Mawng (Yiwaidjan)

Mismatch 1: morphosyntax: gender

Mismatch 2: morphosyntax: pseudo-object

Pronominal prefixes on verbs mark person-number-gender of the arguments -- subject for intransitives, subject and object for transtives. A fragment of the paradigm (omitting 1st and 2nd person objects) is given below:

subject

object
Ø 3SG M 3SG F 3SG LL 3SG VE 3SG ED 3PL
1SG FUT
PRS
PST		 ngana‑
nga‑
nga‑		 ngiwa(na)‑
ngi‑
ngi‑		 nginypa(na)‑
nginy‑
nginy‑		 ngunpa(na)‑
ngung‑
ngung‑		 nganyana‑
nganyma‑
nganyma‑		 ngapa(na)‑
ngaKa‑
ngaKa‑		 ngawunpaa(na)‑
ngawun‑
ngawun‑
1INCL PL FUT
PRS
PST		 arrkpa‑
karr(k)‑
arrk‑		 arriwa(na)‑
karri‑
arri‑		 arrinypa(na)‑
karriny‑
arriny‑		 arrungpa(na)‑
karrung‑
arrung‑		 arrpana‑
karrpa‑
arrpa‑		 arrapa(na)‑
karraKa‑
arraKa‑		 arrpunpa(na)‑
karrpun‑
karrpun‑
1EXCL PL FUT
PRS
PST		 ngatpa‑
ngarr‑
ngarr‑		 ngarriwa(na)‑
ngarri‑
ngarri‑		 ngarrinypa(na)‑
ngarriny‑
ngarriny ‑		 ngarrungpa(na)‑
ngarrung‑
ngarrung‑		 ngatana‑
ngatpa‑
ngatpa‑		 ngarrapa(na)‑
ngarraKa‑
ngarraKa‑		 ngatpunpa(na)‑
ngatpun‑
ngatpun‑
2SG FUT
PRS
PST		 anpa‑
ka(n)‑
an‑		 kuwa(na)‑
ku‑
ku‑		 kunypa(na)‑
kuny‑
kuny‑		 kungpa(na)‑
kunga‑
kunga‑		 anngana‑
kannga‑
kannga‑		 kapa(na)‑
kaKa‑
kaKa‑		 anpunpa(na)‑
kanpun‑
anpun‑
2PL FUT
PRS
PST		 kutpa‑
kurr‑
kurr‑		 kurriwa(na)‑
kurri‑
kurri‑		 kurrinypa(na)‑
kurriny‑
kurriny‑		 kurrungpa(na)‑
kurrung‑
kurrung‑		 kutana‑
kutpa‑
kutpa‑		 kurrapa(na)‑
kurraKa‑
kurraKa‑		 kutpunpa(na)‑
kutpan‑
kutpan‑
3SG M FUT
PRS
PST		 iwa‑
ki‑
i‑		 kiwani‑
kini‑
ini‑		 yinypani‑
kinyi‑
inyi‑		 angpani‑
kani‑
ani‑		 manani‑
kamani‑
mani‑		 apani‑
kati‑
ati‑		 awupani‑
kawuni‑
awuni‑
3SG F FUT
PRS
PST		 nganyana‑
nganyma‑
nganyma‑		 kiwanga‑
kinga ‑
inga ‑		 yinypanga‑
kinyga‑
inyga‑		 anpanga‑
kanga‑
anga‑		 mananga‑
kamanga‑
mamanga‑		 apanga‑
kaka‑
aka‑		 awupanga‑
kawungga‑
awunngama‑
3SG LL FUT
PRS
PST		 angpa‑
kang‑
ang‑
same as 3F subject
3SG VE FUT
PRS
PST		 mana‑
kama‑
ma‑
3SG ED FUT
PRS
PST		 apa‑
kaK‑
aK‑
3PL FUT
PRS
PST		 awa‑
kawu‑
awu‑		 kiwana(na)‑
kiwu‑
iwu‑		 yinyjana‑
kinypu‑
yinypu‑		 angpa(na)‑
kangpu‑
angpu‑		 mampa(na)‑
kampu‑
mampu‑		 apa(na)‑
kapu‑
apu‑		 awunpana‑
kawunpu‑
awunpu‑
(Singer 2003: Appendix)
Note: LL=land and liquid gender, VE=vegetable gender, ED=edible gender.

These prefixes are involved in two types of mismatch:

Mismatch 1

Some transitives use only prefixes particular to one gender, regardless of the gender of the subject. In the following example, warlkanyi 'fall' and ulkpuni 'fall' use vegetable and land and liquid gender prefixes, respectively, even though the subject is masculine, as evidenced by the prefixes on the other verbs:

Ki‑majpungkin ki‑langali ki‑wnmen ki‑wnmakpen ki‑mit jap kama‑warlkanyi, kang‑ulkpuni
3SG M‑get.up 3SG M‑stand 3SG M‑try 3SG M‑try 3SG M‑do move.location 3SG VE‑fall 3SG LL‑fall
'He gets up, he stands and he tries, he keeps trying. He takes a few steps, then he falls, he falls down.'
(Singer 2003: Ch. 3, p. 7)


Mismatch 2

Some intransitive verbs nevertheless take transitive prefixes associated with a 3rd person singular object of some particular gender, e.g:

kini‑wurlnga 'move around in a circle' (masculine)
kamani‑warnukpun 'bend down, lie stretched out' (vegetable)
kati‑lalken 'be in pain' (edible)
(Singer 2003: Ch. 3, p. 8)

Such verbs cannot take an overt direct object, though Singer notes one example in which reflexivization is possible (kani-lakpanpun 'chew on something in mouth' ~ ki-lakpanpun 'bite one's own cheek').

References

Singer, Ruth. 2003. Confirmation report. Ms., University of Melbourne.