Abstract

AbstractThe article deals with attributive modification in South American languages. It focuses on descriptive terms that denote properties. First of all, it is observed that attributive modification with property terms is possible in most, but not all South American languages. The typology of attributive constructions is argued to constitute a continuum, from syntactically loose nominal expressions, on the one hand, to morphologically complex structures which are ambiguous between compounding and derivation, on the other hand. The latter involves the use of lexico-grammatical means such as classifiers. The paper also raises the question of a possible diachronic link – at least for some languages – between intransitive clauses and postnominal property terms, which are often verbal in nature.

Highlights

  • This study deals with the way attributive modification is expressed in South American (‘SA’) indigenous languages

  • This study focused on attributive modification in SA indigenous languages

  • A typology of constructions that are used for the function of modification was shown to constitute a continuum: with nominal expressions on the one end, and a morphologically tight structure, ambiguous between compounding and derivation, on the other end

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Summary

Introduction

This study deals with the way attributive modification is expressed in South American (‘SA’) indigenous languages. It takes a more fine-grained approach by examining each semantic type It offers a typology of attributive modification in the languages of this continent. A study by Rießler (2016), devoted to an exploration of attributive modification by property concepts in the languages of Northern Eurasia, does include observations for a world-wide sample of 71 languages, among which three SA indigenous languages.. That the Northern part of South America has a considerably higher language density as compared to the Southern part of the continent, and the Southern languages are less well described (see Campbell and Grondona 2012: 628–630) This is inevitably reflected in the current sample, where the North is better represented than the South.

How properties are expressed in SA languages
Towards a typology of attributive modification in SA languages
Nominal expressions (‘nominal groups’ or non-integral NPs)
Semi-integral NPs
Complex NP: relative clause or nominalization
Complex NP: as a possessive construction
Simple NP
Attributive modification as compounding
Attributive modification by means of classifiers
Diachronic considerations
Concluding remarks
Findings
A ABS ADJ AFF AGT AN APF ASR AUG
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