Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: In a grammatical description of Uto-Aztecan languages, Langacker (1997) identifies various functions of *ka, ranging from the copulative verb ‘to be’, a stative marker, a tense-aspect affix, a participle, a subordinating marker, to a possessive morpheme. The purpose of this study is to explore the verbal functions of ka in three languages not mentioned by Langacker: Yaqui, O’dam, and Wixárika. Uses as a stative marker, participial, and subordinating marker are identified in all three languages. In Yaqui and Wixárika, it appears as a postural verb ‘sit’ and a verbal possession morpheme. In Wixárika, a locative morpheme ka is observed, a function not mentioned by Langacker. The most stable function is as a tense-aspect marker, although the values tend to vary between the languages. These initial observations lay the foundation for future comparative studies on ka, its allomorphs, and derived forms, as well as the potential grammaticalization paths.
Source: Semas
Author: Fernando Hernandez Sandoval
Institution: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4408322854