The Syntax-Semantics reading group and MULL-lab will be meeting for the last time this semester on Wednesday, December 13th at 4pm in Rm. 117 of the McGill Linguistics department, with a Zoom room open for those unable to join in person.
This week, Katya will be presenting a MULL-themed talk entitled: ‘Factual in Kanien’kéha’.
In this talk I look at two puzzles related to the factual prefix in Kanien’kéha. First, verb forms with the factual prefix typically express past tense reference; however, in certain cases, specifically with verbs of motion, these forms can only express present tense. Second, factual forms are generally incompatible with negation; again, this restriction is lifted with verbs of motion. I discuss some ideas on why we see these patterns and what they tell us about the overall meaning of the factual prefix.
Please register in advance HERE to receive the Zoom link. You can also share this link with others who may want to join.