Advances in Role and Reference Grammar

OF NOMINATIVES AND DATIVES 491

might then be seen as focal case-markings among all the cases, exactly akin
to the focal phonetic values of phonological segments.
From a superficial point of view, Chinookan (in particular its Wasco
dialect) is a completely different type of language. Here, case-marking
takes place by cross-reference, the prefixing (in this case) of pronominal ele­
ments for the various persons-and-numbers to the governing word, the
head of the phrase. Case-marking is a global split ergative system when the
forms as well as the order-classes of pronominals are taken into account,
which we need not go into here (see Silverstein 1976,1977), save to observe
that it follows the hierarchy of NP types. See Table 3. There is a fixed
order, maximally three positions of inflection, for up to that number of

Chinookan Plain Inflectional Types:

morph: Ergative Nominative Dative Possessive

syntax: (V) tr subj "A" itr subj "S" tr obj "O" ind obj "D"

(N) poss of appos possessed poss of non-

human "G" hum appos human "G"

inclu inclu plur dual  A l(x)-k-t(x)-k- -tx--lx- -tx--lx- -lx-a--tx-a- -tx--lx- -tx-a--lx-a-

sing  m- -m- -m- -m-a- -m- -mi-

second dual D mt-k- -mt- -mt- -mt-a- -mt- -mt-a-

plur E ms-k- -ms- -ms- -ms-a- -ms- -ms-a-

sing F n-∞Ø- -n- -n- -n-a- -n- -ә—ә-^1

first dual G nt-k-∞q- -nt- -nt- -nt-a- -nt- -nt-a-

plur H ns-k-∞q- -ns- -ns- -ns-a- -ns- -ns-a-

dual I st-k- -St-∞-S-^2 -s(t)-3 -s-a- -s- -st-a-

plur J t-k- -tk-∞-t-2 -t- -t-a- -w- -tk-a-∞-t-a-z

third coll-neut  4-k- -4- 4- -4-a- -4- -4-a-

sing-fern L k- -(a)- -(a)- -(a)-a- -(a)- -k-a—c-a-^1

sing-masc M c- -i- -i- -i-a- -i- -i-a-

impers onal N q-

1. Alternant with  after i; elsewhere alternant with .


2. First alternant in verbal paradigm; second alternant in nominal paradigm.


3. Lower Chinook (Shoalwater dialect) alternation only, -st- following stress accent, -s-
   elsewhere; cf. Boas 1911:583. Other dialects have -s-.


4. Contemporary Wasco-Wishram dialect only, second alternant as sporadic regularization of
   paradigm.
   Table 3