Dear all,
The Linguistics Colloquium Series is having a talk next Friday, 04/14, in Oak 112, at 4:00pm.
We would like to invite you to join us and see Prof. Ruth Kramer's (Georgetown University) talk 'Number features on n and a: evidence from Afroasiatic' . The abstract is attached below.
Information about the speaker can be found here: http://faculty.georgetown.edu/rtk8/
The Linguistics Colloquium Series is a student-organized event sponsored by the UConn Department of Linguistics and the UConn Graduate Student Senate.
We hope to see you there!
Gabriel & Paula
Abstract:
It is controversial whether number features can be located on the nominalizing head n. If number being on n varies parametrically, and if number features can be on both n and Num(ber), three types of languages are predicted: (A) number on Num, (B) number on n, (C) number on Num and n. I present three Afroasiatic languages that instantiate the types: Northern Mao (Omotic) is Type A, Hausa (Chadic) is Type B and, building on Kramer 2009, 2012, Amharic (Semitic) is Type C. This provides evidence for number being on n and advances our understanding of number in several understudied languages. I continue by investigating the predictions of this typology, focusing mostly on the claim that other categorizing heads could have number features as well. In particular, I take a close look at the (previously unanalyzed) morphosyntax of adjectival plural agreement in Amharic. I conclude from a variety of empirical diagnostics that adjectival plurality can be located on the a adjectivalizing head or on an inflectional head in Amharic, similar to nominal plurality being on n or Num.
For more information, contact: Paula Fenger at paula.fenger@uconn.edu