Kankanaey

Describing an Austronesian language of the northern Philippines

This volume breaks new ground by analyzing the ergative grammar of Kankanaey within the framework of Role and Reference Grammar (RRG). The topics range from word formation to phrases, clauses, and sentences. At each of these levels, the analysis covers constituent structure as well as modifiers (“operators” in RRG).

The semantic structure that underlies Kankanaey surface structure is explored; connections are traced between that semantic structure and both nominal case marking and verbal voice marking. Information structure (topics and focus on new information) affects clause and sentence constructions, and RRG is shown to be a useful model in integrating this aspect of grammar into a holistic description.

This volume should serve as a reference and model for those who would like to use RRG theory to inform their own language research.