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Re: preferred voices?

From:Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...>
Date:Monday, September 25, 2000, 2:19
Dan Jones wrote:
> onions sell themselves here
I believe that this construction is referred to as "mediopassive"? At least, if I understand what "middle" and "mediopassive" mean. Anyhoo, Late Common Watakassí became completely accusative, while Classical Watakassí was ergative. This occurred by an extension of the antipassive, e.g.: Active voice: Fakapátas núsal Jánal nús Bíl Past-hit John-erg Bill-abs Antipassive voice: Sufkapátas nús Ján núsi Bíli AP-past-hit John-abs Bill-inst The antipassive eventually became obligatory, so that the old instrumental case (which took the demoted absolutive) became an accusative case, and the antipassive prefix su- became a transitive marker. This meant that there was now a need for a passive voice, which was found by extending the reflexive into a mediopassive: Kufkapátas piningúsii Refl-past-hit wall-abs The wall hit itself (Classic meaning) The wall was hit (Late Common meaning) Which created an ambiguity with animate subjects Kufkapátas nús Bíl Refl-past-hit Bill-abs Bill hit himself (Classic meaning) Bill hit himself OR Bill was hit (Late Common meaning) Which was solved by generalizing the reciprocative into a reflexive/reciprocative Klanfakapátas nús Bíl Rec-past-hit Bill-abs *Bill hit each other (Ungramatical and senseless in Classic Watakassí) Bill hit himself (Late Common meaning) In the plural, being ambiguous between reflexive and reciprocative Klanfakapáluf Rec-past-hit-1D You and I hit each other (Classic) You and I hit each other OR You and I each hit ourselves (Late Common) The same situation that existed in pre-Classic Watakassí, incidentally. The prefix klan- is derived from ku- (reflexive) plus lan- (obs. commitative applicative) This ambiguity was later dealt with differently in different descendants. -- Dievas dave dantis; Dievas duos duonos God gave teeth; God will give bread - Lithuanian proverb ICQ: 18656696 AIM Screen-Name: NikTailor