Feature GB115: Is there a phonologically bound reciprocal marker on the verb?

Patrons: Jakob Lesage

Description ⇫

Summary

A reciprocal marker indicates that an action or feeling is mutual between two or more parties (e.g. they love each other; they beat each other). A reciprocal marker may indicate both reflexive and reciprocal functions. Reduplication of verbs also counts. Reciprocal marking needs to be productive, not limited to a small set of verbs in the language that are probably lexicalized. This feature targets phonologically bound reciprocal markers.

Procedure

  1. Explore the sections discussing argument marking, pronouns, verbal morphology, verbal derivation, valency change, argument structure and simple clauses.
  2. Code 1 if the grammar discusses a productive reciprocal marker that is phonologically bound to the verb.
  3. Code 1 if the grammar discusses a marker that is phonologically bound to the verb and it encodes both reflexive and reciprocal functions.
  4. Code 0 if the grammar discusses reflexive markers or a phonologically independent reciprocal marker, but doesn't mention a phonologically bound reciprocal marker on verbs. Write 'not mentioned’ in the comment column.
  5. Code 0 if the grammar only discusses unproductive reciprocal markers on verbs.
  6. Code 0 if an otherwise comprehensive grammar does not discuss reciprocal markers. Write 'not mentioned’ in the comment column.
  7. Code ? if there is not enough data or analysis in the grammar to determine whether there is a bound reflexive marker on verbs or whether it is productive.

Examples

Kuku-Yalanji (ISO 639-3: gvn, Glottolog: kuku1273)

Kuku-Yalanji has a dedicated reciprocal suffix -wa (Patz 2002: 103). Kuku-Yalanji is coded 1.

nyaji-l ‘see’           →  nyaji-wa-y ‘see each other’
kunja-l ‘call, summon’  →  kunja-wa-y ‘call each other’
binal-bunga-l ‘teach’   →  binal-bunga-wa-y ‘teach each other’
murru-kanga-l ‘scold’   →  murru-kanga-wa-y ‘scold each other’

Umbundu (ISO 639-3: umb, Glottolog: umbu1257)

In Umbundu, the same prefix li- is used for both reflexive and reciprocal derivations. Umbundu is coded 1.

oku-li-mon-a
INF-REFL/REC/-see-a
'to see one's self’ or ‘to see each other’ (Stover 1885: 46)

Rapanui (ISO 639-3: rap, Glottolog: rapa1244)

Rapanui doesn't have a reciprocal construction; semantically reciprocal clauses are just expressed with the regular personal pronouns (Kieviet 2017: 433). It is coded 0.

Further reading

Evans, Nicholas. 2008. Reciprocal constructions: Towards a structural typology. In Ekkehard König & Volker Gast (eds), Reciprocals and reflexives: Theoretical and typological explorations, 33–104. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Geniušienė, Emma S. 1987. The typology of reflexives. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

König, Ekkehard & Volker Gast. 2008. Reciprocity and reflexivity: Description, typology, and theory. In Ekkehard König & Volker Gast (eds), Reciprocals and reflexives: Theoretical and typological explorations, 1–31. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Nedjalkov, Vladimir P. 2007. Overview of the research: Definitions of terms, framework, and related issues. In Vladimir P. Nedjalkov (ed.), Emma S. Geniušienė (trans.), Reciprocal constructions, 3–114. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. And other chapters of the five-volume collection edited by Nedjalkov, which include chapters on 39 different genealogically diverse languages.

Zúñiga, Fernando & Seppo Kittilä. 2019. Grammatical voice. (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics, 59.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

References

Kieviet, Paulus. 2017. A grammar of Rapa Nui. Berlin: Language Science Press.

Patz, Elisabeth. 2002. A grammar of the Kuku Yalanji language of North Queensland. (Pacific Linguistics, 527.) Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University.

Stover, Wesley Maier. 1885. Observations upon the grammatical structure and use of the Umbundu, or the language of the inhabitants of Bailundu and Bihe, and other countries of West Central Africa. Boston: Todd; American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM).


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Name Glottocode Family Macroarea Contributor Value Source Comment