29.06.2023

Grammatical categories channeled through speech practices tend to be super-diffusible: the case of wishes and optatives in Daghestan

Colloquium by Prof. Dr. Nina Dobrushina

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Time: Thursday, 29^th June 2023 at 1pm (sharp)

Location: Rümelinstraße 23, Room 602 or via Zoom

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Nina Dobrushina

Title: Grammatical categories channeled through speech practices tend to be super-diffusible: the case of wishes and optatives in Daghestan

Abstract: 

There is a hypothesis that areal diffusion of grammatical categories can be mediated by the spread of discourse phenomena (Beier et al. 2002, De Vries 2006, Nikitina 2017, Epps & Michael 2017, Mithun 2008). In this talk, I will contribute to this discussion by focusing on the grammatical category of the optative (a form which expresses the speaker’s wish or hope that something would happen) in the languages of Daghestan (Northern Caucasus), and the related discourse phenomenon of wish formulas (blessings and curses) in the same area. I will show that inflectional optatives proved to be super-diffusible in the Caucasus. They are found in genealogically unrelated languages; they may use old (non-analyzable) morphology or be innovative within the same family or even branch; one language can have several optatives with the same or similar function. High diffusibility of the optatives and abundance of other wish expressions points to a special scenario of language contact. I believe that the maintenance and diffusion of the optatives is supported by the discourse practice of blessings and curses, thus showcasing the link between structural linguistic phenomena and cultural environment.

We welcome you all to join us in-person or via Zoom.