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Subjecthood in Armenian
Angelika Muth
Ghent University
What characterizes a subject in Armenian?
Coding properties?
caseword orderagreement
Behavioural properties?
Semantic propertiess?
Pragmatic properties?
What characterizes a subject in Armenian?
Coding properties?
caseword orderagreement
Behavioural properties?
Semantic propertiess?
Pragmatic properties?
What characterizes a subject in Armenian?
Coding properties?
case
word orderagreement
Behavioural properties?
Semantic propertiess?
Pragmatic properties?
What characterizes a subject in Armenian?
Coding properties?
caseword order
agreement
Behavioural properties?
Semantic propertiess?
Pragmatic properties?
What characterizes a subject in Armenian?
Coding properties?
caseword orderagreement
Behavioural properties?
Semantic propertiess?
Pragmatic properties?
What characterizes a subject in Armenian?
Coding properties?
caseword orderagreement
Behavioural properties?
Semantic propertiess?
Pragmatic properties?
A few facts on Armenian
Indo-European languageAttested since early 5th c. ADWritten in an own alphabet
Western Eastern
Old – Classical Armenian(from early 5th c.)
Middle Cilician –(12th - 18th c.)
Modern Standard Western Armenian Standard Eastern Armenian(from 18th c.) (from 18th c.)
Diaspora Republic of Armenia
A few facts on ArmenianIndo-European language
Attested since early 5th c. ADWritten in an own alphabet
Western Eastern
Old – Classical Armenian(from early 5th c.)
Middle Cilician –(12th - 18th c.)
Modern Standard Western Armenian Standard Eastern Armenian(from 18th c.) (from 18th c.)
Diaspora Republic of Armenia
A few facts on ArmenianIndo-European languageAttested since early 5th c. AD
Written in an own alphabet
Western Eastern
Old – Classical Armenian(from early 5th c.)
Middle Cilician –(12th - 18th c.)
Modern Standard Western Armenian Standard Eastern Armenian(from 18th c.) (from 18th c.)
Diaspora Republic of Armenia
A few facts on ArmenianIndo-European languageAttested since early 5th c. ADWritten in an own alphabet
Western Eastern
Old – Classical Armenian(from early 5th c.)
Middle Cilician –(12th - 18th c.)
Modern Standard Western Armenian Standard Eastern Armenian(from 18th c.) (from 18th c.)
Diaspora Republic of Armenia
A few facts on ArmenianIndo-European languageAttested since early 5th c. ADWritten in an own alphabet
Western Eastern
Old – Classical Armenian(from early 5th c.)
Middle Cilician –(12th - 18th c.)
Modern Standard Western Armenian Standard Eastern Armenian(from 18th c.) (from 18th c.)
Diaspora Republic of Armenia
Classical Armenian as a corpus language
Tradition starts with the NT translation (5th c. AD)
Translated from a Greek (Syriac) original
Significant influence on all later written Armenian
Challenge: Influence of the Greek language, especially in
syntactic constructionsword order (!)pragmatics
The ”best” examples are therefore those deviating from theGreek original
Classical Armenian as a corpus language
Tradition starts with the NT translation (5th c. AD)
Translated from a Greek (Syriac) original
Significant influence on all later written Armenian
Challenge: Influence of the Greek language, especially in
syntactic constructionsword order (!)pragmatics
The ”best” examples are therefore those deviating from theGreek original
Classical Armenian as a corpus language
Tradition starts with the NT translation (5th c. AD)
Translated from a Greek (Syriac) original
Significant influence on all later written Armenian
Challenge: Influence of the Greek language, especially in
syntactic constructionsword order (!)pragmatics
The ”best” examples are therefore those deviating from theGreek original
Classical Armenian as a corpus language
Tradition starts with the NT translation (5th c. AD)
Translated from a Greek (Syriac) original
Significant influence on all later written Armenian
Challenge: Influence of the Greek language, especially in
syntactic constructionsword order (!)pragmatics
The ”best” examples are therefore those deviating from theGreek original
Classical Armenian as a corpus language
Tradition starts with the NT translation (5th c. AD)
Translated from a Greek (Syriac) original
Significant influence on all later written Armenian
Challenge: Influence of the Greek language, especially in
syntactic constructions
word order (!)pragmatics
The ”best” examples are therefore those deviating from theGreek original
Classical Armenian as a corpus language
Tradition starts with the NT translation (5th c. AD)
Translated from a Greek (Syriac) original
Significant influence on all later written Armenian
Challenge: Influence of the Greek language, especially in
syntactic constructionsword order (!)
pragmatics
The ”best” examples are therefore those deviating from theGreek original
Classical Armenian as a corpus language
Tradition starts with the NT translation (5th c. AD)
Translated from a Greek (Syriac) original
Significant influence on all later written Armenian
Challenge: Influence of the Greek language, especially in
syntactic constructionsword order (!)pragmatics
The ”best” examples are therefore those deviating from theGreek original
Classical Armenian as a corpus language
Tradition starts with the NT translation (5th c. AD)
Translated from a Greek (Syriac) original
Significant influence on all later written Armenian
Challenge: Influence of the Greek language, especially in
syntactic constructionsword order (!)pragmatics
The ”best” examples are therefore those deviating from theGreek original
Subjecthood in Armenian – Traditional view
What characterizes a subject according to the reference grammars?(Jensen 1959, Meillet 1913, Schmitt 1981)
Coding principles:
Nominative (ayr ’man’, ayr-k\ ’men’)
But pro-drop of the verbal subject (sire ’(s)he/it loves’)Personal pronouns only in emphatic/contrastive use (Latin,Greek)
Agreement in finite verbs (active / passive voice)
No specific position (SVO, SOV, VSO, OVS)
Subjecthood in Armenian – Traditional view
What characterizes a subject according to the reference grammars?(Jensen 1959, Meillet 1913, Schmitt 1981)
Coding principles:
Nominative (ayr ’man’, ayr-k\ ’men’)
But pro-drop of the verbal subject (sire ’(s)he/it loves’)Personal pronouns only in emphatic/contrastive use (Latin,Greek)
Agreement in finite verbs (active / passive voice)
No specific position (SVO, SOV, VSO, OVS)
Subjecthood in Armenian – Traditional view
What characterizes a subject according to the reference grammars?(Jensen 1959, Meillet 1913, Schmitt 1981)
Coding principles:
Nominative (ayr ’man’, ayr-k\ ’men’)
But pro-drop of the verbal subject (sire ’(s)he/it loves’)Personal pronouns only in emphatic/contrastive use (Latin,Greek)
Agreement in finite verbs (active / passive voice)
No specific position (SVO, SOV, VSO, OVS)
Subjecthood in Armenian – Traditional view
What characterizes a subject according to the reference grammars?(Jensen 1959, Meillet 1913, Schmitt 1981)
Coding principles:
Nominative (ayr ’man’, ayr-k\ ’men’)
But pro-drop of the verbal subject (sire ’(s)he/it loves’)Personal pronouns only in emphatic/contrastive use (Latin,Greek)
Agreement in finite verbs (active / passive voice)
No specific position (SVO, SOV, VSO, OVS)
Subjecthood in Armenian – Traditional view
What characterizes a subject according to the reference grammars?(Jensen 1959, Meillet 1913, Schmitt 1981)
Coding principles:
Nominative (ayr ’man’, ayr-k\ ’men’)
But pro-drop of the verbal subject (sire ’(s)he/it loves’)Personal pronouns only in emphatic/contrastive use (Latin,Greek)
Agreement in finite verbs (active / passive voice)
No specific position (SVO, SOV, VSO, OVS)
Subjecthood in Armenian – Traditional view
What characterizes a subject according to the reference grammars?(Jensen 1959, Meillet 1913, Schmitt 1981)
Coding principles:
Nominative (ayr ’man’, ayr-k\ ’men’)
But pro-drop of the verbal subject (sire ’(s)he/it loves’)Personal pronouns only in emphatic/contrastive use (Latin,Greek)
Agreement in finite verbs (active / passive voice)
No specific position (SVO, SOV, VSO, OVS)
The subject – object interface
Nouns 1st/2nd pronouns
singular plural singular plural
subject ayr ayr-k\ es dow me-k\ dow-k\object (new) ayr ayr-s – – – –object (given) z-ayr z-ayr-s z-is z-k\ez z-mez z-jez
Singular:
No markedness opposition subject : object(except 1st/2nd pronouns, cf. English, Scandinavian, French)
DOM: Differential object marker z- codes given objects
Plural:
Note that nom.pl -k\ is not a marker of subjecthood!
The subject – object interface
Nouns 1st/2nd pronouns
singular plural singular plural
subject ayr ayr-k\ es dow me-k\ dow-k\object (new) ayr ayr-s – – – –object (given) z-ayr z-ayr-s z-is z-k\ez z-mez z-jez
Singular:
No markedness opposition subject : object(except 1st/2nd pronouns, cf. English, Scandinavian, French)
DOM: Differential object marker z- codes given objects
Plural:
Note that nom.pl -k\ is not a marker of subjecthood!
The subject – object interface
Nouns 1st/2nd pronouns
singular plural singular plural
subject ayr ayr-k\ es dow me-k\ dow-k\object (new) ayr ayr-s – – – –object (given) z-ayr z-ayr-s z-is z-k\ez z-mez z-jez
Singular:
No markedness opposition subject : object(except 1st/2nd pronouns, cf. English, Scandinavian, French)
DOM: Differential object marker z- codes given objects
Plural:
Note that nom.pl -k\ is not a marker of subjecthood!
The subject – object interface
Nouns 1st/2nd pronouns
singular plural singular plural
subject ayr ayr-k\ es dow me-k\ dow-k\object (new) ayr ayr-s – – – –object (given) z-ayr z-ayr-s z-is z-k\ez z-mez z-jez
Singular:
No markedness opposition subject : object(except 1st/2nd pronouns, cf. English, Scandinavian, French)
DOM: Differential object marker z- codes given objects
Plural:
Note that nom.pl -k\ is not a marker of subjecthood!
Agreement
Finite verb : Agreement (diathesis)
(1) esI.nom
a lac\ec\-ic\ask-1.sg.a
z-hayrz-father
ewand
aylother
mxit\aric\helper
ta-c\egive-3.sg.a
jezyou.pl.dat
’I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper’(Jh 14.16)
Agreement
Finite verb : Agreement (diathesis)
(2) esI.nom
a lac\ec\-ic\ask-1.sg.a
z-hayrz-father
ewand
aylother
mxit\aric\helper
ta-c\egive-3.sg.a
jezyou.pl.dat
’I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper’(Jh 14.16)
Agreement
Participle: no agreement
(3) a. ar-ealtake-ptc
manowkchild
miindef
kac\oyc\put.3.sg.aor.a
ıin
memiddle
noc\atheir
b. lab-ontake-ptc.a.sg.nom
paidionchild.acc
estesenput.3.sg.aor.a
autohim
enin
mesoimiddle
autontheir
‘He took a child and put him in the midst of them’ (Mk 9.36)
Agreement
Participle: no agreement
(4) a. ar-ealtake-ptc
manowkchild
miindef
kac\oyc\put.3.sg.aor.a
ıin
memiddle
noc\atheir
b. lab-ontake-ptc.a.sg.nom
paidionchild.acc
estesenput.3.sg.aor.a
autohim
enin
mesoimiddle
autontheir
‘He took a child and put him in the midst of them’ (Mk 9.36)
Position
Pro-Sub and animate object:
(5) a. Darjealagain
arak\eac\sent.a
arto
nosathem
aylother
carayservant
b. palinagain
apesteilensent
prosto
autousthem
allonother
doulonservant.sg.acc
c. Darjealagain
nahe
miindef
owrisother
carayservant
ow larkec\sent
‘Again he sent to them another servant [and they struck himon the head . . . ]’ (Mk 12.4)
Position
Pro-Sub and animate object:
(6) a. Darjealagain
arak\eac\sent.a
arto
nosathem
aylother
carayservant
b. palinagain
apesteilensent
prosto
autousthem
allonother
doulonservant.sg.acc
c. Darjealagain
nahe
miindef
owrisother
carayservant
ow larkec\sent
‘Again he sent to them another servant [and they struck himon the head . . . ]’ (Mk 12.4)
So, how is subjecthood coded in Armenian?
By case?No markedness opposition in singular (except pronouns)
By agreement?No diathesis in infinite verbs (participles)
By sentence position?Free word order (following Greek)
So, what about more iconically marked objects?
So, how is subjecthood coded in Armenian?
By case?No markedness opposition in singular (except pronouns)
By agreement?No diathesis in infinite verbs (participles)
By sentence position?Free word order (following Greek)
So, what about more iconically marked objects?
So, how is subjecthood coded in Armenian?
By case?No markedness opposition in singular (except pronouns)
By agreement?No diathesis in infinite verbs (participles)
By sentence position?Free word order (following Greek)
So, what about more iconically marked objects?
So, how is subjecthood coded in Armenian?
By case?No markedness opposition in singular (except pronouns)
By agreement?No diathesis in infinite verbs (participles)
By sentence position?Free word order (following Greek)
So, what about more iconically marked objects?
So, how is subjecthood coded in Armenian?
By case?No markedness opposition in singular (except pronouns)
By agreement?No diathesis in infinite verbs (participles)
By sentence position?Free word order (following Greek)
So, what about more iconically marked objects?
Absolute genitive constructions
(7) a. oc\not
z-gir-nz-scripture-def
z-aynobj-that
ic\eis.cj
@nt\erc\ealread.ptc
jeryou.gen
b. oudenot
tenthe
graph-enscripture-sg.acc
tautenthis
anegnoteread.2.pl.pf.act
c. Dowk\you
c\-ek\not-be.2pl
kardac\elread.ptc.pf
Grk\-iScripture-dat
aynthat
’Have you not read this Scripture?’ (Mk 12.10)
Oblique subjects in genitiveWith participle (no diathesis!):
(8) a. gtealfind.ptc
Yisows-iJesus-gen
esdonkey
miindef
nstawsat
ı verayon
norait
b. heuronfind.ptc
debut
hothe
IesousJesus.nom
onariondonkey
ekathisensat
ep’on
autohim
c. YisowsJesus
miindef
esdonkey
gtnelovfind.ptc
nstec\sat
nrait
vrayon
‘And Jesus found a donkey and sat on it’ (Jh 12.14)
Oblique subjects in genitive
With participle (no diathesis):
(9) a. ewand
arn-oy-nfirst-gen-def
arealtake.ptc
kinwoman
merawdied
anordisonless
b. hodef
protosfirst.nom
labontake.ptc
gunaikawoman.acc
apethanendied
ateknossonless
c. arajin-@first-def
kinwoman
arawtook
ewand
anzarangsonless
merawdied
’The first took a wife, and died sonless.’ (Lk 20.29)
Oblique Subjects in Dative
(10) partnecessity
eis
nmahim
ert\algo.inf
y-Erowsakemin-Jerusalem
’[Jesus explains that] he must go to Jerusalem.’ (Mt 16.21)
Oblique subjects in dative
(11) a. c\-ernot-was
hnarmeans
anc\anelpass.inf
owmek\anyone.dat
b. menot
iskhueincan.inf
tinaanyone.acc
pareltheinpass.inf
c. c\-ernot-was
hnarmeans
anc\anelpass.inf
owmek\anyone.dat
’Noone could [pass by that way]’ (Mt 8.28)
Classical (11a) and Modern Armenian (11c): Dative subject
Greek original (11b): acc cum inf
Pro-drop subjects in coordinated clauses
(12) a. agarakfield
gnec\iI bought
ewand
harktax
eis
[sub] elanelgo.inf
tesanelsee.inf
z-naz-it
b. agronfield
egorasaI bought
kaiand
ekhoI have
anagkenneed
ekselthongoing
ideinsee
autonit
c. agarakfield
gnec\iI bought
ewand
petk\need
eis
[sub], orwho
gnamI go
tesnemI see
’I have bought a field, and I have need to go and see it.’(Lk 14.18)
Pro-drop subjects in coordinated clauses
(13) a. owraxglad
linelbe.inf
ewand
xndalcelebrate
partduty
eis
[pro] [. . . ][. . . ]
b. euphranthenaibe glad.inf
debut
kaiand
kharenairejoice.inf
edeiis necessary
’We have to be glad and to celebrate [. . . ]’ (Lk 15.32)
Summary and Interpretation
”Canonical” coding of subjects is not sufficient
At least three types of non-canonical subjects in ClasssicalArmenian:
Genitive subjectsDative subjectsPro-drop subjects in coordinated clauses
Modern Armenian:
finite verbpersonal pronoun (unmarked)
Summary and Interpretation
”Canonical” coding of subjects is not sufficient
At least three types of non-canonical subjects in ClasssicalArmenian:
Genitive subjectsDative subjectsPro-drop subjects in coordinated clauses
Modern Armenian:
finite verbpersonal pronoun (unmarked)
Summary and Interpretation
”Canonical” coding of subjects is not sufficient
At least three types of non-canonical subjects in ClasssicalArmenian:
Genitive subjectsDative subjectsPro-drop subjects in coordinated clauses
Modern Armenian:
finite verbpersonal pronoun (unmarked)
Summary and Interpretation
”Canonical” coding of subjects is not sufficient
At least three types of non-canonical subjects in ClasssicalArmenian:
Genitive subjects
Dative subjectsPro-drop subjects in coordinated clauses
Modern Armenian:
finite verbpersonal pronoun (unmarked)
Summary and Interpretation
”Canonical” coding of subjects is not sufficient
At least three types of non-canonical subjects in ClasssicalArmenian:
Genitive subjectsDative subjects
Pro-drop subjects in coordinated clauses
Modern Armenian:
finite verbpersonal pronoun (unmarked)
Summary and Interpretation
”Canonical” coding of subjects is not sufficient
At least three types of non-canonical subjects in ClasssicalArmenian:
Genitive subjectsDative subjectsPro-drop subjects in coordinated clauses
Modern Armenian:
finite verbpersonal pronoun (unmarked)
Summary and Interpretation
”Canonical” coding of subjects is not sufficient
At least three types of non-canonical subjects in ClasssicalArmenian:
Genitive subjectsDative subjectsPro-drop subjects in coordinated clauses
Modern Armenian:
finite verbpersonal pronoun (unmarked)
Summary and Interpretation
”Canonical” coding of subjects is not sufficient
At least three types of non-canonical subjects in ClasssicalArmenian:
Genitive subjectsDative subjectsPro-drop subjects in coordinated clauses
Modern Armenian:
finite verb
personal pronoun (unmarked)
Summary and Interpretation
”Canonical” coding of subjects is not sufficient
At least three types of non-canonical subjects in ClasssicalArmenian:
Genitive subjectsDative subjectsPro-drop subjects in coordinated clauses
Modern Armenian:
finite verbpersonal pronoun (unmarked)
Hans Jensen.Altarmenische Grammatik.Winter, Heidelberg, 1959.
Antoine Meillet.Altarmenisches Elementarbuch.Winter, Heidelberg, 1913.
Rudiger Schmitt.Grammatik des Klassisch-Armenischen mit sprachvergleichendenErlauterungen.Institut fr Sprachwissenschaft der Universitat Innsbruck,Innsbruck, 1981.
