SIL Peru

Complexity and constituent order in Matihuaca (Huanuco) Quechua

Issue Date:
1982
Extent:
pages 82-100
Abstract:

From the introduction: "This study is the product of an investigation into Quechua sentence structure from the perspective of functional grammar. [...]

"LIPOC There is a Language Independent Preferred Order of Constituents (LIPOC) according to which constituents are preferably placed from left to right in increasing order of complexity (Dik 1978:192)

[...]

"LIPOC is used to explain word order in the following way. If the functional pattern of a sentence is compatible with LIPOC (i.e., if they predict the same order), then LIPOC has no effect; but if the functional pattern and LIPOC are at variance, the language is expected to alter its patterning in the direction of LIPOC. [...]

"LIPOC can thus account for differences in the ordering patterns of constituents with the same function but different category. LIPOC is meant to apply primarily to the pattern of "nuclear" constituents (verb, subject, object), but does not preclude wider application to the "satellite" constituents (time, location, circumstance, etc.).

[...]

"The purpose of this paper is to evaluate LIPOC relative to the Matihuaca Quechua sentence. LIPOC is an explicit, falsifiable claim, and therefore we can expect that either data from MQ will falsify the claim or not."

Publication Status:
Published
Country:
Content Language:
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Nature of Work:
Part of Series:
Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session, vol. 26
Entry Number:
40154