Reconstructing Proto-Mirndi Verbal Morphology: From Particles and Clitics to Prefixes

Abstract

This article investigates the prefixal morphology of inflecting verbs in Mirndi languages and provides a revised reconstruction of Proto-Mirndi verbal structure. I propose that verbs in the modern Mirndi languages developed through the univerbation of a pronominal complex, consisting of bound pronouns and a modal clitic; and a verbal complex, consisting of a verb root, a suffix encoding tense and aspect, and a modal clitic. This article will focus on reconstructions of the two classes of modal morphemes within this verbal structure. These reconstructions are possible due to newly available data from Ngarnka—a previously undescribed Mirndi language. The Ngarnka data shed light on the verbal structure of other closely related languages, and reveal that the Mirndi languages have verbal structures that are more similar than previous descriptions would suggest, thus allowing a thorough morphological comparison. Evidence from verbal morphology, such as variable prefix ordering and Ngarnka vowel harmony, is used to support the proposed bipartite reconstruction.