Introducing arguments to the karitiana verbal structure

Abstract

This paper investigates how Karitiana (a Tupian language, branch Arikém, located in Rondônia, Brazil; population: 396 people - 330 speakers) introduces extra arguments into the basic verbal structures. In order to analyze and discuss the data, we adopted two theoretical frameworks, e.g., (i) the Hale and Keyser (2002)’s theory of argument structure and (ii) the theory of applicative heads, elaborated by Pylkkänen (2008). In the former proposal, Karitiana displays four verbal classes (intransitive, intransitive with oblique objects, transitive and ditransitive verbs) while, in the latter, the language has only two verbal classes (intransitive and transitive verbs). In Pylkkänen’s framework, the Karitiana verbal system exhibits two basic structures in which additional arguments are added by applicative or voice nuclei. In causatives, voices only introduce higher arguments into the structures. However, applicative heads are divided into two types – high and low. The higher head inserts an extra argument above the VP; the lower one inserts the argument internally into the VP.