Mon-khmer Studies, Volume 27, (1997). pp. 317-328.
Language:
English
Abstract:
A second-person proximal demonstrative pronoun in Hmong Daw, a dialect of Hmong, is introduced as a hitherto unacknowledged member of the demonstrative pronoun system. It is argued that the Eurocentric view of demonstrative systems, tyranny of word lists, & the pronoun's context-sensitive usage precluded its prior notice. Word lists & texts of other Hmong-Mien languages & dialects do not provide enough evidence for a three-way person-oriented demonstrative pronoun system in the Hmong-Mien family. The fact that these languages are spoken by minorities among other Southeast Asian languages that do not have person-oriented systems of demonstratives is argued to be good evidence that this system was not borrowed through language contact. The lack of identification of this demonstrative pronoun is contended to also be a consequence of its absence in the areal typology. The presence of this demonstrative pronoun in Hmong Daw is taken as evidence for the persistence of a three-way person-oriented demonstrative pronoun system in the Hmong-Mien family of languages. 1 Figure, 20 References. S. Godjevac