JARAWARA
SUMMARY
Jarawara exhibits a complex system of argument indexing that is sensitive to the relative topicality of predicate arguments and internal possessors. Possessor prominence in Jarawara is most clearly observed within the clausal domain, where an ‘optional’ alternation exists between predicate agreement with the person features of the possessed entity and the person features of an internal possessor. Within the nominal domain, inalienable possessors control agreement in gender on the possessum. Dixon (2000, 2004) argues that nominal and pronominal possessors in inalienable possession constructions are the head of the phrase, rather than the possessor. One of their head-like properties is that they appear to control gender agreement on the predicate. Gender agreement with inalienable possessors differs from person agreement in that only one agreement pattern is possible (i.e. there is no optionality).
See also Chepang.
LANGUAGE PROFILE
EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT OF PIPS
- Bound possessors, that form part of the morphology of inherently possessed nominals, yet have no argumental expression can control predicate agreement.
- Inalienable possession phrases (that include a prominent possessor) can be embedded in recursive possessive structures as a single constituent.
KEY SOURCES
Dixon, R. M. W. 2000. Categories of the noun phrase in Jarawara. Journal of Linguistics 36(3): 487-510.
Dixon, R. M. W. 2004. The Jarawara language of Southern Amazonia. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
