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Adverbial and Argument-Doubling Clauses in Cree - MSpace

Adverbial and Argument-Doubling Clauses in Cree - MSpace

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away'. It is <strong>in</strong> the conjunct order, <strong>and</strong> is occurr<strong>in</strong>g with a transitive mavVr verb<br />

kisk2yihtm ' he knows it ' .<br />

(3 7) êkoyikyhkl' namoya kiskjihtam bkih-tapuiyit.<br />

even.now not know.TE(3-<strong>in</strong>an) j-pst-flee. AI -3'<br />

'Even now he did not know that the other had got away.' (S:3 7-29)<br />

These subord<strong>in</strong>ate clauses occur with transitive verb stems. If they occur with an<br />

<strong>in</strong>transitive verb, they receive a different <strong>in</strong>terpretation. This is apparent if we compare<br />

the two sentences <strong>in</strong> (38).<br />

(38) a. rnihtâtam ê-kî-sipwêhtênit .<br />

regret. TI43<br />

-<strong>in</strong>an) cj-past-leave. AI-3'<br />

'She regrets that he left. '<br />

b. pâhpiw 6-sipwêhtênit.<br />

Iiugh. AI-3 cj-leave. Al-3'<br />

'She laughs/laughed when he leaves/iefi. '<br />

In (38a) the subord<strong>in</strong>ate clause is constmed with object pronom<strong>in</strong>al argument. It has a<br />

semantic relationship with the matrix clause which suggests a cornplement-like<br />

<strong>in</strong>terpretation. The proposition expressed by the subord<strong>in</strong>ate clause provides <strong>in</strong>formation<br />

about the object of the verb 'regret someth<strong>in</strong>g' . However, <strong>in</strong> (38b). the relationship<br />

between the matnx verb <strong>and</strong> the subord<strong>in</strong>ate clause is a temporal one. The subord<strong>in</strong>ate<br />

clause simply expresses an event which happened at the same time as the event <strong>in</strong> the<br />

matrix clause. While a causal reiationship could be posited, it would rely on pragmatic<br />

considerations, not syntactic ones. The subord<strong>in</strong>ate clause <strong>in</strong> (38b) does not have a<br />

tg<br />

This is Bloomfield's spell<strong>in</strong>g. <strong>and</strong> should be written as ëkoyikohk-

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