# Contact-induced change in Solon: The grammaticalization of the generic verb of speech

Rigele Na

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## To cite this version:

Rigele Na. Contact-induced change in Solon: The grammaticalization of the generic verb of speech. 57th Annual Meeting of the Societas Linguistica Europaea, Aug 2024, Helsinki, Finland. hal-04913945

HAL Id: hal-04913945

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Submitted on 27 Jan 2025

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Contact-induced change in Solon:
The grammaticalization of the generic verb of speech

Nargil

(Université Lumière Lyon 2 and Dynamique du langage)

Keywords: Tungusic languages, Khalkha Mongolian, language contact, morphosyntax, fieldwork

The grammaticalization of the generic verb of speech (henceforth: SAY) into complementizers, subordinating conjunctions, and other grammatical functions is cross-linguistically widespread (Güldemann 2001 and Chappell 2008), and the process of grammaticalization of SAY is susceptible to the influence of language contact (Matić and Pakendorf 2013). Solon, an under-described Northern Tungusic language spoken in Hulunbuir, China, has been significantly influenced by Dagur (Mongolic) in the past and strongly by Mongolian (Mongolic) at present (Khabtagaeva 2012, Janhunen 1996). As will be shown in this talk, Solon has borrowed certain features of SAY from Mongolian, a language with extensive grammaticalization of SAY (Brosig 2021).

The Solon data used for this study comprises narratives collected during fieldwork in 2022 and 2023, including fairytales (~47min) and life histories (~46min), totalling 10,630 words. The SAY verb *kun-* is attested 493 times, and the frequency of grammaticalized SAY reaches 82%, exceeding the frequencies observed in other Tungusic languages (Matić and Pakendorf 2013) and Khalkha Mongolian (Brosig 2021). The reasons for the high occurrence of grammaticalized SAY in Solon can clearly be explained by contact influence, but genre differences in language data probably play a role.

SAY has limited forms in Tungusic languages that mainly employ same-subject converbs (Matić and Pakendorf 2013). In contrast, grammaticalized SAY in Solon takes converbal, participial, and finite forms; this similarity to Mongolian can be the outcome of language contact. Besides, Solon has derived a specialized converb form restricted to ‘SAY-CVB’ *kun-kʰəŋ, and the hearsay particle form kunəŋ*.

The basic function of SAY *kun-* in Solon is context of quotation. As will be shown in this presentation, it has been grammaticalized into a hearsay marker (1), complementizer, a marker of purpose and reason adjuncts, metalinguistic naming, prospectivity and a discourse particle, demonstrating contact influence from Mongolian. This is reminiscent of Solon's sister language Western Even, which also developed various grammaticalized uses of SAY under the influence of Sakha (Turkic) (Matić and Pakendorf 2013 and Pakendorf 2009). The following examples show the contact influence of Mongolian in Solon by showing the similarities of the purpose clause. The purpose adjunct clauses are both linked by SAY, and the predicates of the adjunct clauses are marked by future/NPST elements, 1SG.NPST -mi in Solon (1), and the potential suffix -an, which can refer to a scheduled future, in Mongolian (2).

(1) Solon (LT_004_Nawchi_03)

tʰɔ:tʰi tʃu:-ri: ala:r pɔxa-wal im-ɔ:-na:-mi kun-kʰəŋ

Then two-COLL spotty bull-REFL.PL drink-CAUS-AM-1SG.NPST say-CVB

ul-tʃʰə *kunəŋ*.

go-PST say.PTCL

‘It is said that then they two left in order to (=saying: [I] will) make their spotty bull drink.’
(2) Khalkha Mongolian (Brosig 2021, glosses adapted)

<table><tr><td>aaw oroi</td><td>ažl-aas=aa</td><td>ömön</td><td>xün-tei</td></tr><tr><td>father evening</td><td>work-ABL=REFL</td><td>before</td><td>person-COM</td></tr><tr><td>uulz-an</td><td>ge-ed</td><td>Gar-saŋ</td><td>baix.</td></tr><tr><td>meet-POT</td><td>say-CVB</td><td>exit-EST.PST</td><td>MP(perhaps)</td></tr></table>

‘Father probably went out in the evening before his work to (=saying [I] will) meet someone.’
(SC2: khalkha0015)

To conclude, grammaticalized SAY in Solon reflects contact-induced changes under Mongolian influence. These exceed the extent of changes undergone by Western Even in this domain, in spite of the considerable contact pressure exerted by Sakha on Western Even dialects.

Acknowledgments: I want to express my thanks to Labex-ASLAN for funding my fieldwork (project SynSolon and MultiSolon), which enabled me to collect Solon data. I am thankful to my supervisor Brigitte Pakendorf (CNRS) for her invaluable comments and corrections that greatly contributed to the advancement of this work.

## References

Brosig, Benjamin. 2021. Expressing intent, imminence and ire by attributing speech/thought in Mongolian. *Folia Linguistica*. De Gruyter Mouton 55(2). 433–483.

Chappell, Hilary. 2008. Variation in the grammaticalization of complementizers from verba dicendi in Sinitic languages. *Linguistic Typology*. De Gruyter Mouton 12(1). 45–98.

Güldemann, Tom. 2008. *Quotative Indexes in African Languages: A Synchronic and Diachronic Survey*. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.

Janhunen, Juha. 1996. *Manchuria: An Ethnic History*. Helsinki: Finno-Ugrian Society

Khabtagaeva, Bayarma. 2012. The Dagur Elements in Solon Evenki. *Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae*. Akadémiai Kiadó 65(3). 335–346.

Matić, Dejan & Brigitte Pakendorf. 2013. Non-canonical SAY in Siberia: Areal and genealogical patterns. *Studies in Language* 37(2). 356–412.

Pakendorf, Brigitte. 2009. Intensive contact and the copying of paradigms — an even dialect in contact with Sakha (Yakut). *Journal of Language Contact* 2. 85–110.