Proto Central Pacific
ergativity: Its reconstruction and development in the Fijian,
Rotuman and Polynesian languages
Kikusawa, Ritsuko
PL 520
The main objective of this
study is to determine the actancy system (ergativity or accusativity)
of Proto Central Pacific, and to determine how this system
developed in its daughter languages, Fijian and Rotuman, which
are accusative, as well as in the Polynesian languages, some
of which are ergative. It is shown that an ergative system
has to be reconstructed for Proto Central Pacific, based on
the presence of two sets of clitic pronouns (Genitive and
Nominative) used for the core arguments of transitive constructions.
A set of independent pronouns is also reconstructed. These
pronominal forms are shown to be reflexes of Proto Malayo-Polynesian
reconstructions. The process by which the ergative parent
language changed into some of its accusative daughter languages
is illustrated. The following points in this work may be of
particular interest: 1) a description of clear cases where
the actancy systems change from ergative to accusative; 2)
an illustration of how syntactic, phonological, morphological,
and/or lexical changes are synthesised; 3) typological descriptions
of three Central Pacific languages, namely Rotuman, Fijian,
and Tongan, applying Lexicase Dependency Grammar; 5) a modification
to the currently accepted subgrouping hypothesis for the Central
Pacific group.
2002 ISBN 0 85883 438 3
xxii + 213 pp.
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