Hargreaves, David

"Agency and Intentional Action in Kathmandu Newar"

The paradigm of verbal morphology in Kathmandu Newar involves a binary opposition of two sets of forms, the so-called conjunct/disjunct system. However, in its distributional properties, the system indexes a complex functional interaction between semantic representations and pragmatic principles:

1) The construal of intentional action as a force dynamic with an appropriate mental representation,
2) The deictic properties of speech acts and speech participant roles,
3) An evidential principle requiring privileged access to internal states.

In addition, related concepts of agency and causation are indexed via the system of ergative/absolutive nominal case marking and causative morphology. Although there is a fair degree of semantic overlap between notions of causation, agency and intentional action, the formal and functional properties of the three domains (verbal inflectional morphology, causative morphology and the ergative/absolutive case marking) exhibit significant degrees of formal and functional autonomy.

Kreutzmann, Hermann

"Linguistic Diversity in Space and Time: a Survey in the Eastern Hindukush and Karakoram "

Comparatively small populations inhabit the Hindukush-Himalayan mountain arc. Within high mountain research these areas have been termed as regions of refuge characterized by isolation, remoteness and limited to non-existent exchange relations. This study follows a different approach based on an historical reconstruction of population processes. Empirical evidence is presented from fieldwork in the Eastern Hindukush and Karakoram. The existence of isolated linguistic domains superficially suggests conservation through remoteness. Nevertheless lowland-highland migration and intra-montane mobility seem to be the driving force of population differentiation. These forces support an enhanced linguistic diversification. Increased accessibility, growing mobility and improved exchange relations did not reduce the persistence of these factors so far.

Kansākār, Tej Ratna

"Classical Newar Verbal Morphology and Grammaticalization in Classical and Modern Newar"

The label "Classic Newari" was first used by the scholar Hans Jorgenson to refer to a collection of late XVIIth century manuscripts consisting mainly of narrative texts. Jorgensen made a thorough study and analysis of these manuscripts, resulting in two pioneering publications in the field. A Dictionary of the Classical Newari (1936) and A Grammer of the Classical Newari (1941). For our present purposes, Classical Newar can be defined as the language which appears in inscriptions, manuscripts, and in legal documents and land grants known as tamsuk, usually written on palm leaves, in the roughly 600-year period from 1114 and 1770 AD. The ongoing Classical Newar Dictionary project, has led to the compilation of a large database using 38 different manuscripts and written texts as source materials. Here I shall provide a preliminary analysis of Classical Newar verbal morphology based on lexical and syntactic data drawn from these historical texts and documents. The source materials obviously represent various stages in the evolution of the languge, so that this analysis attempts to trace the morphophonemic developments in Classical Newar verb roots and flexional and derivational morphology over six centuries of attested data.

LaPolla, Randy J. with Yang Jiangling

Genetti, Carol and Keith Slater

with out sound files (831 Kb)

"An Analysis of Syntax and Prosody Interactions in a Dolakhā Newar Rendition of The Mahābhārata"

This study explores the relationship of prosodic and syntactic structure in a Dolakha Newar rendering of a portion of The Mahabharata. Six intonation types are identified and described. The strongest syntax/prosody correlation is between final intonation and finite verb morphology. Finite clauses may be found with continuing intonation; in these cases the speaker manipulates the syntactic and prosodic levels for functional reasons. Prosodic units combine to form larger structures which we call prosodic sentences. These are defined as prosodic marcro-units optionally containing any number of continuing intonation units and ending with final intonation. Prosodic sentences may be internally complex and exhibit embedding. Boundaries between narrative sentences are produced by the convergence of finality at the syntactic and prosodic levels.