Referential formulation in Umpila and Kuuku Ya'u discourse

What do discourse-based investigations of grammatical phenomena reveal about the exploitation of morpho-syntactic categories for discourse purposes? Or, to consider this relationship from a bottom-up perspective: Do morpho-syntactic categories have a higher level role in the macrostructure of texts? In this project, Hill is undertaking an exploration of referential expressions in Umpila (Paman language, Australia). It is this empirical domain which is being used to consider a number of broader issues, such as that of the relationship between grammatical categories and discourse structure introduced above. Focus in this project is given to the investigation person reference formulation; person reference is a particularly ideal vehicle in which to explore this interface between grammar and discourse, while also crucially pulling cultural considerations into the mix. It is well established as a highly culturally patterned domain, and the complex kin systems and social categories of Aboriginal Australian make this a rich area of investigation in Umpila. There are claims of cross-linguistic/cultural organisational principles for person reference as a domain (Enfield and Stivers 2007). Additionally, Hill's preliminary analytical work indicates reference formulation as a key discourse organising device in Umpila.

This project will serve as a foundation for considering and comparing the relationship between the organising principles in the person reference system and other referential domains that are potentially less obviously culturally indexed, such as artifact and place reference. This comparison will serve as a barometer on whether culturally patterned lexical and morpho-syntactic structures exert more influence on higher-level interactional properties. By exploring the nature of grammatical phenomena and social categorisation within discourse and interaction, this PhD project straddles areas of investigation which are relevant to both Categories and Multimodal Interaction sub-projects.

Contact person

Clair Hill