THESES, SIS/LIBRARY

A.G. MENZIES BUILDING N02

Australian National University

Canberra ACT 0200 Australia

USE OF THESES

This copy is supplied for purposes of private study and research only. Passages from the thesis may not be

copied or closely paraphrased without the written consent of the author.

THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNMRSITY

Telephone: +61 2 6125 4631

Facsimile: +61 2 6125 4063

Email: library.tlleses@anu.edu.au

~:y ln:sbuud, .~lun rcnlcy, .-incl I lurvc 11ccn horkint,, tot;ctlicr Oll the

c11ulysiu of tl1e Tclcfol lnngu1tge si11cc 1950.

,~inn G. lcy has snr..-cycd tl1c ln11rur.['.CS of the :!?;u!1ily to which the

Tclcfol lnnguu:::c belongs, nutl hu.s been rcsponsililc for the phonolot,icul

und m.orphologicnl unulyscs of 1'clcfol itself. !.any of the results oi

ti:cuc invcstigutions ntc incorporutcd in hiB 11 .rhe Ok Longuoge Fu1.'.lily in

:;c11 Guincn 11 , f!).l). thesis sulJ1:.iittcd to the ~~ustralion ::ntional

l;nivcrsity in Scptc1:;hcr, lDGl. lie lifls also been rcsponsihle ror

::i;::~rly ull the clicitin:; and chcc1;ing: of tlatu, nnci for t.hc rr.cordin~

n1JL1 transcrihinG of ::i.uch of the luri;e corpus of text mutcriuls u11on

~.-11ich this thesis in bused.

I liuvc bcc11 responsible for cost of tl1c nnulysis of the d3ta,

phonology nnd r;iorpholor;y ci.:cepte:U. I huvc filed and charted lt:xicnl

end syntnctic r:intcrinls, and liuilt these into n tlictionary of 5000

\\'Orel~ und t!ic syntact.ic ntatcrucnt which constitutes 'thia tlicuia

.. '..ltlio11gh the projects ,~c:re

;.11ot..!:c1, thuuLl: i:c ;:1uy nut CYCll he ~uurc ur the cxis Lt.;I1Ct!1 present or

past, of sor.ic of the people \oho have :ontrihut'.?d to our ~turc of

1:110Klcdge. .So jn ucl:noirlccJ~ing :~y ucader.1ic dcbL, I can only li::it

tr~0sc 1...110.si:: influence i:;; z:1ost in:.::::.crlintc.

!.y ir~lroducLion to lin;;~isLic;; Cltl:::~ Yin Lr. G:ipell n:. the rnivcr:;i1.y

vf ;;iyCncy und tl!c:1 tltc Su:.::.:.:.ler Inst.ii.t:lc of Lill~uistics, c~pcciu.lly viu

iLc clc~.a;roo1:1 teaching of .Ur:.i. L.l. l'i!~c und lL.S. iiit:::l1.n. ~'.y

cd:1c

to he solved und in filling :,nps in our l;ru1crJaticul kriowleU.1!e. \'.thcr

'l'cl~f~lmiin too tnt::Jcrous to mention huve contributed te:..:t r:u~tcrinls.

iJr. S . :1... Wurn, my supenisor ut the .Australian i.'.ntionnl Uni,'crsity,

hns never spnrcd hii:;:sclf in helping his fjtudents. Ee hns answered my

unny qucutions, co::t'!lented upon drafts of parts of the thesis, and

supplied information und literature, much of it by cnil.

Several cembCrs of the Xclr Guincn Drnnch of the SU!!lr.lcr Institute of

Lingu,;,.dtics have ~lso r.iven valuable coci.1cnts on drnfts of purte of

this thesis. l~s. Hosecary Young has com:ucntcd on Clu1ptcrs II, III,

nnd V 1 Mr. E.nrl Franklin on Chapters II nnd III, 1:r. Ellie Deibler on

Ctar>i.er I, anJ. !.:r. Hobr.rt Litteral on Chapter V. }lr. I\nrl X'rnnltlin

und !.'.r. llrucc I:oolcy buvc contributed lioolt::, fro~ their own libraries

~liilc I was nriting on the field without access to library fucilitice.

llev. lJrinn I~envcr of t!Jn J~ustrnlinn lJuptiRt. :.:iRHionnry Society nt.

'i'clefo::Jin :.;uYe helpful coLl!:lents on Chapter II.

1'lic Linguistic Circle of Cunhcrrn hns kindly puhli!:;hed Cl:upter~ I,

JI, III, und N in til!le to be lJound in the thcs:ib. 'fher;c huvc been

rcpnr1inntP.d serially, with the old pngc na!JlJcrs in sc1'1urc brackets.

') / _/Le_ 1 . ,< l_, -/ Fliyllis ll. llculey lJ!cnr11!:1pn 1 T.P.~i.G. Scptc~ber 1 lDGU.

I

]_. :~cnc.:.ecl 7:0:.:.-:.rJ~c 2, :.-\t::.: N.:;c0.re:::.~~cc ). ... _'.::lcfol ~::;:.J;:i:: in Outline: ~cncrnl 1""i.nc1incr. :jyr:.tri~tie !).:-;;~ri..:;tionc of Othc::. ::r;\: r_'.uinct!. i.i:i?~G .. ~'-f;ti"IC: .c ..... "~;.u::;;; of Gloucu .i'ypc.::; !. J~iot:l:J'...tlcr:. 0,;_ Cl:1u=;t:f~ i1 tl:c ~-.>c~"tcncc

i::,tr:~.:

1. ;-:-L; "UC turc of -l;he: ':~.,_iot~1ti ::.. r~l

1). lntrotluction l. l'llo i~P.r.".t:1cti c Cb~~ir.: :?. 1.i'hc :;j(;p1.,.;ndcnt ChrJ.ir. j. 'Ihi...: lr:.d.L:p0!1 1.!..::1t Ch.-..in ,,_. 'l'lle: ::ie:ntcncc ) ~'he: I::'.. r: c our:~ c

:iotc:::;

- ii -

l .'_~:.:-:.:

121

122 J.?.4 13C 15;: 171 186 195

200

201

r

':

I

- iii -

r;:TRODUCTio;;

'.i.1!.is lic:.:cription cf -:Lolcfol Gyntnx consti ti..1.tco n contribution to li:-.. 'y:!.ctic :..::cicncc, in p::i.:.. .. ticula:?."' u co:itribution to the s::-..:i.11 but gro'.'tlnc ;~;.:..:::~e::.. oi de:t.:til.Jd dep"'..;1:-ctutlie:G of' i.1crr Guinc[~ l!."'.!1.5\JllGCD. 1 It '.'Ins nlco .:)i..G~e;. ::lth ~1 ;:Le;: t.o "'.:i~~ nccdr.: o:f' :.ti.ssionnric~, lin(;Ui;:;to, nnd ;':.

- iv

cl n conotruction. !:5ct'-'"'!.ntico cntcrG the dct;cription particu.J.Llrly in 1.1.2)' I.1.22; III.2.~j I\',2; arid v Tc.blc n.

(.) Cncc ncoin bccnUC of the practical purpoGen to be :JcrvcU by this ::.-::,'I1tnctic description, the author ho.:::i follo\'/ctl H .s. Pi ttr.n.n 1 G dc::;criptivc ri!Odcl in t\':o reGpcctG. (i) The cinor word-clo.::;::;ca and cvcn .:;o:.:c uifixinl 1uorphcr.1c clnsueo h:ivc been listed nt tho::;e pair.ts in~ the Uc:::;cription v1hcre th~ Gr2..1"iu:.n.tical Unit they rr.:.nifc::t iG described.? (ii) 1J..1Lc orclerinG of the r5..').:;c:ription ha::; nttC;nptcci to avoid fol'\'.'nrd l'o.;i'C!Y;nc:nu l.J.i' buildin,: orito nha.t h:::!.:::i clrcc.dy been L"iY'cn. 1J.1hi:::; ifl ?it trr.2.n' c principle of prcsupposi tion.6 It has necccoi tatcd proccedinG f10::; t:1c lov:e:t:t lc.rcl of oyntnctic structure to the hiGlV:>!">t lc1cl in the dt.!~>crirtion~ ~i!1CC: the i.J;.i ~;1 r.:-. -~.c:. l!:Y0l : ~: i'or tLc- ::.o:(; !,i1r~:

-.~. ;:. ; ,::.1 l1y : ;::~-:.'.!.~, :~.' :.::. ;:onotruc:t~.ono frora the nc:-::"t lo::cr level.

(r) r.:.'rrx::-;;for:-:i ruJ.e:o ;::..id notation tovo not h!:.!c:n uocd in till:;; dcocriotion be;c:'.u::c the:/ u:r:-c bi~hl:r n'Lotrnct. Ho;;cver, there nro 1n..:my plncco where 't:hc l

- 'I -

th::::>in, c.c indicc.tccl b~ t!lc list in ce:ction 1.l(b) nbovc.:.

l. 2 lli~TllODJLOGIC/Ji 1'20!:LEI ;s

(n) LonG::i.cre' c dit.:ti::cJ.i.chinc cri tcrion of dual Gtructurnl diffc:r..cnc0 ic cor;.ctir:1c:; difZicult to upply becaur.;c of the c.nulyticnl tu1ccrtr:int.:,r no -:::o :I1ctht;r u po.rt:;.~ulc.r feature nhould or nhoulcl not be :icv;c

- vi -

[;ivc ['...'1 ovc:-nll free tr:.nslntion of the whole Unit. J3ut it r::till :;ccr:i::.-th.".t idcntifyin.:; lower-level Uni ts with nddi tioncl s,yr..bolo n?td mul tiplc br~cl:ctint:; \'iOuld :.nly obscure the point c.t hru:d instcc.d of cl~rii';rint:; it. 'fhc solution to t!D.'1 problcr:i v:hich hns been c.cioptcd h:ic been a lco,:;-th::.n-frcc trn.11slntion in w~1ich ench embedded Clnusc io .scpnr.:!tcly tr:-.nGl~tcd in tum, but 'Ni thout ltr;;cr-lcvcl tng::r:ctti.c idcntifi ti or.. 1.rhc-quc.::;tion of whether tii.c

- vii -

exception. '11he Cho.ptcrc .,,ere v:ri ttcn o.nd published in the follo..-.'ing order over e>. period of ov..::r two ycr.:.ro: IV, I, III rmd II, :.nd fin:-:.2.ly V. Throughout the ...,hole period the corpus cxpo.nded, and new diccovcrics ,;ere beini:; ri.ndc pertinent to every level. AG ,,an bound to happen, oo;:-.>J infort.r.!l.tion on lov1cr lc1r>ln of the oyntnx car.;c to liGht after the nrtielc to \';hi ch it \,n:::: pertinent b._;.d acne to press. 'i'he most inporta..'1.t diccoverico ure nn i'olla;;o:

(o.) The phoncr:lic nnal:tcis "''O.S cor..plcted after the publication of Chu.ptcr IV .13 /:Ster d~::; paper, :-:-:.~~lial vowel length pnd length of non-ini tinl nnd . no lonG':!r necd

... viii -

charted, and reduced to perccntageo. The percentages had to be compn:rcd and cxrun..L'1cd to sec if they indicated ciQ1ificant trends or not. Tho ordering of Adjectives, J1dverbs, n.'1d Conncctiv8:J were hnr..dled in thir: wa:y, as wao the vrider Uiot..ribution of postcli iico f'J1d Con.'1cctivcs. ~he data. of Chapter "l paced 1.:.:;..'1y problcrr.s of overlc.ppinc diGtribution, so:::.c of which are o.s yet tu1solvcd. 1\r; c. rcoult of thin i:!'rc(fJ.lnrity, proportionately more r:pncc ha.d to be Given to the "exccpt.!..ono" thri.n to the 11 ruleo 11 Thin tcrHlcd to thrc'"' the hichli[;ht of the dcncriptio:-i off t:1c prcdor.ti.nnnt pnttc~a, ;;here it cti.clr::; to be~ r)~to the rri">"(\r patterns.

The uoc of the tucr..c::-ic r;1odcl involvco, of couroc, c preUJ.cpositio'.':1 tov:o.rdn the dincovcrj.' :-f r:ul tinnry r.::{~hcr than bin~zy otr. -:i+.urc. Hcvcrthclcsc, it ia ~.- .-,1. to ~o?:ccivc o: o.n nn:ily~in th:it v1;1'J.ld reveal binary connti tucnts i?. :.i~--.: G~ncrcl ?ioun Phro.oc ( Chnptcr I) for c>:OJ.1ple, or in thl) Ch:'..in.n of Ch:.ptcr V.

The notion tha.t the hr:n1 of n gra.!:X'.:'.l.tic:ll c. ,,,ruction ::ruat be prcocnt for Lo.torn.la to be: pre cent rcc0i vcs :J-:~.::::thlnc; of n blow fro::i the ':1clcfol noun Fhr:.oc, in which the Ih.:~leun io not oolic;atc::r to the Phra.oc, Md the Hot.L'1 io not oblici~torJ to the ~ruclcu.n. TI1!":!scs occt:.r i~1 which the !!uclcus lnc~~o a. :Joun, r.nd An,uclcnr Ph.resco occ'..ll.") compo::ird of one or more of the posoiblc Latern.J.o.If

3." LEVELS

'..:he hierarchy of Tclcfol Synta.:-: hac been described in terns a: f) aoc1nd.""l.ne levclo which luvc been referred to no the Phro.oe, Cluunt:, Paratuctic, Dependent, Sc~tcnce, ruid Di2couroe Lcvclo respectively.

PlffiASE LEVEL (Cr.up oc~s I u.'1d II). !Joun Phraoco cons;. st of o ?iuclcuo, which io internally c;:pu