Doctoral Dissertation Research: Kiowa Switch-Reference and the Nature of Topichood

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

The grammatical notion of 'topic' in language is intuitively clear: A topic is what a sentence is about. However, this notion and its role in the grammar has proven difficult to formalize. No theory of the meaning or structure of topics has complete empirical coverage, because they assume some unified notion of topichood, and they tend to focus on a handful of European languages. This research drops that assumption and explores the grammar of Kiowa, a Native American language spoken in Oklahoma. In doing so, it will build towards a more nuanced theory of topichood. Working under Dr. Seth Cable, Andrew McKenzie will examine referential strategies in the Kiowa language. Kiowa employs sentence markers that track certain arguments across sentences--- a phenomenon called 'switch-reference'. The hypothesis of this dissertation is that these arguments are one kind of topic. As such, they are arguments of the sentence, rather than of the verb in the sentence. Also, their semantic and syntactic properties systematically differ from those of other types of topics. The results of this research should lead either towards a typology of topic phenomena in Kiowa and other languages, or to the abandonment of any theoretical notion of `topic'. With support from the NSF, Mr. McKenzie will make three trips to Oklahoma to test this hypothesis by conducting fieldwork with native speakers of Kiowa. He will collect data by eliciting utterances and grammaticality judgments. Speakers may also recite passages and conduct conversations, in order to provide more naturalistic data. In addition, speakers will be asked to listen to or read passages in Kiowa and discuss the use of language therein. This research will advance our understanding of topic phenomena and clarify the role topics play in the structure and meaning of sentences. In addition, this research will help promote the survival and maintenance of the Kiowa language. Kiowa, like the vast majority of Native American languages, is gravely endangered. Fortunately, it is being taught in several places. However, a complete language curriculum is hampered by the lack of a full understanding of the aspects of Kiowa grammar concerning topichood. This research will fill this gap in our knowledge, and help students of Kiowa learn fluent conversation techniques. It will also serve as an example of investigation into the meaning and structure of topics in understudied languages, and provide substantial sets of data that may prove valuable to students of Kiowa and to linguists.