Hvor kommer grammatikken fra? Det kognitive grunnlaget for transitivitet og grammatiske relasjoner (avsluttet)

• Holmen, Sindre Sperre & Næss, Åshild (2025). Voice choice in Äiwoo and the symmetrical voice-to-transitivity shift. Oceanic Linguistics. ISSN 0029-8115. 64(1), s. 1–45. doi: 10.1353/ol.2025.a960252. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This paper examines the factors that influence the choice between actor voice and undergoer voice in the Oceanic language Äiwoo from two perspectives: a quantitative study comparing 80 actor-voice clauses with 80 undergoer-voice clauses and a qualitative study looking at all occurrences of actor voice in the available data. The results show, on the one hand, that the factors influencing voice choice in Äiwoo largely overlap with those described for symmetrical voice languages in the western Austronesian region. On the other hand, the usage patterns of the actor voice also show affinities with the transitivity alternations found in canonical Oceanic languages: the undergoer voice is by far the most frequent in discourse, suggesting that it may be on its way to being reanalyzed as the default transitive construction, and the predominant context for the use of the actor voice is with an undergoer argument that is low in referentiality, similar to the contexts that favor “semi-transitive” constructions in many Oceanic languages. The Äiwoo data thus point to a possible path of reanalysis from a symmetrical voice system to an Oceanic-type system of transitivity alternations.

• Næss, Åshild & Sauppe, Sebastian (2025). Bringing psycholinguistics to the field: experiences from Solomon Islands. Language Documentation & Conservation. 19, s. 99–119. doi: https:/hdl.handle.net/10125/74816. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The world’s linguistic diversity is severely underrepresented in research on cognitive and neural aspects of language processing, with great consequences for our understanding of the relationship between language, cognition, and the human brain. The practical challenges of carrying out neurophysiological (but also behavioral) experiments under fieldwork conditions is one factor that contributes to this lack of diversity, and meeting them necessarily requires the integration of experimental work in a larger descriptive and documentary context. This paper discusses these challenges and how they may be met, based on the authors’ experiences in carrying out an EEG study on sentence comprehension in Solomon Islands. It argues that reconciling the requirements of experimental studies with those of working with speech communities in the field is certainly challenging, but can be achieved with coordination and a realistic assessment of the resources required. Moreover, while field-based experimental research should not compete with descriptive and documentary linguistic work as a means of supporting a community in maintaining and developing their language, it can be beneficial in promoting a sense of the value of the language that is not based on its status as endangered, but rather on its specific linguistic features that contribute to insight into human language more generally.

• Næss, Åshild (2024). Voice and transitivity in Äiwoo and Engdewu: A case study in alignment change. Studies in Language. ISSN 0378-4177. 49(1), s. 158–193. doi: 10.1075/sl.23034.nae. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander (2024). The role of prominence in post-verbal word order alternations in Javanese applicatives. I Evans, Bethwyn; Næss, Åshild & Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander (Red.), Prominence in Austronesian. De Gruyter Mouton. ISSN 9783110735413. s. 129–167. doi: 10.1515/9783110730753-005. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Aznar, Jocelyn; Döhler, Christian & Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander (2023). Applicatives in Austronesian. NUSA: Linguistic studies of languages in and around Indonesia. ISSN 0126-2874. 74. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Rødvand, Linn Iren Sjånes (2023). Possession in Patani. Language Typology and Universals. ISSN 1867-8319. 76(3), s. 443–470. doi: 10.1515/stuf-2023-2016. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Abstract This paper provides the first description of the possessive system in Patani, a South Halmahera-West New Guinea language (Austronesian). Possession in Patani involves the interplay of several parameters. Syntactically, there are two broad possessive constructions: direct, and indirect. Morphologically, both constructions make use of pronominal proclitics and possessive suffixes which express the person and number of the possessor. In the direct construction, this possessive marking attaches directly to the noun, whereas the indirect construction makes use of a possessive particle (a relational classifier) on which the possessive marking occurs. Semantically, all nouns which are directly possessed are inalienable nouns expressing kinship, part-of-whole relations, and close association. In the indirect construction, a semantic distinction is made between items related to eating and drinking on the one hand, and general possession on the other. This distinction is signaled through the choice of one of two possessive classifiers. At the same time, there are some idiosyncrasies which are not explained by the main semantic pattern. When both direct and indirect constructions are used together in a sentence, each part maps a different semantic relationship. Typologically, the Patani order is possessor-possessed, as is common in the region. Finally, both the direct and the indirect construction may be used phrasally (‘my house’), or predicatively (‘I have a house’).

• Næss, Åshild (2023). Voice and Pluractionality in Äiwoo. Oceanic Linguistics. ISSN 0029-8115. 62(1), s. 47–80. doi: 10.1353/ol.2023.0001. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This paper examines the uses of the prefix e- (ve-) in Äiwoo, an Oceanic language of the Temotu subgroup. It argues that the functions of this prefix can be subsumed under the label pluractionality, and that it is a likely reflex of the Proto-Oceanic prefix *paRi-. However, the distribution of the Äiwoo pluractional prefix is unusual in that it most common by far with intransitive position verbs; it can also occur on transitive verbs, but this is infrequent in the available data. This paper argues that this distribution is linked to the fact that Äiwoo has a distinct transitive actor voice which covers many of the typical pluractional functions with transitives. This is particularly clear when one compares Äiwoo (v)e- to its likely cognate (v)ö- in the Santa Cruz languages, which only applies to transitive verbs with detransitivizing functions; many of the functions of SC (v)ö- are covered by the actor voice in Äiwoo. The fact that Äiwoo appears to retain both a reflex of *paRi- and an actor voice/undergoer voice distinction may provide new perspectives on the history of *paRi-, since most Oceanic languages have lost the voice distinction; this may have led to an expansion of the functions of *paRi-, as suggested by the comparison between Äiwoo and the Santa Cruz languages.

• Næss, Åshild; Alfarano, Valentina; Boerger, BH & Vaa, Anders (2023). Comitative Constructions in Reefs–Santa Cruz. Oceanic Linguistics. ISSN 0029-8115. 62(1), s. 81–116. doi: 10.1353/ol.2023.0002. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This paper describes and compares comitative constructions across the Reefs–Santa Cruz languages Äiwoo, Engdewu, Nalögo, and Natügu. Each of these languages shows a complex array of constructions, with considerable variation across languages both in the forms used, in which constructions are used for genuine comitative versus depictive constructions (as in I climbed with the basket, where I am climbing but the basket is not), and in which additional functions the different constructions can be extended to. At the same time, there are commonalities across the four languages, as would be expected from a low-level Oceanic subgroup such as Reefs–Santa Cruz; but the commonalities are complex and crosscut constructions and language groupings. Our historical account of this situation takes as its starting point the Proto-Oceanic comitative forms *ma, *ma-i, and *aki[ni] and assumes different grammaticalization paths and functional extensions across the languages, in particular, in Äiwoo, on the one hand, and the Santa Cruz languages, on the other. We thus contribute to disentangling the complex historical relationships within this language group, which has only fairly recently been recognized as Oceanic.

• Næss, Åshild (2022). Binominals in Äiwoo: Compounds, possessive constructions, and transitional cases. I Pepper, Steve; Masini, Francesca & Mattiola, Simone (Red.), Binominal Lexemes in Cross-Linguistic Perspective Towards a Typology of Complex Lexemes. De Gruyter Mouton. ISSN 9783110640878. s. 181–212. doi: 10.1515/9783110673494-006. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This paper discusses the strategies used for the formation of binominal lexemes in the Oceanic language Äiwoo, and the semantic properties associated with the different strategies. The strategies include compounds in which the elements may be independent or bound, as well as various constructions involving possessive marking; the semantic principles differentiating between the various available constructions include relationality, control over the relation, and animacy of the possessor. Moreover, the paper shows how reanalysis of certain constructions may lead to new types or transitional cases, such as bound nouns in compounds acquiring classifier-like properties, or person-marked prepositions being accreted onto nouns as bound possessive marking. The paper also discusses the status of so-called indirect possessive constructions within a typology of binominal constructions and suggests that there may be more to learn about binominal typology by examining in greater detail cases where possessor indexing plays a central role in the formation of binominals.

• Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander & Evans, Bethwyn (2022). The evolution of non-syntactic functions of applicatives: –i suffixation in Javanese and neighbouring languages. I Pacchiarotti, Sara & Zúñiga, Ferna (Red.), Applicative morphology: Neglected syntactic and non-syntactic functions.. Mouton de Gruyter. ISSN 9783110777949. s. 437–474. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Javanese, like many other Austronesian languages, has two applicative suffixes which introduce a non-actor argument as the applied phrase in the main clause. This chapter focuses on the locative applicative -i, which introduces an applied phrase with the semantic role of location, goal or recipient. Javanese -i also has a number of non-applicative functions. It has the additional syntactic function of deriving causatives by introducing an actor participant, as well as a range of non-syntactic functions, which include encoding a pluractional meaning or indicating intensity of the event or specificity of the applied phrase. This chapter describes these uses of -i suffixation in Javanese and other languages of the Western Indonesian subgroup. Comparison of locative applicative morphology across a small sample of Western Indonesian languages suggests that the non-syntactic functions of -i suffixation developed from its applicative use through the conventionalization of meanings of higher transitivity typically associated with applicative structures.

• Næss, Åshild (2021). Voice and valency morphology in Äiwoo. Oceanic Linguistics. ISSN 0029-8115. 60(1), s. 160–198. doi: 10.1353/ol.2021.0005. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This paper describes the function and distribution of the main morphological markers of voice and valency in the Oceanic language Äiwoo: the undergoervoice suffixes -i, -nyi(i), -ive, -eâ, and -nâ, and the circumstantial voice clitic =Cä. It compares these functions and distributions to those reconstructed for the Proto-Oceanic transitivizing morphemes *-i and *akin[i], and suggests pathways of change that can account for many of the present-day Äiwoo forms as being reflexes of these morphemes and of the 3sg object clitic *=a, though some of the formal differentiation remains unexplained. This analysis implies that Äiwoo has a Philippine-type symmetrical voice system with Oceanic morphology, an unusual state of affairs which has implications for our understanding of the transition from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian to Proto-Oceanic.

• Næss, Åshild (2021). Äiwoo wâtu and the typology of comparatives. Studies in Language. ISSN 0378-4177. 45(4), s. 938–967. doi: 10.1075/sl.20022.nae. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This paper examines a comparative construction in the Oceanic language Äiwoo and argues that it differs from those known in the typological literature on comparatives on two counts. It is similar to a so-called ‘exceed’ comparative in involving a morpheme meaning ‘go far’; but unlike canonical exceed comparatives, the construction is intransitive, and the standard of comparison is expressed as an oblique. Moreover, the standard is indicated not only by this oblique phrase but also by a directional marker on the verb, in an extension of the frequent use of directionals in Äiwoo to indicate peripheral participants. This construction thus, on the one hand, expands the established typology of comparative constructions; and on the other, shows that the use of directional morphemes to indicate peripheral participants, otherwise attested e.g. for recipients of give verbs, may extend to the standard in comparative constructions, pointing to an avenue for further typological exploration.

• Næss, Åshild (2020). Looking for words in the Reef Islands: bound roots in Äiwoo and their descriptive and documentary challenge. I Leblic, Isabelle & Souag, Lameen (Red.), Du terrain á la théorie: les 40 ans de Lacito. Lacito Publications. ISSN 9782490768011. s. 199–220. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander & Conners, Thomas J. (2019). Using questionnaires as a tool for comparative linguistic field research: Two case studies on Javanese. I Lahaussois, Aimée & Vuillermet, Marine (Red.), Methodological Tools for Linguistic Description and Typology. University of Hawai'i Press. ISSN 9780997329551. s. 62–96. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

Se alle arbeider i NVA

• Evans, Bethwyn; Næss, Åshild & Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander (2024). Prominence in Austronesian. De Gruyter Mouton. ISBN 9783110735413. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

Se alle arbeider i NVA

• Næss, Åshild & Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander (2024). Pivot (non-)restrictions and Austronesian syntactic typology. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Evans, Bethwyn; Næss, Åshild & Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander (2024). Prominence in Austronesian: An introduction. I Evans, Bethwyn; Næss, Åshild & Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander (Red.), Prominence in Austronesian. De Gruyter Mouton. ISSN 9783110735413. s. 1–18. doi: 10.1515/9783110730753-001. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild (2024). Demonstrative forms vs. demonstrative systems: Patterns of overlap and cooccurrence in Äiwoo demonstratives. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Alfarano, Valentina & Næss, Åshild (2024). Valency morphology in Reefs-Santa Cruz: how Oceanic morphology gave rise to two kinds of 'un-Oceanic' systems. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild & Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander (2024). Pivot (non-)restrictions and Austronesian syntactic typology. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Rødvand, Linn Iren Sjånes (2023). Post-verbal subjects in an SV language: non-agentivity and discourse structure. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This paper explores post-verbal subject expressions in Patani (SHWNG, Austronesian), a surprising phenomenon in an otherwise SV language. While post-verbal subjects are restricted to non-Actor verbs and these occurrences as such are reminiscent of semantic alignment systems, the synchronic use of post-verbal subjects also seems to be connected to discourse structure and grounding. The Patani language is spoken on the island of Halmahera, North-Maluku, Indonesia. So far, this language has been poorly documented, but this paper is based on data (mostly spontaneous speech) collected by the author in 2019 and 2021. At first sight, Patani has a straightforward nominative-accusative alignment, which is the most widespread alignment pattern in SHWNG (Gasser et al. in press): The dominant word order in Patani is SV in intransitive clauses, and AVP in transitive clauses, and both the S argument and the A argument are indexed on the verb through a prefix. However, there are exception to this main pattern. Most notably, a pronominal form of the S argument occasionally follows the verb (VSPRO). This may come in addition to the subject prefix (lexically and pragmatically conditioned) and a preposed subject NP (pragmatically conditioned). As a result, the subject of an intransitive verbal predicate can be coded in three different ways, partly depending on verb type. Prefix Prefix + VSPRO VSPRO 1) n-cep 2) n-pólón i 3)tér-pung i 3SG-bathe 3SG-return 3SG IA-break 3SG ‘He bathes’ ‘He returns’ ‘It breaks’ The system sketched out in Table 1 above is reminiscent of patterns found in languages which are described as having split-S/semantic alignment in the region (see Klamer 2008, Holton 2008, Schapper 2015), where the encoding of the S argument depends on the lexical aspect of the verb (e.g. dynamic vs. non-dynamic) and/or agentive/patientive characteristics of the participant. In these languages, the encoding of the S argument is either identical to that of a P argument (like example 3 above), or it has double encoding as both A and P (like 2 above). The Patani system diverges from semantic alignment systems in that non-Actor verbs and intradirective verbs only occasionally occur with coding strategy 2; most commonly strategy 1 is chosen. Preliminary data suggests that the choice of coding strategy 2 is influenced by 1) lexical factors: for instance, pólón ‘return’ is much more likely to occur with coding strategy 1 than wé ‘return’; 2) pragmatic factors: strategy 2 is marked in terms of frequency and can therefore be used to express additional, pragmatic meaning. For instance, n-fan i ‘3SG-go 3SG’ can have the meaning ‘he escaped’ rather than just ‘he went’; 3) discourse structural factors: coding strategy 2 may be used to signal the end of a discourse-structural unit which furthermore serves a backgrounding function. These hypotheses will be further tested during fieldwork primo 2023, primarily through collection and analysis of narratives prompted by non-linguistic stimuli targeting intradirective and non-Actor verbs. As Riesberg et al. (2022: 509) note, discourse-structural units need to be defined on independent grounds. Arriving at an operationalizable definition of the relevant discourse units will therefore be an important goal in the analysis of the new narrative data.

• Næss, Åshild (2023). Voice choice in Äiwoo discourse. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild (2022). Voice and pluractionality in Äiwoo. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild (2022). Voice and transitivity in Äiwoo discourse. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild (2022). Prominence levels and the symmetrical voice-to-transitivity shift. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild (2022). Reversing grammatical relations: lessons from Reefs-Santa Cruz. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander & Evans, Bethwyn (2021). Javanese applicatives within the historical evolution of applicatives in Austronesian. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander (2021). Perspectives on information structure in Austronesian language. Linguistic Typology. ISSN 1430-0532. doi: 10.1515/lingty-2021-2073. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander & Conners, Thomas J. (2021). Proceedings of ISLOJ 7 (International Symposium of the Languages of Java). NUSA: Linguistic studies of languages in and around Indonesia. ISSN 0126-2874. 69. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander (2021). PPs in Javanese applicatives. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild (2021). Universitetsplassen: Hvor kommer grammatikken fra? [Internet]. Universitetsplassen (podkast) . Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild (2021). Deictics, syntax and information structure in Äiwoo. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild (2021). Äiwoo: momalâ. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild (2021). Two comitative constructions in Äiwoo. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Rødvand, Linn Iren Sjånes (2021). Topicalization in Patani. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This paper investigates the encoding of certain information structural properties in Patani (South Halmahera-West New Guinea) by considering two object fronting constructions which can be described as topicalization constructions. While this form of topicalization is not uncommon in Austronesian, the case of Patani is interesting since there are two different constructions: one construction contains a resumptive object pronoun in the post-verbal object position, whereas the other construction does not have such a pronominal form. Both topicalization constructions can be used to signal that the subject is not (the only) aboutness topic (in the sense of Lambrecht 1994: 127), and/or that the object referent is contrasted with other (highly accessible) referents (cf. Chafe 1994). Furthermore, new fieldwork data reveal interesting patterns concerning the difference between the two constructions: a) there is a preference for using a resumptive pronoun in the post-verbal position if the referent is animate, and b) a lack of resumptive pronoun seems to indicate that the referent will not remain topical. Finally, this paper notes the occurrence of another interesting construction where the subject referent is encoded by a resumptive pronoun in the post-verbal slot. Whereas this construction is very rare in the present data, certain pragmatic similarities are noted between this and the topicalization constructions.

• Rødvand, Linn Iren Sjånes (2020). Semantics of numeral classifiers in Patani. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander (2020). The neglected syntactic functions of of optional applicative morphology in Javanese. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild & Sauppe, Sebastian (2020). Bringing psycholinguistics to the field: experiences from the Solomon Islands. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild (2019). How to grow grammatical relations: modelling the transition from symmetrical voice to subject/object structure in Austronesian. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild (2019). Chasing the clause: the challenges of describing person indexing in Äiwoo. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild (2019). Språkmangfaldet i Stillehavsregionen. Mål og makt. ISSN 0332-7744. 49(3), s. 33–37. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild; Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander & Evans, Bethwyn (2019). Prominence in Austronesian: introduction. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild (2019). How to grow grammatical relations: modelling the transition from symmetrical voice to subject-object structure in Austronesian. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Næss, Åshild; Evans, Bethwyn & Klok, Jozina Madolyn Vander (2018). The rise of grammatical relations in Austronesian. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Rødvand, Linn Iren Sjånes; Næss, Åshild & Evans, Bethwyn (2024). Patani: Description of a South Halmahera–West New Guinea language. Universitetet i Oslo. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Patani: Beskrivelse av et South Halmahera-West New Guinea-språk

• Holmen, Sindre Sperre (2020). Voice Choice in Äiwoo: A Discourse-Functional Study of the Symmetrical Voice System of Äiwoo. Universitetet i Oslo. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This thesis investigates the motivational factors behind the choice of voice in the Oceanic language Äiwoo. This is a language with a so-called symmetrical voice system, which is characterized by the alternation of two or more clause types. Unlike asymmetrical voice systems, like the active-passive system found in many European languages, the different clause types in a symmetrical voice system are equally marked for voice morphosyntactically and are typically considered equally transitive. While this type of system is found in a number of western Austronesian languages, it is generally considered lost in Proto Oceanic, and most modern Oceanic languages have transitivity-based systems rather than symmetrical voice. Äiwoo, being an Oceanic language, is thus unique among this group of languages in having a symmetrical voice system. The clause system of Äiwoo consists of three voices: actor voice, undergoer voice and circumstantial voice. The focus of this thesis is the motivation behind the choice of the two main voices, namely actor voice and undergoer voice. In order to investigate this, I have employed three different explanatory models. These are topic continuity developed by Givón (1983, 1994), discourse transitivity developed by Hopper & Thompson (1980) and the three different activation states as discussed by Chafe (1987). I have coded 160 Äiwoo clauses according to the factors described in these models. Through significance testing, I found that aspect and the activation state of undergoers are significant predictors for voice, so that perfective aspect predicts the choice of undergoer voice and new undergoers predict the choice of actor voice. Based on these results, I argue that undergoer voice corresponds to a higher degree of semantic transitivity than actor voice, a tendency found in other Austronesian languages with symmetrical voice systems. The implications of this give rise to a discussion on the differences between a symmetrical voice system and a transitivity-based system, where I argue that Äiwoo is in the process of developing a transitivity-based system where undergoer voice is reanalysed as the standard transitive clause type.

Se alle arbeider i NVA