Morphological Studies in Arawak languages: a typological approach

Author(s)

Camille Cardoso Miranda

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
• Defense date: 2023-05-02

Examining board members

Angel Humberto Corbera Mori; Cláudio Couto; Wilmar D'Angelis

• Advisor: Angel Humberto Corbera Mori

Abstract

This dissertation aims to carry out a study on the morphological properties of a sample of 24 languages of the Arawak family. This is a comparative-typological study, as it uses trans-linguistic methods to verify, among the analyzed languages, general typological profiles, that is, both those features present in all languages or the most specific ones. The research is mainly based on the theoretical assumptions of linguistic typology. The dissertation is divided into 4 parts, as fourfold. Part 1 sets the introduction out; (chapter 1) is dedicated to questions related to the methodology, objectives, rationales of this study and sample of languages that will be analyzed; chapter 2 brings essential concepts and information about linguistic typology, linguistic universals, in addition the importance of linguistics description for typological studies as well as examples of morphological types found in the indigenous languages of South America are discussed. Chapter 3 shows different information regarding the Arawak family, ranging from the first contacts, historical-comparative works, morphosyntactics, and the like. In addition to those general pieces of information about the 24 languages that will be analyzed in this research. Part 2 presents chapter 4 which deals with the structure of word formation in Arawak languages. In this section, we deal with derivation and its subtypes, such as nominalization, verbalization and adjectivation. Additionally, phenomena such as composition and nominal incorporation, as well as reduplication will be approached. As a result, we found that nominalization and its subtypes is the most recurrent derivational type in relation to the others, being present in almost all languages. In part 3, we describe the nominal categorization chapter, dealt with in the system of classifiers, class terms, classificatory names and gender. It should be stressed, therewith, that among these four types, gender and classifiers are typological trends quite common in these languages. In addition to nominal categorization, we have also analyzed the question of attributive possession. As a result, all languages exhibit inalienable and alienable ownership, with marked core. Finally, in part 4, we deal with chapter 6, which describes the types of verbs in the Arawak languages, cross-reference marking and TAM (tense, aspect and mood). The languages exhibit transitive and bitransitive verbs and also active and stative intransitive verbs. Commonly, the subject is obligatorily marked in these languages, even when it is explicit. Regarding TAM, tense is the least morphologically marked category, with a percentage of 18%, while the perfective and imperfective aspect is displayed in 43% of the total, and finally, the mood is the subcategory that displays the most morphological marking in the language sample, with a percentage of 81%. Summing up, with this study, we have sought to provide means for future descriptive, comparative and typological research on those languages that make up the Arawák family and also contribute to typology studies in South American indigenous languages (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/18072-1 - Morphological studies in Arawak languages: a typological approach
• Grantee: Camille Cardoso Miranda
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate