation 
>> distinction. Such redefinition clearly works in Muskogean, where it is the 
>> only way to tie "S-R" and argument marking particles together without a 
>> hopelessly complex appeal to homophony, but I haven't really gotten down to 
>> the business of trying to demonstrate it in Siouan. Clearly the more 
>> inclusive concept of "referent tracking" operates in Siouan grammars, 
>> though it differs from language to language. If I had to guess, I'd say it 
>> is historically primary in Algonquian but secondary in Siouan.
>> 
>> What were the papers you're referring to on Algonquian?
>> 
>> Bob
>> 
>> ________________________________
>> 
>> From: owner-siouan at lists.colorado.edu on behalf of  Marino
>> Sent: Thu 5/31/2007 12:20 AM
>> To: siouan at lists.colorado.edu
>> Subject: obviation in Siouan languages
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> There were two excellent papers on obviation in Cree at the CLA
>> meetings. One of the presenters asked me if there is obviation in any of
>> the Siouan languages. I have a vague memory that this has come up before,
>> but I can't find time to troll through the archives. Any suggestions?
>> 
>> Best
>> Mary Marino
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>
>

    
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