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Johnson 2004 - CDLI - UCLA

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(36) [[Joe wowapi wa owa] ki] wac‘i<br />

Joe book a wrote the want-1Sg<br />

I want the book that Joe wrote<br />

In (36), the indefinite determiner “wa” occurs inside the relative clause and indicates<br />

which noun is being relativized. The definite determiner “ki” then modifies the entire<br />

relative clause (although the determiner that modifies the entire clause can be either<br />

definite or indefinite). Readers who have some familiarity with Semitic languages will<br />

immediately recognize this as the pattern of (in)definiteness that underlies the genitive<br />

construction known as the construct state, where the head (possessed) noun cannot bear a<br />

definite determiner (hence definiteness is neutralized) and the definiteness of the entire<br />

construction is determined by either the presence or the absence of the article on the<br />

possessor. This allows one to draw a parallel between the Semitic construct state and the<br />

HIRC constructions in Akkadian (the following examples, after Huehnergard 2000, 188).<br />

(37) a. [ DP [ Topic Ø] [ Focusb®t e¢puß-u]] imqut<br />

Ø house do.1Sg.Perf-Subord fall.3Sg.Perf<br />

A/the house I built collapsed<br />

b. [ DP [ Topic b®t-um] [ Focusßa e¢puß-u]] imqut<br />

house-Def Rel do.1Sg.Perf-Subord fall.3Sg.Perf<br />

As for the house, namely the one I built, it collapsed,<br />

237

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