Bridging Linkage in Tariana, An Arawak Language from Northwest Amazonia

Abstract

Bridging constructions—a means of linking sentences within narratives—can be of two kinds. Recapitulating linkage may involve repetition of the last clause of the preceding sentence as the first, dependent clause of the following one. Summary linkage involves using a generic verb in a dependent clause summarizing the actions of the previous sentence. Both have been referred to with various terms, including tail-head or head-tail linkage. In a number of languages, including Tariana, a North Arawak language spoken within the Vaupés River Basin linguistic area in Brazil, the two techniques are distinct in their form, in the content of the recapitulating and the summary clause, and in their functions. Both bridging techniques are the result of recent areal diffusion from the neighboring and unrelated East Tucanoan languages. The use of the generic verb in summary clauses and the repetition in recapitulating sentences are consistent with broader patterns in language structure and language use.