ITELMEN
SUMMARY
In Itelmen, the agreement suffix on the verb can be controlled by subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, as well as possessors. Possessors only seem to be able to control agreement when their host is the subject of an intransitive verb. They trigger oblique agreement. The presence of agreement appears to be conditioned by the information structural status of the possessor.
LANGUAGE PROFILE
ISO 639-3:
iti
WALS ID:
ite
LOCATION:
Kamchatka Penninsula, Russia
CO-ORDINATES:
57°N, 157°E
AFFILIATION:
Southern Chukotko-Kamchatkan, Chukotko-Kamchatkan
EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT OF PIPS
- Possessors in prominent internal possessor constructions in Itelmen are rarely expressed. Rather, possessors controlling agreement are typically indicated through predicate agreement only. In such cases, there is little conclusive evidence to show that they can be considered syntactically internal to the phrase.
- In the available examples, overt possessors controlling agreement manifest in the form of possessive pronouns, that differ in form from pronouns used as core or oblique arguments.
KEY SOURCES
Bobaljik, Jonathan D. and Susi Wurmbrand. 2002. Notes on agreement in Itelmen, Linguistic Discovery 1(1).
