Abstract

The main purpose of this document is to describe simple clauses in Kokama-Kokamilla, a highly endangered language spoken in the Peruvian Amazon by approximately 1500 people. This study describes non-verbal predicate constructions in terms of the structures that Kokama-Kokamilla uses to express functions such as equative, attributive, existential, possessive and locative. It includes a formal characterization of intransitive and transitive verbal constructions. There is also ample discussion of whether or not ditransitive constructions exist as a distinct type relative to transitives. The analysis presented is based on data collected via original field work from 11 native speakers. The type of data ranges from sentence-level elicitation to texts, including folk stories and narratives.

Table of Contents:

  • I.     INTRODUCTION:
  • 1.1. The data
  • 1.2. Prior research on Kokama-Kokamilla
  • 1.3. Theoretical background
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  • II.     SOME SALIENT FEATURES OF KOKAMA-KOKAMILLA:
  • 2.1. Feminine and Masculine Speech
  • 2.2. Main Parts of speech 2.2.1. Nouns ... 2.2.2. Verbs 2.2.3. Descriptives
  • 2.3. Tense System
  • 2.4. Aspect System
  • 2.5. Word Order
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  • III.     NON-VERBAL PREDICATES:
  • 3.1. Juxtaposition of NPs
  • 3.2. NP NP-PRO 3.3. emete Constructions
  • 3.4. –yara Constructions
  • 3.5. NP NP-LOC
  • 3.6. Constructions with Descriptives
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  • IV.    VERBAL PREDICATES:
  • 4.1. Core Arguments and Obliques
  • 4.2. Intransitive Clauses
  • 4.3. Transitive Clauses 4.3.1. Constituency in Transitive Clauses
  • 4.4. Ditransitive-like Clauses
  • 4.5. Syntax of Events with Three Participants
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