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Fossilised incorporants in Northern Iroquoian

ORCiD logo with linkHunter L. Brown | Universität Bern
ORCiD logo with linkJ. Drew Hancock | Universität Bern
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Abstract
This paper provides the first comparative description of fossilised incorporants in the Northern Iroquoian languages. We aim where possible to link synchronic forms to their lexical source material and source constructions via comparative reconstruction. In doing so, we present evidence of a diachronic pathway that directly links “case-manipulative” incorporation to “classificatory” incorporation via one stepwise change, demonstrating how the evolution of a family of incorporation constructions can be mapped onto the received typology of noun incorporation. Additionally, we argue that in the context of these data, the same set of processes (context extension, semantic bleaching, and loss of grammatical properties resulting from routinisation and progressive entrenchment) may lead to both canonically “grammaticalisation-like” and canonically “lexicalisation-like” outcomes, providing empirical support for the notion that these processes are not fully independent.
Article outline
  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 The Northern Iroquoian Languages
  • 3 Noun Incorporation: Functions, Morphosyntax and Development
  • 4 Noun Incorporation in Northern Iroquoian
  • 5 Lexical Sources of Fossilised Incorporants
  • 6 Source Constructions
    • 6.1 Types II and IV Incorporation
    • 6.2 Incorporation of Nominalised Verbs
    • 6.3 Relexicalisation of Collocations in Formulaic Language
  • 7 Discussion
    • 7.1 Incorporation, Entrenchment, & Referentiality
    • 7.2 Intermediate Stages: Implications for Diachrony
  • 8 Concluding Remarks
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
References (95)
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