erromangan pronouns

8/9/2019 Erromangan Pronouns

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Erromangan Nominal Morphology: PronounsLinggwistiks 190. Manahan

Erromangan Nominal Morphology: Pronouns

Crowley, T. (1998). An Erromangan (Sye) grammar. OceanicLinguistics Special Publications 27: 40-45.

1. Independent Pronouns

The independent pronouns can function as verbal subjects and objects, as well as the objects of free form prepositions,

and as both topics and comments in equational constructions.

SG PL

1 yau INCL kohEXCL kam

2 kik kimi3 iyi iror

Table 1. Independent Pronouns

In the following examples, brackets surround the element being illustrated, in this case independent pronouns in a variety

of structural environments:

[Kik] ko-naruvo.

2SG 2SG:FUT-MR:sing

You will sing.

Cotwonorei (


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Possessive pronouns are those which express the pronominal category of a possessor, and which can accompany a

possessed noun in a possessive construction.

SG PL

1 (h)enyau INCL (h)enogkohEXCL (h)enogkam

2 (h)enogkik (h)enogkmi3 (h)eni (h)eniror

1 horug INCL horetEXCL hormam

2 horom hormi3 ihen ihend

1 irag INCL ira(n)tEXCL iramam

2 iram irami3 iran irand

Table 2. Possessive Pronoun Paradigms

All of these forms are to varying degrees further analyzable morphologically. The first paradigm involves an initial

element which varies between (h)enog-when the following element begins with k, and (h)en-otherwise.

The second paradigm is based on an underlying root that is indeterminate between the shapes hore-and horo-, with

pronominal suffixes drawn from the paradigms set out in Table 3., which is used in the expression of possession with

bound nouns.

SG PL

1 -g INCL -(n)tEXCL -

mam2 -m -mi3 -n -nd

Table 3 Pronominal Possessive Suffixes

The third paradigm is based on the root ira-, with the same set of pronominal suffixes. This paradigm exhibits no

morphological irregularity.

The first two paradigms are used interchangeably to express ordinary kinds of alienable possession.

nu enyau nyag enyau nimo enyau

water POSS:1SG food POSS:1SG house POSS

my water my food my house

These possessive pronouns can also be used as proforms to refer to possessive noun phrases:

Horug. Tawi enogkik. Ihen nmas wocon.

POSS:1SG NEG POSS:2SG POSS:3SG big very

Its mine. Its not yours. His is very big.

3. Coordinate Pronouns


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When the referent of a pronoun is coordinated with a noun in a nominal phrase, this can be expressed using the

coordinate pronouns. These take the form of compounds involving the plural independent pronouns and either the

accompanitive preposition ndalwith (plural) or the short alternant of the accompanitive preposition nanduwith (singular),

that is ndu. The coordinate pronoun is then followed by a noun. Noun phrases involving coordinate pronouns based on

ndal are plural in their reference, while noun phrases involving a coordinate pronoun compounded withnduare dual.

kam-ndu Nompwat

1PL.EXCL-ACC.SG Nompwat

Nompwat and I

kam-ndal ov-nevyarep

1PL.EXCL-ACC.PL PL-boy

the boys and I

erromangan pronouns

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