The phonology and morphology of Filomeno Mata Totonac

44) lamahkú*u&
/la-maa-kú'u&/
live-PROG-JUST
‘he’s still alive’
45) kpuuc%eeqehkú*u&
/k- puu-c"eqee-li&-kú'u&/
1SUB-LOC-wash-PFTV-JUST
‘I just cleaned it inside’
5.4 Valence-changing morphology. This section describes the valence-changing morphology of
Filomeno Mata Totonaco, for the most part following the framework spelled out in Dixon (2000)
and Dixon & Aikhenvald (1997). The language has a variety of argument-transferring
derivations, including two morphological causatives and five applicatives, as well as
constructions sometimes analyzed as a passive voice, middle voice, and antipassive, and
reflexives and reciprocals. What is typologically interesting is the great productivity of the
valence-changing constructions. Almost every verb in the language, intransitive or transitive,
may be causativized, and most may be derived by one or more of the applicatives. Equally,
almost all transitive verbs may undergo the passive and antipassive-like constructions, and many
are eligible for middle voice. The following sub-sections will cover each of these derivations,
beginning with the valence-increasing constructions.
5.4.1 Causatives. Dixon & Aikhenvald provide the following criteria for the prototypical
causative:
a) applies to an underlying intransitive clause and forms a derived transitive;
b) the argument in underlying S function goes into O function in the causative;
c) a new argument is introduced, in A function;
d) there is some explicit formal marking of the causative construction.
Dixon & Aikhenvald (1997:81)
FM Totonac has two morphological causative constructions, both of them formally marked by
prefixation: a productive one using maa-, and one whose usage is restricted, with maq(a)-. The
former but not the latter is usually accompanied by the transitivizing suffix, usually –ii, but
sometimes –VV, with vowel quality in harmony with the preceding root vowel (see §2.6.4.2). In
fact, although causative maa- and the transitivizer suffix occasionally occur alone, they may
generally be thought of as a circumfix. Both causatives may derive a transitive from an
intransitive, add a new A argument, and cause the underlying S argument to be marked on the
verb using O affixes. The maa- construction also regularly causativizes transitive verbs,
promoting an oblique argument into the core. FM Totonac imposes no limitations on the
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