Difference between revisions of "Obviation"
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''This page is meant to be an introduction to obviation in Mi'gmaq only; for further details, please see the linked pages below''. | ''This page is meant to be an introduction to obviation in Mi'gmaq only; for further details, please see the linked pages below''. | ||
| − | Mi'gmaq is a language with a feature called '''obviation'''. It is a way of distinguishing between different third [[Person and number|persons]]: a "closer to speakers" third person known as the '''proximate''' and a "further from speakers" third person known as the ''' | + | Mi'gmaq is a language with a feature called '''obviation'''. It is a way of distinguishing between different third [[Person and number|persons]]: a "closer to speakers" third person known as the '''proximate''' and a "further from speakers" third person known as the '''obviative''', also referred to as the 4th person (Payne 1997: 212). The obviate is marked on both nouns and verbs, as discussed below. |
=Obviation on Nouns= | =Obviation on Nouns= | ||
| − | If there are two animate third person participants in a phrase, the object will usually be marked as the obviate by adding ''-l'', ''-al'' or ''-tl'' to the end of the singular noun ([[Plural Nouns|plural nouns]] are not marked for obviation; Manyakina 2012). So, for example, in the phrase ''The deer sees the bear'', the bear will receive an | + | If there are two animate third person participants in a phrase, the object will usually be marked as the obviate by adding ''-l'', ''-al'' or ''-tl'' to the end of the singular noun ([[Plural Nouns|plural nouns]] are not marked for obviation; Manyakina 2012). So, for example, in the phrase ''The deer sees the bear'', the bear will receive an obviative suffix, as in the example below: |
<gl> | <gl> | ||
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</gl> | </gl> | ||
| − | Some [[Possession|possessed nouns]] necessarily have obviation marked on them since there are two third persons involved: a possessor (the proximate third person) and a person who is the object of possession (the | + | Some [[Possession|possessed nouns]] necessarily have obviation marked on them since there are two third persons involved: a possessor (the proximate third person) and a person who is the object of possession (the obviative third person), as in 'his or her friend': |
<gl> | <gl> | ||
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''This section may need to be shortened once obviation is covered further on other pages (namely the VAI and VTA pages and/or the proposed Obviation and Verbs page)''. | ''This section may need to be shortened once obviation is covered further on other pages (namely the VAI and VTA pages and/or the proposed Obviation and Verbs page)''. | ||
| − | In addition to being marked on nouns, obviation is also marked on verbs. This is most apparent in the [[VTA|transitive animate]] (or TA) verbs, such as ''nemiatl'', 'he or she sees him or her', and ''gesalatl'' 'he or she loves him or her', above. In general, these verbs will take either a singular | + | In addition to being marked on nouns, obviation is also marked on verbs. This is most apparent in the [[VTA|transitive animate]] (or TA) verbs, such as ''nemiatl'', 'he or she sees him or her', and ''gesalatl'' 'he or she loves him or her', above. In general, these verbs will take either a singular obviative ending, '''-l''', or a plural obviative ending, '''-i''' (and sometimes '''-a'''), depending on whether the obviative is singular or plural. Some examples are given below: |
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||
|+ | |+ | ||
| − | ! | + | ! Obviative||Full Ending||Meaning||Example |
|- | |- | ||
| rowspan="2" | -l | | rowspan="2" | -l | ||
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|} | |} | ||
| − | In addition to proximate third persons acting on | + | In addition to proximate third persons acting on obviative third persons, obviative persons may also act on other obviative persons. An example taken from a written transcription of a story about the ''puglatmu'jg'', or little people, is given below: |
<gl> | <gl> | ||
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</gl> | </gl> | ||
| − | + | Obviative third persons may also be the subject of [[VAI|animate intransitive]] (or AI) verbs if the discourse context allows it. For the singular form of these verbs, the obviative ending is added to the regular third person proximate ending, as so (example taken from Manyakina 2012): | |
<gl> | <gl> | ||
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</gl> | </gl> | ||
| − | For the plural form, an entirely different ending is used for the | + | For the plural form, an entirely different ending is used for the obviative form (the dual form of the obviative for these verbs has not been seen as of yet): |
<gl> | <gl> | ||
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''Main Page: [[Obviation and Discourse]]'' | ''Main Page: [[Obviation and Discourse]]'' | ||
| − | When there are two third persons within a given stretch of discourse in Mi'gmaq, it is usually one that is marked as proximate and the other as | + | When there are two third persons within a given stretch of discourse in Mi'gmaq, it is usually one that is marked as proximate and the other as obviative, as in the sentence ''Lentug nemiatl muinal'', above. When there are more than two third persons in a given stretch of discourse, only ''one'' may be proximate; all others must be obviative, as shown in the example below (taken from Manyakina 2012): |
<gl> | <gl> | ||
Revision as of 15:16, 30 July 2012
This page is meant to be an introduction to obviation in Mi'gmaq only; for further details, please see the linked pages below.
Mi'gmaq is a language with a feature called obviation. It is a way of distinguishing between different third persons: a "closer to speakers" third person known as the proximate and a "further from speakers" third person known as the obviative, also referred to as the 4th person (Payne 1997: 212). The obviate is marked on both nouns and verbs, as discussed below.
Obviation on Nouns
If there are two animate third person participants in a phrase, the object will usually be marked as the obviate by adding -l, -al or -tl to the end of the singular noun (plural nouns are not marked for obviation; Manyakina 2012). So, for example, in the phrase The deer sees the bear, the bear will receive an obviative suffix, as in the example below:
lentug nemi-at-l mui'n-al deer see-3>3-OBV bear-OBV
'The deer sees the bear'
This makes it easy to keep track of who is doing what, especially if the word order changes:
nemi-at-l mui'n-al lentug see=3>3-OBV bear-OBV deer
'The deer sees the bear'
Obviation can also be marked on proper nouns, like names:
Mali gesal-at-l Piel-al Mary love-3>3-OBV Peter-OBV
'Mary loves Peter'
Some possessed nouns necessarily have obviation marked on them since there are two third persons involved: a possessor (the proximate third person) and a person who is the object of possession (the obviative third person), as in 'his or her friend':
w-itap-al 3.POSS-friend-OBV
'his or her friend'
Obviation on Verbs
Proposed page: Obviation and Verbs
This section may need to be shortened once obviation is covered further on other pages (namely the VAI and VTA pages and/or the proposed Obviation and Verbs page).
In addition to being marked on nouns, obviation is also marked on verbs. This is most apparent in the transitive animate (or TA) verbs, such as nemiatl, 'he or she sees him or her', and gesalatl 'he or she loves him or her', above. In general, these verbs will take either a singular obviative ending, -l, or a plural obviative ending, -i (and sometimes -a), depending on whether the obviative is singular or plural. Some examples are given below:
| Obviative | Full Ending | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -l | -at-l | 3>4 | gesalatl, 'he or she likes him or her (OBV)' |
| -a'tit-l | 3PL>4 | gesala'titl, 'they like him or her (OBV)' | |
| -i | -aj-i | 3>4PL | gesalaji, 'he or she likes them (OBV)' |
| -a'tij-i | 3PL>4PL | gesala'tiji, 'they like them (OBV)' |
In addition to proximate third persons acting on obviative third persons, obviative persons may also act on other obviative persons. An example taken from a written transcription of a story about the puglatmu'jg, or little people, is given below:
gs'gat-a'nita disappear-4PL>4PL
'They (OBV) disappeared into them (the mountains; OBV)'
Obviative third persons may also be the subject of animate intransitive (or AI) verbs if the discourse context allows it. For the singular form of these verbs, the obviative ending is added to the regular third person proximate ending, as so (example taken from Manyakina 2012):
ug-tus-l etlenm-ilit-l 3.POSS-daughter-OBV laugh-3-OBV
'his or her daughter is laughing'
For the plural form, an entirely different ending is used for the obviative form (the dual form of the obviative for these verbs has not been seen as of yet):
wig-ulti'nij live-4PL
'They (OBV) live'
Obviation and Discourse
Main Page: Obviation and Discourse
When there are two third persons within a given stretch of discourse in Mi'gmaq, it is usually one that is marked as proximate and the other as obviative, as in the sentence Lentug nemiatl muinal, above. When there are more than two third persons in a given stretch of discourse, only one may be proximate; all others must be obviative, as shown in the example below (taken from Manyakina 2012):
Piel ignmu-at-l Mali-al tap'tan-n Peter give-3>3-OBV Mary-OBV potato-OBV
'Peter gives Mary a potato''
References
- Manyakina, Y. (2012) An Analysis of Obviation in Mi'gmaq. Honour's Thesis. Montréal: Concordia University.
- Payne, T.E. (1997) Describing morphosyntax: A guide for field linguists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Wilmot, Joe, prepared by. "Puglatmu'jg"