RVN Webinar Series - Nonconfigurationality in Gorwaa
Channel: Rift Valley Network
Date: 2019-08-10

Note: This talk has not gone through a process of peer review, and findings should therefore be treated as preliminary and subject to change.

How to cite: Harvey, Andrew. 2019. Nonconfigurationality in Gorwaa. Talk given at the Rift Valley Network Webinar Series. 07/08/2019.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3361213

Abstract: New research suggests that Gorwaa (South Cushitic, Tanzania) is a non-configurational language, displaying radical pro-drop, freedom of word order, and the availability of (sub)constituents to occur discontinuously. This talk presents each of these phenomena, and evaluates competing theories for the phrase structure which underlies this non-configurationality (specifically, the Pronominal Argument model (Jelinek (1984), Baker (1996)), versus the Mirror Theory model (Adger, Harbour, and Watkins 2009). Key empirical evidence examined comprises a diverse range of morphosyntactic patterns, some of which have not been discussed in the South Cushitic literature to this point.

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For more, visit Andrew's site at: https://www.andrewdtharvey.com