LINGUIST List 5.622

Thu 02 Jun 1994

Qs: Predicate morphology, Ainu and Ryukuan, Chinese, Merry

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1. Gert Webelhuth, Trying to find unusual predicate morphology!
2. , Re: 5.583 Sum: Ainu and Ryukuan
3. , Qs: /u/ in Chinese: a high back vowel or semi-vowel
4. , Query: 'Merry Merry ...'

In connection with ongoing work on complex predicates I=20
am trying to determine the range of possible realizations=20
of predicate-forming operations. In particular I am=20
interested in finding cases where features (e.g. tense,=20
aspect, negation) or argument structure changes (passive,=20
causatives, resultatives, etc.) are expressed by=20
morphological changes on the verb other than the=20
addition of a single overt affix. Of interest would be cases=20
where, let=D5s say, passive or past tense are signaled by

tone changes
ablaut
umlaut
infixes
circumfixes
cumulative morphs
portmanteau morphs
reduplication
subtractive morphs
metathesis
no visible change at all

If you know of such cases, I would greatly appreciate it if=20
you dropped me a line (with a reference, if possible; all=20
other hints are appreciated as well). I will post a=20
summary to the list if there is enough material.

Thanks,

Gert Webelhuth
Dep. of Ling.
U of North Carolina

Message 2: Re: 5.583 Sum: Ainu and Ryukuan

I too have an interest in Ainu, and I'd love to know where I could find
copies of the following refered to in Hideko Nornes list.
-Leiden, Brill, 1993. The Reconstruction of Proto-Ainu.
-Parie, J. 1982. The Genetic Relationship of the Ainu Language. Honolulu.

Thanks. Paul Sidwell
linpjslure.latrobe.edu.au

Hi,

I am working on a paper on Chinese phonology and come across a problem
concerning the phonetic nature of /u/ as used '/lu/' and '/luan/ in
Pinyin. While it can be assumed that /u/ in '/lu/' is a high back
vowel, I am not certain how to treat /u/ in the second example ('luan'):
is it still a pure vowel or could it be a semi-vowel (such as /w/)?

I would be grateful if someone could point to me references or comment on
the status of /u/ in Chinese. I'd very happy to post a summary to the
net later.

Thanks.

Da Jun
lifq301orange.cc.utexas.edu

Will anyone kindly let me know what the following two expressions
quoted from Lawrence Horn's _Natural History of Negation_ are
based on?

 o Contraries and contraries: Merry black-and-white contrary,
 how do your meanings grow? (p.36)
 o Merry Merry Subcontrary, How Does Your Logic Go? (p.208)

Thank you very much in advance.

 Tadaharu Tanomura
 Osaka Univ. of Foreign Studies
 g62595sinet.ad.jp