Abstract
Mohawk is a prototypical polysynthetic language: verbs are holophrastic, capable of serving as complete sentences in themselves. Interestingly, number distinctions are centered in verbs rather than nouns. All verbs are finite, with obligatory pronominal specification of their core arguments. The pronominal prefixes distinguish first and second persons, and neuter, masculine, feminine-zoic, and third persons. There are grammatical agent, patient, and transitive paradigms. Singular, dual, and plural number are distinguished for first and second persons and masculine and feminine-zoic for third person agents. Only singular and duo-plural are distinguished for masculine and feminine-zoic patients. Number is not generally distinguished for neuters (inanimates). Nouns, by contrast, are grammatically neuter, so do not distinguish number. (Nominals referring to persons are morphological verbs.) Inalienable possessive prefixes on nouns mirror the agent forms on verbs, and alienable forms those of patients. They do not, however distinguish number or show agreement with the pronominal prefixes on verbs.
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