Polysemy and apparent polyfunctionality of the Sakhalin Ainu prefixes e- and ko-: Insights on applicativization and aspect

• Published in: International Journal of Eurasian Linguistics
• Main Author: Elia Dal Corso
• Other Authors: DAL CORSO, Elia
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Settore L-OR/22 - Lingue e Letterature del Giappone e della Corea; Settore L-LIN/01 - Glottologia e Linguistica; Sakhalin
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10278/3744318; https://doi.org/10.1163/25898833-00320003

The present study focuses on the polysemous verbal prefixes e- and ko- of Sakhalin Ainu and proposes their analysis as markers of high transitivity. The author takes a compositional approach to argument structure and event structure in order to account for the main use of e- and ko- as applicative markers as well as for their less common use as markers of resultative-completive and intensive aspect. Ultimately, the analysis shows that the apparent polyfunctionality of e- and ko- arises from two separate applications at the syntax-semantics level of one same underlying function of the prefixes. The author also comments on how the Sakhalin Ainu case fits in with other cases of valence-aspect conceptual overlapping cross-linguistically and on the implications of his findings for Ainu studies specifically.