ISSN: 2306-5737E-ISSN: 2658-4069
Acta Linguistica Petropolitana
Transactions of the Institute for Linguistic Studies
ISSN: 2306-5737E-ISSN: 2658-4069
Acta Linguistica Petropolitana
Transactions of the Institute for Linguistic Studies 

On the discourse functions of the enclitics ꞊ma and ꞊mʔ in Tundra Nenets

DOI:10.30842/alp2306573716302
PDF, 544.73 kb
Burkova S. I. O diskursivnykh funktsiyakh enklitik ꞊ma i ꞊mʔ v tundrovom nenetskom yazyke. Acta Linguistica Petropolitana. 2020. XVI(3): 29–52.

The paper discusses two enclitics, ꞊ma(꞊wa) and ꞊mʔ(꞊wʔ), which occur in the finite predicate in Tundra Nenets. Both forms are usually described in the literature very briefly and vaguely, and their functions remain obscure. In some contexts, these functions seem to overlap. For example, Tereščenko just mentioned the form ꞊ma among other “assertive suffix particles” [Tereščenko 1973: 88]. Nikolaeva, who also treats ꞊ma as an assertive clitic, considers its central function to express certainty [Nikolaeva 2014: 120]. However, this does not answer the question why, if this form expresses certainty, it can combine with the non-indicative moods. The form ꞊mʔ is considered “an affirmative suffix particle” in the section on affirmative sentences in [Tereščenko 1973], but in the section on interrogative sentences it is referred to as “a special marker used to emphasize the interrogative intonation”. In the table of contents in [Nikolaeva 2014], the section on the enclitic ꞊mʔ is entitled “Affirmative ꞊m°h”, but further in the text this section is entitled “Dubitative ꞊m°h”. The ambiguous interpretation of the forms under discussion is apparently due to the fact that each of them can be used in different contexts, and the features of a context are often attributed to the enclitic itself.

The analysis undertaken in this paper takes into account both “narrow” (a wordform or syntactic construction) and wide contexts of use of the enclitics ꞊ma and ꞊. This analysis shows that a fundamentally important feature of both enclitics is their relation to the discourse structure. At the same time, these forms have different functions. A predicate marked with ꞊ma introduces a piece of information {B} that is associated with the previous or subsequent context {A}. By the speaker’s assumption, {B} may not be known to the addressee, but it is important for the addressee to build the correct knowledge of {A} or to choose the right behavior pattern. The main semantic component of the enclitic ꞊ is an indication of an alternative. As is the case with ꞊ma, a predicate marked with ꞊ also introduces a piece of information {B} that is associated with the previous or subsequent context {A}, but in the case of ꞊, the speaker considers {B} to be known to the addressee. At the same time, the speaker believes that the addressee may also have an alternative piece of information {B1}. By using ꞊(꞊) the speaker returns the addressee to the relevant information {B}, which helps to make the necessary association with {A}.

Keywords
Tundra Nenets, enclitics, discourse function
References
Baranov et al. 1993
A. N. Baranov, V. A. Plungyan, E. V. Rakhilina. Putevoditel po diskursivnym slovam russkogo yazyka [Guide to the discursive words of the Russian language]. Moscow: Pomovskiy i partnery, 1993.
Bonnot, Kodzasov 1998
Ch. Bonnot, S. V. Kodzasov. Semanticheskoe varirovanie diskursivnykh slov i ego vliyanie na linearizatsiyu i intonirovanie (na primere chastits zhe i ved) [The semantic variation of discursive words and its effect on linearization and intonation (on the example of particles zhe and ved)]. K. Kiseleva, D. Paillard (eds.). Diskursivnye slova russkogo yazyka: opyt kontekstno-semanticheskogo opisaniya [Discursive words of the Russian language: contextual-semantic description]. Moscow: Metatekst, 1998. P. 382–443.
Burkova 2010
S. I. Burkova. Kratkiy grammaticheskiy ocherk vostochnykh govorov tundrovogo dialekta nenetskogo yazyka [A brief grammar sketch of the Eastern subdialects of the Tundra dialect of the Nenets language]. S. I. Burkova, N. B. Koshkareva, R. I. Laptander et al. (comp.). Dialektologicheskiy slovar nenetskogo yazyka [The dialectological dictionary of the Nenets language]. Tyumen: BASKO, 2010. P. 179–349.
Burkova 2012
S. I. Burkova. Formy s semantikoy irrealnoy modalnosti v nenetskom yazyke [Forms with semantics of irreal modality in the Nenets language]. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta. 2012. No. 1. P. 28–32.
Burkova 2013
S. I. Burkova. K voprosu o «voprositelnoy» forme ‑sa v nenetskom yazyke [To the question of the “interrogative” form ‑sa in the Nenets language]. A. E. Kibrik (ed.), T. B. Agranat, O. A. Kazakevich, E. V. Kashkin (comp.). Lingvisticheskiy bespredel — 2. Sbornik nauchnykh trudov k yubileyu A. I. Kuznetsovoy [Linguistic chaos — 2. Collection of scientific works for the anniversary of A. I. Kuznetsova]. Moscow: Moscow State University Press, 2013. P. 46–65.
Hajdú 1988
P. Hajdú. Die Samojedischen Sprachen. D. Sinor (ed.). The Uralic languages. Description, History and Foreign Influences. Leiden; New York; København; Köln: Brill, 1988. P. 3–146.
Kiseleva, Paillard 1998
K. Kiseleva, D. Paillard (eds.). Diskursivnye slova russkogo yazyka: opyt kontekstno-semanticheskogo opisaniya [Discursive words of the Russian language: contextual-semantic description]. Moscow: Metatekst, 1998.
Kiseleva, Paillard 2003
K. Kiseleva, D. Paillard (comp.). Diskursivnye slova russkogo yazyka: kontekstnoe varirovanie i semanticheskoe edinstvo [Discursive words of the Russian language: contextual variation and semantic coherence]. Moscow: Azbukovnik, 2003.
Kupriyanova et al. 1985
Z. N. Kupriyanova, M. Ya. Barmich, L. V. Khomich. Nenetskiy yazyk: Uchebnoe posobie dlya pedagogicheskikh uchilishch [Nenets language: a textbook for pedagogical colleges]. 4th ed. Leningrad: Prosveshchenie, 1985.
Levontina 2005
I. B. Levontina. Ob odnoy zagadke chastitsy ved [About one puzzle of the particle ved]. I. M. Kobozeva, A. S. Narinyani, V. P. Selegey (eds.). Trudy Mezhdunarodnoy konferentsii po kompyuternoy lingvistike i intellektualnym tekhnologiyam «Dialog-2005» [Proceedings of the International conference on computational linguistics and intellectual technologies “Dialog-2005”]. Moscow: Nauka, 2005. Available at: http://www.dialog-21.ru/media/2398/levontinai.pdf (accessed on 12.11.2020).
Mikola 2004
T. Mikola. Studien zur Geschichte der Samojedischen Sprachen. Aus dem Nachlass herausgegeben von Beáta Wagner-Nagy (Studia Uralo-Altaica. Vol. 45). Szeged: SzTE Finnisch-Ugrisches Institut, 2004.
Nikolaeva 1985
T. M. Nikolaeva. Funktsii chastits v vyskazyvanii (na materiale slavyanskikh yazykov) [The functions of particles in the utterance (on the material of Slavic languages)]. Moscow: Nauka, 1985.
Nikolaeva 2014
I. Nikolaeva. A Grammar of Tundra Nenets (Mouton Grammar Library. Vol. 65). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, 2014.
Prokofev 1937
G. N. Prokofev. Nenetskiy (yurako-samoedskiy) yazyk [Nenets (Yurak-Samoyedic) language]. G. N. Prokofev (ed.). Yazyki i pismennost narodov Severa [Languages and writing of the peoples of the North]. Pt. I. Moscow; Leningrad: State Pedagogical Publishing House, 1937. P. 5–52.
Salminen 1997
T. Salminen. Tundra Nenets Inflection (Mémoires de la Société Finno-Ougrienne. Vol. 227). Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, 1997.
Shcherbakova 1954
A. M. Shcherbakova. Formy otritsaniya v nenetskom yazyke [Forms of negation in the Nenets language]. Uchenye zapiski Leningradskogo peda­gogicheskogo instituta im. A. I. Gertsena. 1954. Vol. 101. P. 181–231.
Tereshchenko 1965
N. M. Tereshchenko. Nenetsko-russkiy slovar [Nenets-Russian dictionary]. Moscow: Sovetskaya entsiklopediya, 1965.
Tereshchenko 1973a
N. M. Tereshchenko. Sintaksis samodiyskikh yazykov. Prostoe predlozhenie. [Syntax of Samoyedic languages. Clausal structure]. Leningrad: Nauka, 1973.
Tereshchenko 1973b
N. M. Tereshchenko. Strukturnye osobennosti voprositelnykh i vosklitsatelnykh predlozheniy v samodiyskikh yazykakh [Structural properties of interrogative and exclamatory sentences in Samoyedic languages]. Sovetskoe finno-ugrovedenie. 1973. Vol. XX. No. 4. P. 195–202.
Tereshchenko 1993
N. M. Tereshchenko. Nenetskiy yazyk [Nenets language]. Yu. S. Eliseev, K. E. Maytinskaya, O. I. Romanova (eds.). Yazyki mira: Uralskie yazyki [Languages of the world: Uralic languages]. Moscow: Nauka, 1993. P. 326–343.
Zwicky, Pullum 1983
A. M. Zwicky, G. K. Pullum. Clitization vs Inflection: English n’t. Language. 1983. Vol. 59. No. 3. P. 502–513.
Keywords
Tundra Nenets, enclitics, discourse function
ScopusSCImago Journal & Country RankE-Library.ruCrossRefCyberLeninkaVAKERIH Plus