Positional Auxiliaries in Biloxi

Abstract

This paper explores the use of the set of positional auxiliary verbs sit, stand, lie, and move in Biloxi. It offers a detailed analysis of these positionals and compares their use with other Siouan and some non-Siouan languages. While positional stance verbs also double as positional auxiliaries in many languages of the world, in Biloxi positional auxiliaries are grammaticized variants of what were once physical stance verbs, evidenced by the fact that the positional auxiliaries no longer take pronominal marking and sometimes occur side-by-side with their physical stance counterparts. This is a typologically interesting situation in which positional auxiliary verbs form a discrete series distinct from positional stance verbs. The proper use of positional verbs is a complex aspect of the grammar of Biloxi and other Siouan languages. While the choice of positional verbs is often logically motivated based on an object's salient axial extension or shape, this analysis demonstrates that, particularly in more abstract cases, the proper choice of positional auxiliary is not at all obvious. Discrepancies in choice of positional, even among closely related languages and even in the same language, are highlighted.[Keywords: Biloxi, Siouan, positional, auxiliary verb]