Abstract
Abstract In Aikanã and Kwaza, neighbouring endangered isolate languages of Rondônia, Brazil, sentences can include chains of medial clauses and end with a predicate in a matrix sentence mood, such as declarative, interrogative etc. In Kwaza, traditional narratives may even consist of a single long string of medial clauses, terminated by a fixed formula in the declarative mood. In both languages, subject (dis)continuity is expressed by a switch-reference system that indicates on the predicate of the current clause whether the subject of the next clause will be different or not. In this descriptive article I present similarities and differences between the systems of switch-reference in Aikanã and Kwaza. Among the differences, I discuss cases of formally marked switch-reference that appears to express topic discontinuity rather than subject discontinuity, in Kwaza. Also, I analyse the unusual anticipatory nature of the Kwaza system. As a special feature of this article I include two versions of a traditional mythological narrative, originally told in Aikanã and later retold in Kwaza, to illustrate clause chaining and switch-reference through a coherent and culturally relevant text.
Highlights
Aikanã and Kwaza are two neighbouring isolate languages of southeastern Rondônia, Brazil, spoken by the Aikanã and Kwaza ethnic groups
In the course of the second half of the 20th century, a big part of Rondônia was deforested and indigenous reserves were demarcated for what had remained of the indigenous groups
Some similarities are rather common for medial clause chaining languages, such as the fact that the final clause tends to occur at the very end of the chain, that clause chains can be embedded at a separate structural level, and that the reference switch is announced by the preceding clause for the clause (Longacre, 2007 [1985])
Summary
Aikanã and Kwaza are two neighbouring isolate languages of southeastern Rondônia, Brazil, spoken by the Aikanã and Kwaza ethnic groups. Clause chaining and switch-reference in Aikanã and Kwaza Languages with medial clause chaining and switch-reference systems tend to be suffixing, head-marking, pro-drop
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