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The fate of ergativity in dying Dyirbal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2026

Annette Schmidt
Annette Schmidt*
Affiliation:
Australian National University
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Abstract

As the Dyirbal language of Australia nears extinction, its diminishing social function is accompanied by reduction within the linguistic system. If we place semi-speakers on a continuum according to the degree to which their language has been simplified, it is possible to trace changes in the grammar of the dying language. Focusing on morphological and syntactic ergativity demonstrates that decay in terminal Dyirbal involves systematic variation along the continuum. Reduction occurs on various levels, affecting syntactic operations and morphology. However, the data suggest that important formal and functional differences exist between dying Dyirbal and a typical pidgin.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 61 , Issue 2 , June 1985, pp. 378 - 396
Copyright
Copyright © 1985 by Linguistic Society of America

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Footnotes

*

I am most grateful to R. M. W. Dixon, Nancy Dorian, and Jane Hill for helpful suggestions on this paper. I would also like to express my gratitude to George Watson and to the people of the Jambun community for their warm friendship and willingness to share their knowledge of Dyirbal with me.

The following abbreviations are used in this paper: A, transitive subject; ACC, accusative; ANTIPASS, antipassive derivational affix; ASP, aspectual; DAT, dative; DU, dual; ERG, ergative; INTR, intransitive; LOC, locative; NOM, nominative; NONFUT, non-future; NP, noun phrase; O, transitive object; PL, plural; PURP, purposive; REDUP, reduplicated; REL, relative clause marker; S, intransitive subject; TD, Traditional Dyirbal; TR, transitive; YD, Young Dyirbal. Individual speakers are also referred to by initials; e.g., LN, EM. The following orthographical differences to Dixon 1972 should be noted: j = Dixon's // (lamino-palatal stop), r = // (retroflex), rr = /r/ (trill), ny = /ɲ/ (lamino-palatal nasal).

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