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Article published In:
Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area
Vol. 44:2 (2021) ► pp.226–263

On the origin of 2nd person prefix #tV- in Trans-Himalayan languages

| University of Oregon

Two 2nd person verbal indexation forms are reconstructed back to Proto-Trans-Himalayan (PTH): a suffix #-n(a) (Bauman 1975; DeLancey 1989, 2014; H. Sun 1983, 1995; van Driem 1993; Watters 2002), and a prefix #tV- (Watters 2002; Jacques 2012; DeLancey 2011a, 2014). While #-n(a) is in paradigmatic distribution with other suffixal forms, the prefixal position of #tV-raises the question of its functional origin.

DeLancey (2011a, 2014: 23) suggests hypothetically that #tV- finds its origin either in a non-finite nominalization or in an irrealis nominalization, “ideal for an impersonal 2nd person use: ‘One might [speak]’ rather than ‘You will [speak].’”

Through the comparison of cognate tV- possessive and tV- nominalizer prefixes found in rGyalrongic, Kuki-Naga (Ao), and Sinitic, I propose that 2nd person #tV- can be traced back to a nominal possessive modifier such as one’s or someone’s: a man-type of R-impersonals (Malchukov & Siewierska 2011). Spreading to verbs, #tV- was used as a nominalizer indexing the notional S or A argument. With nouns and verbs alike, the referent of the possessor, whether 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person, was specific (Siewierska 2011: 62), accessible in discourse, anaphorically or deictically, regardless of the presence of a coreferential overt noun-phrase. The prefix #tV- started to be used in particular to address 2nd person indirectly, a development likely triggered by pragmatic motivations, i.e. politeness, before being reanalyzed as a 2nd person indexation marker.

Keywords: Proto-Trans-Himalayan, possessive, R-impersonal, nominalization, 2nd person indexation
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Cognate tV- possessive in rGyalrongic, Mongsen Ao, and old Chinese
    • 2.1Cognate tV- possessive in rGyalrongic, Mongsen Ao, and old Chinese – in citation form
    • 2.2Possessive markers in Japhug and Mongsen Ao – in discourse
    • 2.3Cognate tV- possessive in discourse – beyond inalienability
  • 3.Cognate tV- nominalization in rGyalrongic and Mongsen Ao
    • 3.1Cognate tV- in attributive predication in rGyalrongic and Mongsen Ao
    • 3.2Cognate tV- in action nominalization in rGyalrongic and Mongsen Ao
  • 4.From specific R-impersonal possessive to 2nd person indexation via nominalization
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Sources for language data
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
Published online: 23 November 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ltba.20004.pon
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