Abstract
Abstract This chapter presents the results of fieldwork and research on the relational inflection in Cree (Cenerini 2014). This form is functionally and formally similar to External Possessor Constructions (EPCs) in Romance and Germanic languages: they both acknowledge participants who are not syntactically licensed by the verb, but that the Speaker perceives to be topical, or particularly affected by the action, and with which she/he empathises. However, unlike the EPC, the relational inflection is not restricted to cases of possession, and is limited only to third person referents. Also, rather than indirect object marking, the relational is realized as a verbal suffix. Finally, it will be argued that, as both constructions are motivated by pragmatic factors, Van de Velde’s (2013) representation of EPCs as Subacts at the Interpersonal Level can be extended to the relational inflection.
Published Version
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