Nominal licensing in caseless languages_named version.pdf (1.12 MB)
Nominal licensing in caseless languages
journal contribution
posted on 2023-08-30, 14:32 authored by Michelle Sheehan, Jenneke van der WalThis paper provides evidence for a kind of nominal licensing (Vergnaud licensing) in a number of morphologically caseless languages. Recent work on Bantu languages, has suggested that abstract Case or nominal licensing should be parameterised (Diercks 2012, Van der Wal 2015a). With this is mind, we critically discuss the status of Vergnaud licensing in six languages lacking morphological case and agreement. While Luganda appears to systematically lack a Vergnaud licensing requirement, Makhuwa more consistently displays evidence in favour of it, as do all of the analytic languages that we survey (Mandarin, Yoruba, Jamaican Creole and Thai). We conclude that, while it seems increasingly problematic to characterise nominal licensing in terms of uninterpretable/abstract Case features, we nonetheless need to retain a (possibly universal) notion of nominal licensing, the explanation for which remains opaque.
History
Refereed
- Yes
Volume
54Issue number
3Page range
527-589Publication title
Journal of LinguisticsISSN
1469-7742External DOI
Publisher
Cambridge University PressFile version
- Accepted version
Language
- eng
Official URL
Legacy posted date
2016-12-01Legacy creation date
2016-11-25Legacy Faculty/School/Department
ARCHIVED Faculty of Arts, Law & Social Sciences (until September 2018)Usage metrics
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