Minangkabau -i: A locative, transitivizing, iterative, adversative suffix

Authors

  • Catherine R Fortin Carleton College
  • Daniel Brodkin Carleton College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3765/plsa.v2i0.4098

Keywords:

Minangkabau, Indonesian, Malay, Austronesian, morphology, applicative, valency, locative, adversative

Abstract

Minangkabau, a Malayo-Polynesian (Austronesian) language of Sumatra, displays a small but complicated system of verbal morphology resembling those of its near, better-described relatives Indonesian and Malay. In these languages, the verbal morphemes are multifunctional, and fully characterizing their meanings and uses has proven challenging. We present our findings on -i, which previous literature frequently characterizes as a type of applicative. We identify four distinct productive functions of -i, not all applicative: adding a locative object, transitivizing non-verbal roots, adding iterative/intensive aspects, and imputing adversative readings. Adversative -i has not previously been identified in the literature, and is unattested in Indonesian.

Author Biographies

  • Catherine R Fortin, Carleton College
    Department of Linguistics, Associate Professor
  • Daniel Brodkin, Carleton College
    Department of Linguistics, Class of 2018

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Published

2017-06-12

How to Cite

Fortin, Catherine R, and Daniel Brodkin. 2017. “Minangkabau -I: A Locative, Transitivizing, Iterative, Adversative Suffix”. Proceedings of the Linguistic Society of America 2 (June): 42:1–12. https://doi.org/10.3765/plsa.v2i0.4098.