Doctoral Dissertation Research: Alignment in the Grammar of Tupari, an Endangered Language of the Brazilian Amazon

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

One reason that linguists seek to investigate a wide variety of languages is because even basic sentences can behave in radically different ways. So while English is often thought of as having subjects and objects that work with verbs to create sentences, linguists have shown a much larger range of ways that subjects behave, especially in terms of their relationships to the verb and the roles they play in sentences. For example, some subjects are the agent of the action, such as "She saw the cat," others are patients of the action, as in "The ball was thrown by the boy," and some subjects are empty placeholders, such as the "it" in "It is important that you study math." Languages show a wide variety of approaches for how these subject roles and object roles pattern, and some of these patterns are quite rare. Documenting and analyzing these kinds of patterns, which linguists call "alignment", is important for a larger understanding of the cross-linguistic variation in human grammar. This dissertation will add deeper insight to the less frequent type of patterns ("typology"). In this dissertation project, doctoral student Adam Roth Singerman will document the grammar of Tupari, an endangered language spoken by perhaps 300 people in villages in the Rio Branco Indigenous Reserve, in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. Working closely with the community, Singerman will first document a wide variety of interesting grammatical phenomena in Tupari. This theory-neutral description of the language's morphosyntax will serve as the basis for the first complete reference grammar of the language. It will also create a foundation for more detailed, theoretical investigation into several key topics, focusing especially on the grammatical alignment patterns (both ergative-absolutive and nominative-accusative) which Tupari shows. Alignment in Tupari behaves in ways that defy previous generalizations from the literature, so studying it in greater depth is important for typological research and for syntactic theory. In addition to creating a comprehensive, complete description of Tupari grammar, Singerman will also collaborate with the community to develop native literacy materials. The dissertation will also facilitate comparative analysis of the Tupian family, drawing from languages of Rondônia that are historically related to Tupari, including Gavião, Mekens, and Karitiâna.