1HEAD-NEGATING ENCLITICS IN KET

• Main Author: Edward J. Vajda
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ket language; Siberia
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.501.4310; http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/uhlcs/LENCA/LENCA-3/information/abstract-files/Vajda-LENCApaper.pdf

Abstract. This paper investigates bound relational morphemes (RMs) in the Ket language isolate of Siberia. While certain RMs have traditionally been called case suffixes and others postpositions, not even those labeled dative or ablative display all of the properties identified by Plank (2002) as characteristic of canonical case markers. Many can attach to finite verbs as well as nouns or pronouns, imparting analogous meanings in either combination. Formal differences among RMs, such as the presence or absence of a pronominal connector, fail to coincide with any func-tional division between case-like markers with general meanings, postposition-like morphemes, and converbs used to subordinate finite verbs in complex sentences. A prosodic analysis reveals RMs to be clitics rather than affixes, casting doubt on their capacity to build true word forms. We argue that Ket relational enclitics comprise a unified morphosyntactic category that creates adjuncts by negating the head status of nominals or finite verb forms. These morphemes convert head-bearing form classes into non-heads rather than build discrete inflectional paradigms of lexemes belonging to a particular part of speech. This interpretation supports the view of Krjukova & Grishina (2004) that Ket syntax is founded on a basic division between nominal, finite verb, and non-head (i.e., modifier). Forms with head-negating enclitics represent the set of morphologically marked non-heads. 1.