Abstract

The paper outlines the unprecedentedly rich system of simple (one-word), double and triple reflexive pronouns in the Khwarshi language of the East Caucasian (or Nakh-Dagestanian) language family. The pronouns are formed on the base of a pronominal stem, sometimes with the intensifier particle. The reflexive pronouns show little difference in their distribution: they are all local and apparently lack orientation motivated by syntactic asymmetries.

Highlights

  • Elements of which reflexives are made upThe Khwarshi language, together with Tsez and Ginukh, belongs to the western branch of the Tsezic group of the East Caucasian, or Nakh-Dagestanian, family

  • The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the fact rather than to suggest a comprehensive analysis within a framework of one of the current theories of anaphora

  • It seems likely that no reflexive pronoun must obligatorily be an argument; each element belonging to the list presented may be e.g. a possessive modifier of a noun: (24) a. žu isu-lo-č mašina-ƛọ aṭiqq -a he.abs he-gen2-ints car-loc

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Summary

Introduction

The Khwarshi language, together with Tsez and Ginukh (otherwise spelled as Hinukh or Hinuq), belongs to the western branch of the Tsezic group of the East Caucasian, or Nakh-Dagestanian, family. Khwarshi is a SOV language with free order of constituents both at the clause and at the phrase level It has a consistent ergative/absolutive system of alignment in case marking and argument-verb agreement. The class (gender) and number agreement occurs in many (not all) verbs and adjectives and some pronouns and adverbs and is triggered by the NP in Absolutive only:. The difference between the pronominals and the demonstratives is shown in the paradigm (12) below, the dative forms of four pronouns and their class membership are given in (11), cf [Šarafutdinova, Levina, 1961, р. D. uža-l l-īqe de a-w-di-su-l kumak boy-dat IV-know.gnr I.erg this-dat help.abs ‘The boyi knows that I will help this (person)j/*i.’. All of them are complex, i.e. consist of at least two elements

One pronominal stem: A Pronominal + Intensifier
Double reflexives
Pronominal in “frozen” Genitive 1 + Pronominal in the Target
Pronominal in the case of the Antecedent + + Pronominal in the Target Case
Pronominal in the Case of the Antecedent + Intensifier + + Pronominal in the
Triple Reflexives
Ergative («frozen») + Genitive 1 («frozen») + + Pronominal in the Target
More Reflexives?
Unacceptable combinations and why they may be ungrammatical
Lack of orientation
Summary
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