Parallelism and planes in optimality theory: evidence from afar
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- The Data: The Person and Plural Markers
3. A MULTIPLANAR MODELIn this chapter I present the person and number markers in Afar and discuss the generalizations that should be accounted for in an analysis of this data. I show that in an OT analysis of the Afar data either an extension of the representations used or serialism in deriving outputs from inputs must be allowed.39 First I introduce the person and plural markers, discussing generalizations about this data. Second I show that the Afar data create a paradox in an OT account. An extension of OT to include morphological planes which accounts for the Afar data is then introduced. Finally, I discuss the input form for the plural, how /a/-initial forms fit into the analysis proposed here and exceptional vowel-initial verbs. The Data: The Person and Plural MarkersIn this section I introduce the variable-position affixes including their input and surface representations and generalizations about their distribution. In the data discussed below, the [e(e)] suffix marks perfect aspect for both classes of regular verbs. First person forms for the consonant-initial class are illustrated in (153). The only overt morphemes are the verb root and the aspect marker. 40 (153) First Person for Consonant-Initial Verbs
The first person vowel-initial forms are shown in (154). Like the consonant-initial forms, they consist of only two morphemes: the root and the perfective. (154) First Person Singular for Vowel-Initial Verbs
There are no person markers in the first person singular so there are no variable-position affixes. I have included first person only to illustrate the complete paradigm. Second person is marked with a [t] in both verb classes.41 In the consonant-initial class it occurs following the root but preceding the aspect marker, [e(e)] (155). (155) Second Person Consonant-Initial Verbs
The shape of the second person marker is the same for vowel-initial roots, [t], but the location of the affix is different. Instead of occurring between the root and aspect marker, it appears to the left of the root, as a prefix. (156) Second Person Vowel-Initial Roots
Gender (masculine and feminine) is only distinguished in third person singular verbs. Third person feminine has the same form and distribution as second person. The form is a [t] which is suffixed to the root in consonant-initial verbs (157). (157) Third Feminine Singular Consonant-Initial Verbs
Third person feminine is prefixed in vowel-initial verbs (158).42 (158) Third Feminine Singular Vowel-Initial Verbs
There appears to be no marking for third person masculine in the consonant-initial class as shown in (159).43 (159) Third Masculine Singular Consonant-Initial Verbs
Third person masculine vowel–initial verbs are different from third masculine consonant–initial verbs in that here third person masculine is marked by a [y] prefix. (160) Third Masculine Singular Vowel-Initial Forms
In sum, the paradigm for person appears in (161). As was noted above, there is no marking for first person. Second person and third feminine appear as a [t] which is a suffix on consonant-initial verbs and a prefix on vowel-initial verbs.44 When it is a suffix, it occurs to the left of the aspect marker, [e(e)]. Third person masculine is not marked on consonant-initial verbs, but it occurs as a [y] prefix on vowel-initial verbs. (161) The Paradigm for Person Vowel-Initial Verbs Consonant-Initial Verbs
The plural marker surfaces as either -n- or -nV, where the quality of the vowel varies depending on the quality of the preceding vowel. In this section I show that, like the person affixes, the plural marker is a variable-position affix: it can occur either prefixed or suffixed to the verb root. It is different from the person markers, however, in that, when it is a suffix, it may either precede or follow the aspect marker. The first person plural has a different distribution from the second and third person plurals. In first person plural consonant-initial verbs, the plural appears following the root, but preceding the aspect marker. (162) First Person Consonant-Initial Plurals
In the vowel-initial first person plurals, however, the plural not only precedes the aspect marker, it precedes the root. (163) First Person Vowel-Initial Plurals
In the second person plural consonant-initial verbs, the plural again occurs as a suffix, but unlike first person, this time it follows aspect. Recall that [t] marks second person. (164) Second Person Consonant-Initial Plurals
The vowel-initial second person plural verbs are similar to their consonant-initial counterparts in that the plural marker appears as a suffix following the aspect marker. The second person marker, as shown previously, surfaces as a prefix on these forms. (165) Second Person Vowel-Initial Plurals
In both the third person consonant-initial and vowel-initial verbs, the location of the plural marker is the same as in second person: it occurs as a suffix following the aspect marker (166 & 167). Recall that there appears to be no third person marker on the consonant-initial verbs. (166) Third Person Consonant-Initial Plurals
(167) Third Person Vowel-Initial Plurals
The plural affixes are repeated in (168) below. In first person, plural occurs as a prefix on vowel-initial verbs but as a suffix on consonant-initial verbs (168a). The plural in both second and third person occurs as a suffix on both vowel-initial and consonant-initial verbs, but here it occurs following aspect, as opposed to the first person consonant-initial forms where plural was a suffix which preceded aspect. (168) The Plural Paradigm Vowel-initial Consonant-initial
There are three generalizations about the distribution of person and plural that should be accounted for in any analysis of the Afar variable-position affixes. First, the second and third feminine person markers and the plural in first person both appear as prefixes on vowel-initial roots but as suffixes on consonant-initial roots. (169) Prefix vs. Suffix in Consonant- and Vowel-initial Verbs Vowel-initial Consonant-initial a. 2/3ndrd fem t-okm-e# nak-t-e# b. 1pl n-okm-e# nak-n-e# A similar comparison can be made between the plural in first person and the plural in second and third person in the vowel-initial class. In first person the plural is a prefix, but in second and third it is a suffix. (170) Prefix vs. Suffix Vowel-initial a. 1pl n-okm-e# b. 2pl t-okm-e-n c. 3pl y-okm-e-n Second, the first person plural can be contrasted with the second and third person plural in another way as well. The first person plural precedes aspect whether it is a prefix on vowel-initial verbs or a suffix on consonant-initial verbs (171a). But in second and third person, plural follows aspect (171b). Note, in fact, that the first and third person consonant-initial forms are identical except for the order of the plural and aspect morphemes. (171) Plural Precedes and Follows Aspect Vowel-initial Consonant-initial a. 1pl n-okm-e# nak-n-e# b. 2pl t-okm-e-n nak-t-e-n c. 3pl y-okm-e-n nak-e-n Finally, [y] appears as a prefix on third person masculine singulars and third person plurals in the vowel-initial verbs but there appears to be no corresponding marker on the third person consonant-initial verbs in either singular or plural. As mentioned above, first and third person consonant-initial forms are identical except for the order of the plural and aspect morphemes. (172) Prefix vs. Null Vowel-initial Consonant-initial a. 3rd masc y-okm-e# nak-e# b. 3pl y-okm-e-n nak-e-n In sum, there are three sets of facts that need to be accounted for: 1. why these affixes sometimes occur as prefixes but other times as suffixes, 2. why the plural marker sometimes precedes aspect and at other times follows aspect, and 3. why some affixes occur as prefixes on vowel-initial verbs but do not appear at all on consonant-initial verbs. There are two additional issues that should be addressed in the analysis of this data. Both concern inputs. First, I have referred to the “suffixing” class of verbs as consonant-initial verbs even though some of the roots begin with [a]. As I will argue that on verbs beginning with [e(e)], [i], [o(o)], and [u], person and number affixes are prefixed in order to avoid an onsetless syllable, it is necessary to show why the same does not happen with [a]-initial verbs. I discuss this after I present the model proposed here. Second, the plural has appeared as either [n], [n-a], [n-u] or [n-i] in the examples. I discuss how these different outputs result from a single input. In the following section I discuss the input for the plural. Yüklə 2,55 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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