Prominent possessors

It seems obvious that we say "Mary's children are intelligent", but not *"Mary's children is intelligent". Many other languages are like English in this respect, and linguists have an (apparently) good explanation for it. In the possessive noun phrase "Mary's children", "Mary" is the possessor and "children" is the possessed item. The possessed item is the head of the phrase and the possessor is a (grammatical) dependent of the head. The properties of the head are more important for larger syntactic structures containing the phrase than the properties of the dependent. In our example, the possessed noun "children" determines, i.e. controls, the form of the verb ("are intelligent"). Linguists call this relation "agreement". Since the possessor "Mary" is a dependent of "children", it cannot control agreement. That is why *"Mary's children is intelligent" is impossible. Speakers "know" this at some level, and we linguists have a technical explanation for these rules in terms of the properties of heads and dependents.

But not all languages behave like English in this respect, so the explanation that linguists have accepted cannot be a general one. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that in some languages, e.g. Maithili spoken in India or Chimane spoken in Bolivia, it is possible for the opposite to be true under certain conditions. Contrary to what is usually expected, when both possessor and possessed are part of the same syntactic phrase, the grammatical properties of the possessor (and not the possessed item) are relevant for syntactic processes such as agreement with the verb. In such cases, the possessor has a greater deal of 'prominence' than typically encountered.

This type of data presents linguistic theorists with a challenge. Agreement with a prominent possessor is an issue for syntactic theory because, despite attested variability across languages in this respect, models of syntax have little to say about it. They have hitherto assumed that agreement is a relation that holds between a verb and the head of one of its subject noun phrase(s), but not a dependent element within that noun phrase.

Another relevant syntactic process is switch-reference: a special type of marking indicating that the subjects of the two clauses refer to the same entity. It typically targets the head of the possessive phrase, but in some languages, e.g. Turkish, switch-reference marking indicates that the possessor within the subject phrase of one clause is interpreted as referring to the same entity as the subject of the second clause.

Data of this kind is typologically challenging because very little is known about how prominent possessors are manifested within the same phrase as the possessed item, and how they function in grammar. The extent of the phenomenon and in what languages and language families they are found has never been investigated. While currently understudied, the implications of these possessive constructions for our understanding of how grammar works are profound, and the time is ripe for a focused investigation.

Our collaborative project will (i) investigate the phenomenon of prominent possessors from a theoretical and cross-linguistic perspective; (ii) collect new data from little studied related and unrelated languages; (iii) compile a database and make it fully available for public online use; and (iv) publish articles on the significance of our findings for current theories of grammar.

The core activities carried out for this research constitute empirically motivated theoretical work whose major impact will be within the field of linguistics, in particular in syntax and typology. While linguistic research of this kind makes a long-term contribution to a knowledge base that influences developments in social and commercial applications, we have identified two key communities beyond our narrow academic environment where impact will be more immediate, through the instigation of activities or development of resources that will increase the likelihood of engagement with the research outputs. Such resources are not currently available through any other outlet. The two impact-beneficiary groups can be identified as:

(i) The native speaker communities of two of the languages that will feature as part of our case study methodology, namely, Chimane and Tundra Nenets.

Both languages are highly endangered: there is a constant decline in the number of native speakers and the transmission of the language to children is limited. These negative factors notwithstanding, representatives of the native communities have expressed their wish to cooperate with linguists in documenting their languages as fully as possible and to have access to reliable online and printed resources supporting this goal.

The resources we are planning to create include a pedagogical primer for Chimane and new glossing conventions for use in Tundra Nenets language teaching. They will benefit the speakers of Chimane and Tundra Nenets by providing source and reference materials for their languages. With this we are hoping to increase language awareness in the local communities, and encourage younger generations to explore their traditional linguistic heritage. Our impact pathways will also support the activities of individuals in the two communities who are engaged in language pedagogy, online journalism and linguistic activism, and potentially contribute to language maintenance.

(ii) Members of the public who have an active interest in languages and/or socio-cultural diversity in general, particularly in issues surrounding language endangerment.

Our work will enhance the general knowledge and appreciation of endangered languages and cultures, bring largely unknown linguistic and cultural traditions to greater public attention, and provide better understanding of the factors that threaten and sustain languages. This will be achieved in part through public outreach activities to be held as part of the annual Endangered Languages Week held at SOAS, which will provide an opportunity to share socio-cultural and linguistic information about Chimane and Tundra Nenets to non-academic beneficiaries in an informal setting. This event is largely publicized and has been well attended by the members of non-academic public.

The further enhancement of existing online resources for Tundra Nenets - which have already generated considerable interest among non-academic users - will likewise allow the results of our research to be made accessible to the general public. These activities have the potential to improve awareness of biocultural diversity in its human context, and assist its measurement, assessment and maintenance. This goal is important because biocultural diversity is currently under threat and its loss spells dramatic consequences for humanity and the earth.

The PI's ability to deliver on these goals successfully is supported by her receipt of the Women of Discovery Humanity Prize from Wing World Quest (2008), the foremost international organization dedicated to recognizing and supporting the women who are advancing scientific inquiry, education and environmental conservation, and two awards for creating teaching aids for the minority communities in Russia (from Yakut Ministry of Education in 2000, and the Association of the Minorities of the Russian North in 2004).