Distributive numeral reduplication in Karaja: experimental evidence

Cristiane OliveiraAleria Cavalcante LageAniela Improta FrançaDaniela Cid de GarciaJuliana Novo Gomes

Marcus Antonio Resende Maia

ST 79: Línguas indígenas e linguística experimental

ST 79: Línguas indígenas e linguística experimental

The goal

The aim of this paper is to present preliminary results from a psycholinguistics experiment that intends to deepen our understanding about the semantic processing of the reduplicated distributive numeral sohoji-sohoji from the Karajá language and contribute to the formals theories about quantification.

Distributive numerals: a cross-linguistic overview (Gil, 2015 - WALS)

Value Representation

No distributive numerals 62

Marked by reduplication 85

Marked by prefix 23

Marked by suffix 32

Marked by preceding word 21

Marked by following word 5

Marked by mixed or other strategies 23

Total: 251

How is the semantics of distributive quantifiers?

Usually, reduplicated distributive numerals are ambiguous:(GIL: 1995; Muller: 2012)

Narihi sohoji-sohoji hãwoko-wokuki rỹirerioar one-one canoe-PosP is

(i) Participant-distributive scenario;∀x . x ≤ ‘oar’ & atom(x) → e. x is on the beach∃Restrictor scope(ii) Event-distributive scenario.∃e. e’ . e’ ≤ ∀ e & atom(e’) → ‘oar’ is in e’Restrictor scope

sohoji-sohoji (one-one)

• What the prefered reading is;

• If the cardinality is important during processing;

• If it is possible to process non distributive scenarios.

The Karaja DP

1. [kaa/kia/kua uladu] ijesudu wi-hikã rare

this/that/that:dist boy fighter good-INT COP‘this/that/that:dist boy is a very good fighter’

2. [weryry sohoji-sohoji] bederahy-ò r-a-kre boy one-one wood-PosP 3P-VT-FUT‘Each boy will go to the woods’‘the boys will go to the woods one by one ’

Adverbs Kua habu hawò r-i-wi-ny-ra

ywimy.that man canoe 3A-VT-root-VBL-PST slowly‘That man made the canoe slowly’

?? Kua habu hawò ywimy riwinyra. that man canoa slowly made

Maia et al. (1998)

?? Kua habu ywimy hawò riwinyra. that man slowly canoe made

Preliminary study

extra-fig extra-item

extra-ind filler

Neurocognitive and Psycholinguistics Study of sohoji-sohoji

• Picture matching design

Krukru sohoji-sohoji òra tyreki ryireriBird one-one log PosP is

‘Each bird is on the log’ (participante-distributive)´the birds are on the log one by one’ (event-distributive)

Methodology

• Between subject• Match picture x distributive sentence• 6 conditions (6 exp versions) • 48 experimental sentences and 48 fillers

Materials

dis

dip col

extnex

uni

Subjects

• 27 native Karajá speakers from Hãwalò and Btoirỹ villages (TO); right handed; last two years of elementary school or more.

• Instruction: you’ll see an image and hear a sentence. After that, a question mark will appear and you need to decide if the sentece match with the previous picture (green button) or not (red button).

General response RTs

370

380

390

400

410

420

430

440

450

460

470

DV

A

Leveldis ext nex col dip uni

Paired T.test (R)

DIS vs EXT - p-value = 0.2778

Paired T.test (R)DIS vs NEX - p-value = 0.2206

Paired T.test (R)

DIS vs COL - p-value = 0.02128

Paired T.test (R)

DIS vs DIP - p-value = 0.03081

Paired T.test (R)

DIS vs UNI - p-value = 0.01749

‘yes’ answers - Welch Two Sample t-test (R)

dis vs uni p-value = 0.0172

alternative hypothesis: true difference in means is not equal to 0

‘yes’ answers - Welch Two Sample t-test (R)

dis vs nexp-value = 0.0001812

alternative hypothesis: true difference in means is not equal to 0

Discussion

• In a general way, distributive scenarios with right cardinality were more facilited during the decision time than non distributive (col,uni) and wrong cardinality condition (dip);

• Once a scenario was accepted, It takes them longer to processes a strong non distributive (uni) and a wrong event-distributive scenario (nex);

• It shows a tendency to first activate the event-distributive scenario instead of participant-distributive scenario during the processing of distributive sentences with the sohoji-sohoji quantifier operator.

Next Step

• Analize the ERP results (P600);

• Run more subjects during the next fieldwork;

• Create new designs to look at other events-distributivity scenario, transitive distributive sentences (y argument) and the role of cardinality.

Thanks!Tikotoetuke!

Acknowledgement

Chang Whan (UFF)Elly Mairu Karajá (UFG)Henrique Ferreira (UFF)Kohalue Karajá (FUNAI) Larinawa Karajá (UFG)Paloma Jeretic (NYU)

Suzi Lima (UFRJ)Caciques Ijahina and Waxio from Hãwalò and Btoirỹ