<OT> New Posting: ROA-666

[roa at ruccs.rutgers.edu]

ROA 666-0504

Promiscuous Paradigms and the Morphologically-Conditioned 'Ergative Split' in Texistepec Popoluca (Zoquean)

Ehren Reilly <reilly at cogsci.jhu.edu>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=666


Abstract:
Under certain conditions, a choice between two morpho-syntactical
ly distinct agreement paradigms is affected by the phonological
or morphological environment. I show that such intrusion
of the morpho-phonology into the conditioning of morpho-syntactic
paradigm alternations is responsible for a typologically
unusual sort of 'ergative split' in Texistepec Popoluca
(Zoquean). Woolford (1999) draws a distinction among 'ergative'
agreement systems between those that are based on syntactic
Case and those that are based on morphological alignment,
showing how the typology implicit in prior work in OT morphology
already predicts such 'morpho-phonologically ergative' languages.
I extend this analysis to a complex 'split ergative' agreement
system in Texistepec Popoluca (Zoquean), providing historical
and cross-linguistic evidence that this unusual pattern
should be treated as a morphologically-conditioned paradigm
alternation, unrelated to syntactic Case.

Comments: Proceedings of Berkeley Linguistics Society 30, Special Session on the Morphology of Native American Languages
Keywords: Ergativity, agreement, alignment constraints, Zoquean languages, Texistepec Popoluca, promiscuous paradigms, clitics
Areas: Morphology, Syntax, Historical Linguistics
Type: Conference Proceedings Chapter

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=666