Open AccessObligational Constructions in New Indo-Aryan Languages of Western India
Author(s) -
L. V. Khokhlova
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
lingua posnaniesis/lingua posnaniensis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.124
H-Index - 4
eISSN - 2083-6090
pISSN - 0079-4740
DOI - 10.2478/linpo-2013-0016
Subject(s) - ergative case , hindi , linguistics , syntax , urdu , dative case , history , vernacular , obligation , historical linguistics , computer science , mathematics , philosophy , political science , combinatorics , transitive relation , law
The paper describes historical roots as well as syntactic and semantic properties of the three main obligational constructions in modern Hindi-Urdu, Punjabi, Rajasthani 1 and Gujarati 2 These constructions differ from one another by the degree and by the type of obligation. The main syntactic properties of obligational constructions discussed in the paper are Agent marking and long distance agreement rules. It will be demonstrated that the increasing frequency of the Dative instead of the Instrumental Agent marking in constructions of obligation was part of the gradual destruction of the ‘passive syntax’ typical for the climactic stage of ergative development.