Polysynthesis in Dalabon

Abstract

This chapter gives a sketch of how polysynthesis behaves in Dalabon, a polysynthetic language of Arnhem Land belonging to the Gunwinyguan family. It focuses on synchronic issues; some additional features of Dalabon which are better understood in a diachronic perspective and hence require comparative data from other Gunwinyguan languages are discussed in Chapter 19. Particularly interesting are the rich set of adverbial prefixes to the verb, the complex methods for modifying valency (stem thematic alternations, applicatives, and reflexive/reciprocal suffixes), the rich incorporation possibilities for both nouns and (more limited) verbal stems, and the existence of a number of types of subordinating morphology.