Ergativity and Referential Function in Matis Narratives

• Grant number: 17/12835-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2017
• End date: March 21, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Linguistics - Linguistic Theory and Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Waldemar Ferreira Netto
• Grantee: Raphael Augusto Oliveira Barbosa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/09686-9 - Topicalization and Switch-Reference in Matis Narratives, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The Matis (Pano family) transitivity systems, such as ergativity and switch-reference, represent important morphosyntactic aspects of functional and typological research. However, studies of these systems strictly restrict themselves to synchronic descriptions of isolated sentences. So, the objective of this research project is to investigate if the fusional morphology of the interoracional system of reference alternated is a result of the grammaticalization of the intraoracional system of ergativity. In summary, based on the analysis and collection of matis texts and narratives, integrated with the data analysis already described, this research plan presents a proposal of analysis regarding the functioning and development structure of the processes of grammaticalization and lexicalization, in the systems ergativity and switch-reference. Specifically, I propose that the grammatical relations identified and described in switch-reference markers in this language derive from lexicalization and grammaticalization processes of case markers. With this, it is hoped that the results contribute to the scientific knowledge about the structure and history of the matis morphosyntactic systems and also collaborate in the studies and discussions of grammatical processes described in the other languages investigated by the professors and students researchers of the institute of Linguistics from the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences (FFLCH) of the University of São Paulo (USP), institution in which the present research project is developed.