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Chapitre D'ouvrage Année : 2021

Transfer and applicative constructions in Gunwinyguan languages

Maïa Ponsonnet

Résumé

This article describes the syntax and semantics of benefactive and comitative constructions in Dalabon, a Gunwinyguan language (Australia, non-Pama-Nyungan). After having described the respective subcategorisation operations and meanings of each of these constructions, I show that the criterion for using benefactive constructions is the animacy of the benefactive participant, whereas the criterion for using comitative constructions the semantic role of the argument: the Dalabon comitative marker selects arguments with typical “comitative” meaning (accompaniment and instrument). In addition, I show that the comitative construction has developed a cross-linguistically unusual semantic extension towards the notion of transfer. When combined with verbs of attainment (‘get’, ‘pull’, etc.), Dalabon comitative constructions express malefactive transfer (or removal, i.e. the opposite of giving). Comparing Dalabon with neighbouring languages of the same family reveals that this extension is not limited to the Dalabon language, but also occurs in Bininj Gun-wok and Rembarrnga, including with comitative markers that are not cognate with the Dalabon marker. In addition, the Dalabon comitative constructions can also express the transfer of contents of communication with verbs meaning ‘tell’ or ‘ask’, an extension that is not attested in Bininj Gun-wok or Rembarrnga.

Domaines

Linguistique
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Dates et versions

hal-04174216 , version 1 (31-07-2023)

Identifiants

Citer

Maïa Ponsonnet. Transfer and applicative constructions in Gunwinyguan languages. Bouveret, Myriam. Give constructions across languages, 29, John Benjamins, pp.121-143, 2021, Constructional Approaches to Language, 9789027208422. ⟨10.1075/cal.29.05pon⟩. ⟨hal-04174216⟩
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