This presentation will present an analysis of symmetrical voice structures in Malagasy, linking their analysis to wider concepts in syntactic theory.
12:00 - 13:00
CTC 2.05
Catherine Taylor
Lectures, talks and seminars
Language and Linguistics Departmental Seminar
Language and Linguistics, Department of
Joseph Lovestrand joseph.lovestrand@essex.ac.uk
In the sentence "I’m learning Malagasy with a teacher via Zoom,” what is the subject?
It’s “I”, right? How do you know? Could you rewrite the sentence to make “Malagasy” the subject? What about “a teacher”? What about “Zoom”? Many Austronesian languages like Malagasy (spoken in Madagascar) have symmetrical voice systems that go beyond a simple active-passive distinction and allow a wide range of arguments to be grammatical subject. What does this mean for our understanding of concepts like subject, object and oblique, and what can Malagasy tell us about how language works?
This talk is open to all who are interested in questions such as this, as well as on Malagasy in general. It will be held in-person (CTC 2.05) as well as online.