284 Chapter 10 Modifications to argument structure
b. Ebu' nyaba'-i meja paket.
mother AV.put-LOC table package
‘Mother put the package on the table.’
In the a-sentences, the location is a prepositional object, ka Ebu' ‘to Mother’ in
(1) and neng meja ‘on the table’ in (2). In (1b), Ebu' is a bare NP object rather
than a prepositional object, it immediately follows the verb, and the verb nge-
rem ‘send’ is suffixed with -e. Similarly, in (2b), the locative object is a bare NP
object instead of a prepositional object, it occurs in immediate postverbal posi-
tion, and the verb nyaba' ‘put’ is suffixed with -i, the phonologically determined
allomorph of -e, conditioned by the high vowel [] in the final syllable of the
stem. This use of -e appears to be quite similar to the applicative construction in
Bantu languages. This similarity has led to the use of this term for closely re-
lated Indonesian languages (Arka 2003 on Balinese, Musgrave 2001 and Ross
2002 on Indonesian, Donohue 1999 on Tukang Besi).
The suffix also occurs when the locative argument is the subject of the
clause, which actually occurs more frequently than its use with objects. This is
illustrated with the object voice variants of (1) and (2) in (3) and (4), respective-
ly.
(3) Ebu' e-kerem-e paket bi' Embuk.
mother OV-send-LOC package by eld.sister
‘Mother was sent a package by Big Sister.’
(4) Meja rowa e-saba'-i paket bi' Ebu'.
table that OV-put-LOC package by mother
‘Mother put the package on the table.’
The subjects in (3) Ebu' ‘mother’ and (4) meja rowa ‘the table’ are prepositional
objects of (1a) and (2a) and the direct objects of (1b) and (2b). When the verb
has the -e suffix, only the locative argument can be the subject, regardless of
whether the location or goal is a prepositional or bare NP object.
(5) *Paket rowa e-kerem-e (ka) Ebu' bi' Embuk.
package that OV-send-LOC to mother by eld.sister
(The package was sent (to) Mother by Big Sister.)
(6) *Paket rowa e-saba'-i (neng) meja bi' Ebu'.
package that OV-put-LOC at table by mother
(The package was put on the table by Mother.)
The sentences in (5) and (6) are ungrammatical precisely because the theme and