Edited by Isabelle Bril
[Studies in Language Companion Series 121] 2010
► pp. 399–420
Deixis expressed by three definite articles is a well-known characteristic of the Pomak varieties, given the absence of grammaticalized definite markers in most Slavic languages. In this paper, we present a practically unknown use of deixis in Slavic languages, namely the use of deictic suffixes in the formation of temporal subordinate conjunctions in Pomak. The deictic suffixes on the temporal subordinator indicate the relation between the process and the discourse situation; the choice of the deictic suffix depends on the type of event encoded in the clause. The free temporal subordinator indicates that the event is not anchored in speech time. This study is based on first-hand data of a nearly undescribed variety of Pomak spoken in Greece.