Abstract
This paper presents an analysis of an innovative finite main clause construction in Kari’nja (Cariban, Suriname). Although mentioned briefly in previous works, there has to date been no principled description of the construction. Nevertheless, it appears with some frequency in texts of procedural narratives based on documentation videos.The construction is unique in Kari’nja in that it exhibits ergative patterns of morphosyntax. This is typologically significant in that it represents a counter-universal, tense/aspect-based ergative split. This claim is validated based on the construction’s consistence with an imperfective aspectual value and non-past tense.In addition to describing formal and functional properties of the synchronic construction, this paper examines potential source constructions, situates it among cognate constructions in other languages in the family, and posits a mechanism by which it entered main clauses. In addition, an examination of the genres in which it appears addresses why the construction has not been described to date.
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