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Afroasiatic: Data and perspectives
Edited by Mauro Tosco
[Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 339] 2018
► pp. 261–285

The Interaction of state, prosody and linear order in Kabyle (Berber)

Grammatical relations and information structure

The aim of this paper is to show how, starting only from forms belonging to various domains (morphology, syntax, and prosody), it is possible to compute grammatical relations and information structure constructions in Kabyle spontaneous speech.
The study is based on data recorded in the field, transcribed, translated, and annotated with Praat and Elan-CorpA. The methodology consists of systematically retrieving the sequences containing a verb and looking for the presence of a noun (and its inflection) within the prosodic group of the utterance, or outside, as well as studying the linear orders involved. This non-aprioristic methodology reveals the close interaction between grammatical relations and information structure in Kabyle. The study provides evidence to support the claim that the encoding of grammatical relations on nouns is a by-product of information structure constraints in Kabyle.
Keywords: prosody, information structure, grammatical relations, Kabyle, Berber
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1General information about Kabyle
    • 1.2Relevant coding means
      • 1.2.1The state distinction
      • 1.2.2Prosody
      • 1.2.3Linear orders
      • 1.2.4Traditional analysis of the structure of the clause in Berber
      • 1.2.5Constituent order analysis
  • 2.Information structure
    • 2.1Function of [Vsbj (NABS)]
    • 2.2Function of [Vsbj NPann (NPabs)]
    • 2.3Function of [NABS Vsbj (N)]
    • 2.4Function of NABS [Vsbj (N) (N)]
    • 2.5Function of [Vsbj (N) (N)] NANN
    • 2.6Synthesis on information structure
  • 3.Grammatical relations
    • 3.1Grammatical relations are not marked unambiguously by one coding means
      • 3.1.1The state opposition in itself does not mark grammatical relations
      • 3.1.2Coreference in gender and number in itself does not mark grammatical relations
      • 3.1.3Word order in itself does not mark grammatical relations
    • 3.2The interaction of state, position, prosodic grouping, and gender-number marking
      • 3.2.1Nouns outside the prosodic group of the verb
      • 3.2.2Nabs after the verb within the prosodic group of the verb
      • 3.2.3Nann after the verb within the prosodic group of the verb
      • 3.2.4Nabs before the verb within the prosodic group of the verb
    • 3.4Implications
  • 4.General conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 1 February 2018
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https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.339.14met
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Mettouchi, Amina & Valentina Schiattarella
2018. The influence of the state distinction on word order and information structure in Kabyle and Siwi (Berber). In Information structure in lesser-described languages [Studies in Language Companion Series, 199], ► pp. 265 ff. DOI logo
Izre'el, Shlomo & Amina Mettouchi
2015. Representation of speech in CorpAfroAs. In Corpus-based Studies of Lesser-described Languages [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 68], ► pp. 13 ff. DOI logo
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