Re: [aboriconlangs] Greenlandic: 4th Person?

On Fri, 5 Sep 2008 17:18:32 +0200, Henrik Theiling <theiling@...>
wrote:
>To answer your question:
Thanks!

>eldin_raigmore writes:
>> a.
>> Ippasaq tikip-put aqagu-lu ikinnguta-at tiki-ssa-pput.
>> yesterday arrive-IND.3p tomorrow-and friends-3p arrive-FUT-IND.3p
>> "They arrived yesterday and their friends will arrive tomorrow."
>
>3rd person possessive here refers to the previous clause's subject,
>not to the subject of the clause it is in.
>
>> b.
>> Isir-puq ingil-lu-ni-lu.
>> com.in-IND.3s sit.down-CTMP-4s-and
>> "She came in and sat down."
>
>4th person subject here refers reflexively (long-distance reflexive)
>to the previous clause, coindexing the subjects (note the ellipsis in
>English).
>
>> c.
>> Pilirtuttumik irrui-vuq ini-mi-nul-lu majuar-lu-ni.
>> quickly wash.up-IND.3s room-4s.REFL-ALL-and go.up-CTMP-4s
>> "He washed up quickly and went up to his room."
>
>4th person subject: long-distance reflexive to previous clause (again:
>ellipsis in English),
>
>4th persion possessive: normal reflexive to subject of second clause.
>
>> (1) Why are these fourth person?
>
>Reflexives.  Both long-distance (as subject verb ending) and normal
>(as possessive).
Hmm.
So the clitic "-lu" is more of a subordinating conjunction than a co-ordinating
one.
Is Greenlandic one of those languages that don't draw a deep distinction
between subordination and co-ordination?

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