MatrixDoc_DirectInverse

Documentation for the Grammar Matrix Customization Direct-Inverse Library

• [ This documentation is under construction. ]

Introduction

This document explains how to fill out the Direct-inverse page of the Grammar Matrix Customization questionnaire and presents background information on the direct-inverse library of the Grammar Matrix Customization System (Bender et al., 2002; Bender and Flickinger, 2005; Bender et al., 2010). General instructions on using the questionnaire can be found here.

Citing the Direct-inverse Library

The standard reference for the Direct-inverse Library and its implementations is Drellishak 2009. The full reference and .bib entry can be found here.

Options

The direct-inverse library allows users to define the scale used to determine direct-inverse marking in languages with this phenomenon. Please note that this page is optional -- leaving it blank will result in a grammar without direct-inverse marking.

In some languages, referred to as direct-inverse languages, marking of verbal arguments depends on grammatical scale (sometimes also referred to as hierarchy) that ranks agent and patient in terms of how natural they are in the role of agent. If in a given sentence an agent ranks higher than the patient, the clause is considered to be direct. If, on the opposite, patient ranks higher than the agent, the clause is considered to be inverse. Depending on the ranking, appropriate direct-inverse marking occurs through different verb forms, different cases on argument NPs, or both. The scales (hierarchies) vary for different languages, as well as does the marking used to express it. For example, in the Algonquian language of North America the direct-inverse scale is sensitive to person. Person is ranked as follows: 2nd > 1st > 3rd proximate > 3rd obviative (which means that 2nd person ranks higher in terms of fulfilling agent role than 1st person, which in its turn ranks higher than 3rd proximate person, etc.)

The Grammar Matrix Customization system covers only one type of inverses, i.e. pronominal or morphological inverses. The other type of inverses, i.e. word order inverses, is not yet covered by Grammar Matrix customization system (for more information please refer to the Upcoming Work section.

If your language is not a direct-inverse language, please skip this section entirely and move on to the next page Tense, Aspect, and Mood.

If your language is a direct-inverse language, you can add the features that define the direct-inverse scale on the Direct-inverse page of the Grammar Matrix Customization questionnaire. As instructed on the questionnaire, you should enter the scale in order from the highest to the lowest. Once the scale is defined, it can be used on the Morphology page to create the appropriate lexical rules.

An example of features entered on this page for an Algonquian language, in which direct-inverse scale is sensitive to person, would be the following:

Motivation

The new library was added to provide support for the verb and verbal argument marking that is sensitive to a grammatical scale present in direct-inverse languages. Additionally, other languages that are not direct-inverse per say, can be analyzed as such, e.g. Fore language of Papua Guinea.

Analyses

"it is necessary to constrain the verb’s arguments differently for direct and inverse clauses"

Below is the snippet of code from direct-inverse section in the choices file for Cree language:

section=direct-inverse
scale1_feat1_name=person
scale1_feat1_value=2nd
scale2_feat1_name=person
scale2_feat1_value=1st
scale3_feat1_name=person
scale3_feat1_value=3rd
scale3_feat2_name=proximity
scale3_feat2_value=proximate
scale4_feat1_name=person
scale4_feat1_value=3rd
scale4_feat2_name=proximity
scale4_feat2_value=obviative
scale-equal=other

The analyses implemented in the direct-inverse library are described in Drellishak 2009, Section 4.2.

Upcoming Work

One of the current limitations of Grammar Matrix Customization system is lack of support of word order inverses. Adding support for this grammatical phenomenon, involving interaction of inverses with word order, would be one of the possible directions of broadening Grammar Matrix coverage of direct-inverse languages.

References

Drellishak, S. (2009). Widespread but Not Universal: Improving the Typological Coverage of the Grammar Matrix. PhD thesis, University of Washington.

• bibtex:

  @phdthesis{Drellishak:09,
  author = {Scott Drellishak},
  year = {2009},
  title = {Widespread but Not Universal: Improving the Typological Coverage of the {G}rammar {M}atrix},
  school = {University of Washington}
  }

Givón, T. 1994. The Pragmatics of De-transitive Voice: Functional and Typological Aspects of Inversion. In T. Givón (ed.), Voice and Inversion, pages 3–44, Amsterdam: Benjamins.

• bibtex:

  @chapter{Givón:1994,
  author = {Talmy Givón},
  year = {1994},
  book = {Voice and Inversion},
  editor = {Talmy Givón},
  title = {The Pragmatics of De-transitive Voice: Functional and Typological Aspects of Inversion},
  publisher = {Amsterdam: Benjamins},
  pages = {3-44}
  }