A grammar of Chukchi

Abstract

The aim of this work is to produce the first fieldwork-based, typologically Informed reference grammar of Chukchi, an Indigenous language of the north-eastern corner of the Russian Federation. The theoretical approach is low-key and eclectic; linguistic phenomena are described in a manner which is, in so far as it is possible, theory-neutral, although where a branch of linguistic theory provides tools which allow clear and simple description it is used without hesitation. Linguistic description is, however, primary throughout. The first five chapters of the thesis provide background information. Chapter I sketches the sociolinguistic situation in Chukchl, discusses the sources of data used for analysis, and surveys relevant linguistic publlcations. Chapter 2 discusses linguistic variation within Chukchi. The Chukchi men's and women's dialects are discussed within a framework of a comparison of Chukchi and the neighbouring dialects and languages of the Koryako-Chukotian group. The phonological system of Chukchi is described in chapter 3. Chapters 4 and 5 survey word classes and sentence types respectively.

The following four chapters are concerned with nominals. Nominal inflection is described in chapter 6 and the different types of free pronouns are discussed in chapter 7. In chapter 8 there is a description of nominal morphology, which pays particular attention to deverbal noun subtypes, such as participles and action nouns. Chapter 9 is concerned with complex nouns, including complex noun phrases (which can only occur in the absolutive case) and nouns with incorporation. A discussion of verbs takes up the next five chapters. Chapter 10 contains a description of verbal inflection, a complex and theoretically interesting area of Chukchi. An account of inflectional morphology is proposed based on the notion of 'inverse alignment' and grammaticalisation of pictotypical agency relationships. Chapter 11 describes valency, surveying transitivity types and describing the valency changing and rearranging derivations available in the language, including antipassive, causative and applicative. Incorporation and compounding by verbs is discussed in chapter 12. Chapter 13 contains a discussion of non-finite deverbal forms, including converbs (a deverbal adverb which forms the head of an adverbial subordinate clause), verb bases (the lexical heads of auxiliary verbs, and the infinitive. Chapter 14 surveys non-valency-changing verbal derivations, which have aspectual, quantifier and modal meanings, among others. The remaining chapters address a range of topics. Chapter 15 has a discussion of the various ways of expressing spatial relationships. In chapter 16 there is a description of the adjective and the numeral word classes. Non-verbal predication and a description of the behaviour of copulas and auxiliaries is found in Chapter 17. Chapter 18 addresses the complex area of negation, including a description of the various types of negative clauses and the ways of negating various constituent types. Finally, in chapter 19 there is an account of the pragmatic principles determining constituent order based on a discussion of topic and focus. Show more