The relationship between demonstratives and interrogatives

This paper examines two types of expressions that seem to exist in all languages, demonstratives and interrogatives. Based on a representative sample of 100 languages it is shown that demonstratives and interrogatives have some striking features in common. They cross-cut the boundaries of several word classes and encode the same semantic features: person, thing, place, direction, manner, time, and amount. It is the central hypothesis of this study that the crosslinguistic parallelism between demonstratives and interrogatives is motivated by their pragmatic functions: both initiate a search for information that is guided by their semantic and syntactic features. Further, it is argued that demonstratives and interrogatives have a special status in language. Although both types of expressions are commonly considered grammatical markers, they do not serve an ordinary grammatical function. Grammatical markers organize the information flow in the ongoing discourse, whereas basic demonstratives and interrogatives are immediately concerned with the speaker-hearer interaction.

[1]  D. Okoth-Okombo,et al.  A functional grammar of Dholuo , 1997 .

[2]  Fred Karlsson.  Finnish: An Essential Grammar , 1999 .

[3]  Jeffrey Heath.  Functional grammar of Nunggubuyu , 1984 .

[4]  N. Besnier,et al.  Tuvaluan: A Polynesian Language of the Central Pacific. , 2000 .

[5]  Michael Dunn,et al.  A grammar of Chukchi , 1999 .

[6]  Keren Rice,et al.  A grammar of Slave , 1989 .

[7]  Amy Miller.  A Grammar of Jamul Tiipay , 2001 .

[8]  George Hewitt,et al.  Georgian: A structural reference grammar , 1995 .

[9]  Russell G. Schuh,et al.  A Grammar of Miya , 1998 .

[10]  K. S. Nagaraja,et al.  Khasi, a descriptive analysis , 1985 .

[11]  Lili E. Rabel.  Khasi, a language of Assam , 1963 .

[12]  T. Givón,et al.  Syntax: A Functional-Typological Introduction , 1982 .

[13]  Francesca Merlan,et al.  A Grammar of Wardaman: A Language of the Northern Territory of Australia , 1994 .

[14]  Monica Macaulay,et al.  A grammar of Chalcatongo Mixtec , 1996 .

[15]  M. Krug,et al.  Thoughts on Grammaticalization , 1997 .

[16]  Angela Terrill,et al.  A grammar of Lavukaleve : a Papuan language of the Solomon Islands , 1999 .

[17]  Raquel Guirardello,et al.  A reference grammar of Trumai , 1999 .

[18]  Virginia Yip,et al.  Cantonese: A Comprehensive Grammar , 1994 .

[19]  Martin Harris,et al.  The evolution of French syntax : a comparative approach , 1983 .

[20]  N. Himmelmann.  Demonstratives in Narrative Discourse: A Taxonomy of Universal Uses , 1996 .

[21]  David P. Wilkins.  Mparntwe Arrernte (Aranda) : studies in the structure and semantics of grammar , 1989 .

[22]  Russell Ultan,et al.  Some General Characteristics of Interrogative Systems. Working Papers on Language Universals, No. 1. , 1969 .

[23]  Bruce Waters,et al.  Morphology, syntax and cohesion in Nabak, Papua New Guinea , 1998 .

[24]  Kashi Wali,et al.  Kashmiri: A Cognitive-Descriptive Grammar , 1996 .

[25]  D. Geary,et al.  The Dong language in Guizhou Province, China , 1998 .

[26]  Martin Haspelmath,et al.  Approaches to grammaticalization , 1992 .

[27]  Robert Carlson,et al.  A Grammar of Supyire , 1994 .

[28]  Les Bruce,et al.  The Alamblak language of Papua New Guinea (East Sepik) , 1984 .

[29]  J. Dayley.  Tümpisa (Panamint) Shoshone grammar , 1989 .

[30]  L. C. Thompson,et al.  A Vietnamese Reference Grammar , 1988 .

[31]  Donald M. Topping,et al.  Chamorro Reference Grammar , 1980 .

[32]  Nicole Nau.  Was schlägt der Kasus? Zu Paradigmen und Formengebrauch von Interrogativpronomina , 1999 .

[33]  Jan Svartvik,et al.  A __ comprehensive grammar of the English language , 1988 .

[34]  Gary Holton,et al.  The phonology and morphology of the Tanacross Athabaskan language , 2000 .

[35]  Rachel Nordlinger,et al.  A grammar of Wambaya, Northern Territory (Australia) , 1998 .

[36]  Zygmunt Frajzyngier,et al.  A Grammar of Hdi , 2001 .

[37]  Colin Yallop,et al.  Alyawarra, an Aboriginal language of Central Australia , 1979 .

[38]  Damian G. Sohl,et al.  Ponapean Reference Grammar , 1981 .

[39]  Shobhana L. Chelliah,et al.  A grammar of Meithei , 1997 .

[40]  John Haiman,et al.  Hua, a Papuan language of the eastern highlands of New Guinea , 1980 .

[41]  K. Bühler.  Sprachtheorie: Die Darstellungsfunktion der Sprache , 1934 .

[42]  Irina Nikolaeva,et al.  A Grammar of Udihe , 2001 .

[43]  Martin Haspelmath,et al.  A Grammar of Lezgian , 1994 .

[44]  Ray Jackendoff.  Semantics and Cognition , 1983 .

[45]  Tasaku Tsunoda,et al.  The Djaru language of Kimberley, Western Australia , 1981 .

[46]  N. Himmelmann.  Deiktikon, Artikel, Nominalphrase : zur Emergenz syntaktischer Struktur , 1997 .

[47]  M. Durie.  A grammar of Acehnese on the basis of a dialect of north Aceh , 1985 .

[48]  Jeffrey Heath,et al.  A Grammar of Koyra Chiini: The Songhay of Timbuktu , 1998 .

[49]  Robert Dixon,et al.  The Dyirbal language of North Queensland , 1972 .

[50]  S. Herring.  Discourse Functions of Demonstrative Deixis in Tamil , 1994 .

[51]  R. M. W. Dixon,et al.  A Grammar of Yidiɲ: Frontmatter , 1977 .

[52]  M. L. Press.  Chemehuevi : a grammar and lexicon , 1981 .

[53]  T. Mitchell.  An introduction to Egyptian colloquial Arabic , 1978 .

[54]  Suzuko Tamura.  Ainu Language , 2000 .

[55]  Frantisek Lichtenberk,et al.  A grammar of Manam , 1983 .