Name

Section

4.13 Simple Sentences 5: Dyirbal

The following sentences are from Dyirbal, a language spoken in North Queensland, Australia. Study the sentences carefully, and answer the questions that follow.

Do not try to account for morphological changes in the verb "hit." Also, do not try to account for the phonetic differences between the case forrns of nouns and pronouns.

The unfamiliar symbols in the Dyirbal sentences represent the following sounds: is a laminopalatal/alveolar stop; p is an alveopalatal nasal; is a semiretroflex,

r-like sound; and g is a velar nasal.

la. balan Qugumbil balgan

b.balgan balan Qugumbil "Someone is hitting the woman."

2a. gayguna balgan

b.balgan gayguna "Someone is hitting me."

3a. bayi yaIa yanuli

b.yanuli bayi yaIa

"The man has to go out."

4a. balan Qugumbil baggul ya~aggubalgan

b.balgan balan Qugumbil baggul yataggu

c.baggul yaIaggu balgan balan Qugumbil

d.balan Qugumbil balgan baqgul yaIaggu

e.balgan baggul ya~aggubalan Qugurnbil

f.baggul yaIaggu balan Qugumbil balgan "The man is hitting the woman."

5. bayi yata baggun Qugumbiru balgan "The woman is hitting the man."

6a. gaQa balgalgapu

b.balgalgapu gaQa

"I am hitting someone."

7a. balan Qugumbil badipu

b.badipu balan Qugumbil "The woman falls down."

8a. gaga ginuna balgan

b.ginuna gaga balgan

c.balgan gaga ginuna

d.balgan ginuna gada

e.gaga balgan ginuna

f.ginuna balgan gaga "I'm hitting you."

9.bayi yata balgalgupu

"The man is hitting someone."

10.ginda gayguna balgan "You're hitting me."

11. gaga bayi yala balgan "I'm hitting the man."

12.bayi yata yanu "The man is going."

13.bayi bargan baggul yataggu durgapu "The man is spearing the wallaby."

14.gayguna baggul yataggu balgan "The man is hitting me."

15.bayi yata banipu "The man is coming."

16.balan dugumbil yanu "The woman is going."

17.balan gugumbil banipu "The woman is coming."

18.ginda banipu "You are coming."

19.gaga banipu

"I am coming."

Questions

A.Begin your analysis by filling in the spaces below with the appropriate Dyirbal forms.

"the man" "the woman"

B.English and almost all European languages are classified as "nominative/ accusative." In a nominative/accusative language the subject of a transitive sentence is marked in the same way as the subject of an intransitive sentence, but the object of a transitive sentence is marked differently. In English this difference shows up in the pronominal system. For example, she (the nominative form of the third person singular feminine pronoun) is used as the

subject of both transitive and intransitive sentences; her (the object or accusative form of the third person singular feminine pronoun) is used in object

classified as "ergative/absolutive" languages. What property of the Dyirbal example sentences distinguishes Dyirbal from nominative/accusative languages? In other words, what property defines an ergative/absolutive language as opposed to a nominative/accusative language? Limit yourself to the words displayed in question A.

C.Although Dyirbal is classified as an ergativelabsolutive language, it is more precisely defined as a "split ergative" language. To learn what a split ergative language is, begin by filling in the spaces below.

D.Noting the contrast between the first and second person pronouns in questions C-l through C-3 and the nouns in questions A-l through A-3, state what you think the properties of a split ergative language are. For example, are subject and object marked the same way on nouns as they are on pronouns?