About the empty morph -ni of Quechua

Rodolfo Cerrón-Palomino

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Quechua has a so-called 'empty morph'-ni. This form is used in inflectional and derivational noun formation, whenever a nominal base ends in a consonant. While obligatory in most cases, due to syllabic structural considerations, the resource to -ni in other instances is motivated by purely euphonic considerations. Cerrón Palomino argues that -ni, relatively recently, has replaced a former 'empty morph' -i, as a result of Aymaran influence. He also claims that it has been the source of the Quechua II first person verbal marker. Historical and dialectal evidence is advanced in order to prove this hypothesis.

Translated title of the contributionSobre el Morfo Vacío -ni del Quechua
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLinguistics and Archaeology in the Americas
Subtitle of host publicationThe Historization of Language and Society
EditorsSimon van de Kerke, Eithne B. Carlin
PublisherBrill Academic Publishers
Pages177-189
Number of pages13
ISBN (Electronic)9789004173620
StatePublished - 2010
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameBrill's Studies in the Indigenous Languages of the Americas
Volume2
ISSN (Print)1876-5580

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