Searching for insubordination: An analysis of ləbo in Lamaholot

In this paper, we present a description and analysis of ləbo ‘although’ in Lamaholot of eastern Indonesia, which is a subordinating conjunction that expresses a concessive relation between main and subordinate clauses. Although clause-initial conjunctions are predominant in this SVO language, the conjunction ləbo appears in clause-final position. Interestingly, subordinate clauses headed by ləbo can stand alone without a main clause, conveying the speaker’s irritation or blame toward the hearer or an undesirable event. By providing synchronic evidence of different kinds, this paper proposes that this construction involves insubordination, the independent use of constructions exhibiting prima facie characteristics of subordinate clauses (Evans 2007)

A privative derivational source for standard negation in Lokono (Arawakan)

Abstract It has recently been argued that Arawakan languages of South America provide evidence for a novel historical source for standard negation, a privative derivational affix. This hypothesis posits that the prefixal standard negation found in some languages of the family developed from a privative prefix, ma-, present in Proto-Arawakan, that originally derived privative stative verbs from nouns. According to this account, the function of this prefix extended, in many languages of the family, to negating nominalized verbs in subordinate clauses, and then, via insubordination, to standard main clause negation, in a smaller subset of languages. The purpose of this paper is to substantiate this hypothetical trajectory in detail in a particular Arawakan language: Lokono, a highly endangered language of the Guianas. On the basis of modern linguistic fieldwork and colonial-era language materials, we show that 18th-century Lokono exhibited a standard negation construction based on the privative, and that this construction exhibits clear signs of its subordinate clause origin. We show that Lokono also exhibits the full range of functions for the privative ma- that are predicted to be historical precursors to the standard negation function, substantiating the historical trajectory from privative derivation to standard negation. We conclude by observing that the prefixal standard negation strategy has lost ground since the 18th century to a standard negation particle that originally expressed constituent negation, possibly due to contact with colonial languages that employ similar strategies

Das Römische recht in der Fernsehserie ‘Rom’

‘Gibt es also ein anderes Recht?’ – so bezieht sich Gaius Iulius Caesar (gespielt von Ciaran Hinds) in einer Fernsehserie ‘Rom’ auf das römische Recht. ‘Rom’ (2005–2007) ist ein Kostümfilm, der in der Zeit vom Untergang der Römischen Republik spielt. Das ist eine der interessantesten Serien über das antike Rom und das römische Recht zugleich. In einer Folge wird zwar ein Strafprozess dargestellt, aber der Zuschauer wird selten direkt über das Recht informiert, überwiegend wird das Recht durch das Verhalten der Helden dargestellt. In der Serie kann man viele rechtliche Elemente finden, z.B.: Strafprozess, Strafvollstreckung (damnatio ad gladium ludi), die Befreiung eines Sklaven (manumissio), Gestaltung der Trauerfeier, körperliche Züchtigung für die Soldaten (castigatio). Manche rechtliche Aspekte wurden korrekt gezeigt, andere beinhalten viele Ungenauigkeiten, trotzdem ist diese Serie eine sehr interessante Visualisierung des Staates und des römischen Rechts. ‘Rom’ kann auch einen pädagogischen Wert haben. Zurzeit suchen die Lehrer nach immer attraktivsten Formen des Unterrichts. Diese Fernsehserie kann dazu ein interessantes Mittel sein.‘Is there some other form of law?’ – that is how Gaius Iulius Caesar (played by Ciaran Hinds) in the TV series ‘Rome’ comments on Roman Law. ‘Rome’ (2005–2007) is a historical drama set in the last days of the Roman Republic. It is one of the most interesting shows helping to visualize Rome. One of the elements portrayed in the series is Roman Law. Although there is a criminal trial presented in one of the episodes the audience is rarely acquainted with law and its rules directly, Roman legal system can be discovered mostly through characters’ actions. There are many legal elements e.g.: penal trial, executing penalty (damnatio ad gladium ludi), manumission (manumissio), funeral arrangements, or corporal punishment of the soldiers (castigatio). Some of the legal aspects are presented correctly others contain some discrepancies; nevertheless there is a quite interesting portrayal of Roman Law in the series. The aim of the article is to find and describe some legal issues presented in ‘Rome’. It can be both scientific and educational. Nowadays the lecturers search for innovative or more engaging ways to teach, I believe the series could be a useful tool for students of law