Featuring animacy

Algonquian languages are famous for their animacy-based grammatical properties—an animacy based noun classification system and direct/inverse system which gives rise to animacy hierarchy effects in the determination of verb agreement. In this paper I provide new evidence for the proposal that the distinctive properties of these languages is due to the use of participant-based features, rather than spatio-temporal ones, for both nominal and verbal functional categories (Ritter & Wiltschko 2009, 2014). Building on Wiltschko (2012), I develop a formal treatment of the Blackfoot aspectual system that assumes a category Inner Aspect (cf. MacDonald 2008, Travis 1991, 2010). Focusing on lexical aspect in Blackfoot, I demonstrate that the classification of both nouns (Seinsarten) and verbs (Aktionsarten) is based on animacy, rather than boundedness, resulting in a strikingly different aspectual system for both categories.

Note sur le redoublement verbal en créole haïtien

Cet article propose une analyse d’un sous-ensemble de faits impliquant le redoublement verbal en créole haïtien. Il est argumenté que la première occurrence du verbe dans ce type de construction occupe la position tête de la projection IP et que tels IP sont compléments de D(éterminant). Il est démontré que cette analyse est supérieure à une analyse alternative selon laquelle le premier verbe de la construction serait la tête de CP.This paper proposes an analysis of a subset of facts involving verb doubling in Haitian. It is argued that the first occurrence of the verb in this type of construction is generated in the head position of IP, and that such IPs are complements of D(eterminer). It is demonstrated that this analysis is superior to an alternative analysis according to which the first occurrence of the doubled verb would be the head of CP

Agreement without A positions: Another look at Algonquian

This is the published version, also available here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/002438905774464304

A case study in the syntax of agreement : Hebrew noun phrases and Benoni verb phrases

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, 1989.Title as it appeared in M.I.T. Graduate List, February, 1989: A case study in agreement.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 164-172).by Elizabeth Ann Ritter.Ph.D