Howbasicisthenotionofalternative?

Adiachronictypologyofdisjunction

CaterinaMauri UniversityofBolognacaterina.mauri@unibo.it

DisjunctionDays- Berlin,2-3June2016

Examinationofthecross-linguistic codingofdisjunction

Identificationoftherecurrent sourcesofgrammaticalizationthat leadtothedevelopment ofdisjunctive constructions

Aimsandsample

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Synchrony

Diachrony

Data hasbeencollected bymeansofdescriptive grammarsandquestionnaires fromaconvenience sampleof130languages.DATA

!

Parameters ofanalysis

1. PRESENCE vs.ABSENCE ofovertmarkers specificallyencodingtherelationofalternative (syndesis vs.asyndesis): isthereadisjunctive connective?

DisjunctionDays- Berlin,2-3June2016

Forcross-linguistic variation:

2. SEMANTIC DOMAIN oftheattestedmarkers:maytheconnectivebeusedinallthecontextswherewewouldhaveEnglishor?Morefunctions?Lessfunctions?Whatfunctions(basedongrammars)?

Fordiachronic variation:

LEXICAL SOURCE forthedisjunctive construction not enough information ingrammars onthecontexts oflanguage change

Background:thedebate ondisjunction

Chierchia et al. 2001:the interpretation of disjunction is governed by the same rules underlying thedistribution of negative polarity items, such as any (i.e. or is interpretedinclusively in downward entailing contexts) the principles governing the correct interpretation of a disjunctive relationare innate and are part of the UG.

DisjunctionDays- Berlin,2-3June2016

Background:thedebate ondisjunction

Chierchia et al. 2001:the interpretation of disjunction is governed by the same rules underlying thedistribution of negative polarity items, such as any (i.e. or is interpretedinclusively in downward entailing contexts) the principles governing the correct interpretation of a disjunctive relationare innate and are part of the UG.

DisjunctionDays- Berlin,2-3June2016

Crain (2008:151):children draw upon a priori knowledge of the meaning of 'or'. Thisconclusion is reinforced by the observation that all languages adopt thesame meaning of 'or' in certain structures.

Background:thedebate ondisjunction

Crain (2008: 151):The ability to recognize the inclusive value of or is a linguistic property that(a) emerges in child language without decisive evidence from experience, and(b) is common to all human languages, and it is therefore a likely candidatefor innate specification.

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[] why do children adopt the logical meaning of disjunction, inclusive-or,given that the majority of their experience directs them towards a differentmeaning of disjunction, namely an exclusive-or reading? [] children'sknowledge that disjunction is inclusive-or comes from universal grammar.(Crain 2008: 2-3)

Background:thedebate ondisjunction

TWO ASSUMPTIONS: Theexclusivevs. inclusive distinctionisrelevant tonaturallanguages Thenotionofinclusive-or isinnateanduniversal.

DisjunctionDays- Berlin,2-3June2016

Background:thedebate ondisjunction

TWO ASSUMPTIONS: Theexclusivevs. inclusive distinctionisrelevant tonaturallanguages Thenotionofinclusive-or isinnateanduniversal.

DisjunctionDays- Berlin,2-3June2016

Whatmaycross-linguisticvariationtellus?

Background:thedebate ondisjunction

TWO ASSUMPTIONS: Theexclusivevs. inclusive distinctionisrelevant tonaturallanguages Thenotionofinclusive-or isinnateanduniversal.

DisjunctionDays- Berlin,2-3June2016

We have someexpectations

All languages have adisjunctive connective

Theinclusivevs.exclusive distinction is relevantforspeakersandwill therefore have linguisticreflections intheworlds languages

Whatmaycross-linguisticvariationtellus?

Aglance attheworlds languages

Payne(1985:40)On the whole [] it is rare to find anything unusual in disjunction. Themajority of languages appear to possess at least one unequivocal strategy andthis is invariably permitted at sentential and at phrasal levels.

DisjunctionDays- Berlin,2-3June2016

Aglance attheworlds languages

Payne(1985:40)On the whole [] it is rare to find anything unusual in disjunction. Themajority of languages appear to possess at least one unequivocal strategy andthis is invariably permitted at sentential and at phrasal levels.

DisjunctionDays- Berlin,2-3June2016

Aglance attheworlds languages

Payne(1985:40)On the whole [] it is rare to find anything unusual in disjunction. Themajority of languages appear to possess at least one unequivocal strategy andthis is invariably permitted at sentential and at phrasal levels.

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Actually,thepictureseemsmorecomplicatedthanthat

Somesignificant quotesa) Kibrik (2004:547-48)onKuskokwimAthabaskan (Athabaskan, Alaska):

there does not seem to exist any native way to express disjunction.[] one of theUKA consultants said, after my repeated attempts to get him to translate a sentencesuch as Do you want tea or coffee?: They did not offer you a choice in the old days

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b) Press(1975:145,167)onChemehuevi (Uto-Aztecan, USA- California):

I have been unable to obtain any obvious alternative questions in Chemehuevi (oralternative statements for that matter). In order to ask something like "Is he here orthere? " in Chemehuevi, one simply asks two Yes-No questions in succession [...]Disjunctive coordination is even more restricted in Chemehuevi. The followingexamples illustrate available ways to get around thee lack of any syntactic ormorphological "or" []

Somesignificant quotesc) Kimball (1985:450)onKoasati (Muskogean, USA- Georgia):

Certain conjunctive ideas, such as 'but,"because,' and ' if ' are handled by means ofthe verbal suffixes in the Consequence slot []. On the other hand the idea of 'or' ismost generally indicated by putting the verbs between which there is a choicetogether in apposition.

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d) Post(2008:790)onGalo (Tibeto-Burman, India):

Disjunctive coordination of declarative clauses is not well-coded by Galo grammar,and generally requires a paraphrastic construction involving a linking clause with asense like if that is not the case, then.

Somesignificant quotesOhori (2004: 56-59): AND and OR, the two basic logical connectives in formallogic, can sometimes be underdifferentiated in natural languages:

3) UpriverHalkomelem (Salish,Ohori 2004:57,Galloway1993:363)Thedeclarativeconstructionseems toallowaconjunctivereadingina),andtheinterrogativeconstructionadisjunctivereading inb).

a) L lmlstxws t Bill t sqml xwlm t Jim q Bob.3 throw.3 DEM Bill DEM paddle to DEM Jim and BobBill threwthepaddletoJimandBob.

b) L lm kw Bill q Bob?Q go DEM Bill or BobDidBillorBobgo?

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Languages without OR

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1 apposition,notwell codednonativewaytoexpressdisjunction

meanslanguageswithoutOR!

Languages without OR

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1

Howcananalternativebetweenstates ofaffairs,properties orentities

beconveyedWITHOUT

adisjunctive connective?

apposition,notwell codednonativewaytoexpressdisjunction

meanslanguageswithoutOR!

Plan

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11. Languages without OR

2. Languages with different ORs

3. Diachronic sources out of which ORsdevelop

4. Semantic domains relevant to disjunction

Languages without OR

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134)Wari,Chapacura-Wanam (EverettandKern1997:162)

a. mo tapata hwam ca, mo taCOND realis.future kill1sg:realis.future fish 3sg.M COND realis.futurepata carawa cakill1sg:realis.future animal 3sg.MHewillfish orhewillhunt.(lit. ifhe(says)Iwillkillfish,ifhe(says)Iwillkillanimals.)

b.'am e caam mi pin caperhaps live 3sg.M perhaps give complete 3sg.MEitherhewill liveorhewilldie.(lit.perhaps hewilllive,perhapshewilldie)

Languages without OR

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135)Wari,Chapacura-Wanam (EverettandKern1997:162)

a. mo tapata hwam ca, mo taCOND realis.future kill1sg:realis.future fish 3sg.M COND realis.futurepata carawa cakill1sg:realis.future animal 3sg.MHewillfish orhewillhunt.(lit. ifhe(says)Iwillkillfish,ifhe(says)Iwillkillanimals.)

b.'am e caam mi pin caperhaps live 3sg.M perhaps give complete 3sg.MEitherhewill liveorhewilldie.(lit.perhaps hewilllive,perhapshewilldie)

6)Hup (VaupsJapur,Epps2005:683)

wh cm-y=cud hny, yaamb g-y=cud hnyhawk claw-DYNM=INFR maybe dog bite-DYNM=INFR maybeEither thehawk clawed (it),orthedogbit(it),apparently.

Languages without OR

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17)Aranda (Australian,Pama-Nyungan;Wilkins1989:385-86)

Theparticle (a)peke 'maybe,might; if;or'hasawiderangeofrelatedused.Commontoallitsuses isthesense thatthespeaker issayingthatsomeproposition ispossiblythecase.Itthereforecommonlytranslates as'might' or'maybe' []peke 'maybe'canalsobeusedtosignaldisjunction betweenco-ordinatedelements.

Kere nyente peke-rle kwele re atwe-ke peke are-ke pekeanimalone maybe-FOC QUOT 3sgAkill-pc maybe,see-pc maybekwele; arrangkwe.QUOT nothingPerhapstherewassupposedly oneanimalthathekilled orsaw;no,nothingatall.

Languages without OR

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18)Galo (Post2008:312)

Disjunctivecoordination[]isbest-attested inuncertain and/orinterrogative moods.ThetwoNPsjaka=go black=IND blackoneandjapu=go white=IND whiteoneareeachmarkedbyConjectural particlebree.

a