Morphs in search of meaning: Southeast Solomonic transitive morphology in diachronic perspective

Abstract

In this thesis I examine the distribution, functions and the development of transitive morphology in Southeast Solomonic languages, a subgroup of the Oceanic language family. The valency changing devices, and their allomorphs, are analysed both synchronically and diachronically. The synchronic transitivity marking and argument structure systems are compared with the reconstructed system of the ancestral language Proto Oceanic, and the thesis discusses processes which underpin the changes that have taken place, and their motivations. This study of development of transitive morphology in a group of closely related languages allows for both fine grained analysis of cognate and meaning sets as well as for identification of broader patterns. Despite the Southeast Solomonic languages being considered rather conservative in their treatment of the transitive morphology inherited from Proto Oceanic, the data show considerable divergence from the ancestral system and radically different patterns existing among the sister languages. The synchronic differences are largely due to the loss of some valency increasing affixes in some languages and to the different frequencies of use of morphological and analytical devices among the related languages. I propose that the main mechanisms underpinning the changes were analogical extension of existing patterns and reanalysis of surface forms. Extension of use of existing patterns with new verbs is found both in increased use of some devices, in some functions, and in the decreased use of others. Reanalysis has occurred with different devices and has led to a shift in morpheme boundaries as well as to a rise of new forms. Both semantic and phonological similarity is argued to have played an important role in these changes. The composite changes that have taken place in the history of the Southeast Solomonic languages include not only grammaticalisation but notably also counterdirectional change: debonding of previously bound forms, and degrammation. Debonding appears to have taken place more than once and occurred with more than one affix. This makes the Southeast Solomonic languages stand out since this type of change is thought not to be very common cross linguistically. I conclude that the transitivity systems of the Southeast Solomonic languages diverged from the ancestral system, and from each other, through the same processes of change taking place repeatedly over time, with different verbs. Because these processes did not take place in isolation, their outcomes differed depending on the context and the presence and function of other devices in a given language. This highlights the need to consider change holistically as occurring within a linguistic system. Furthermore, multiple motivations for change need to be considered.