Diverging paths: Variation in Garrwa tense/aspect clitic placement

This paper presents an account of variations in the clausal position of two tense/aspect markers in the Garrwa language, primarily whether they occur before or after a pronoun as part of a second position clitic cluster. The analysis considers how different paths of grammaticalisation in the development of Garrwa tense/aspect markers may impact on their contemporary usage. An account of discoursepragmatic factors associated with tense/aspect clitic placement in narrative discourse is also presented. The analysis demonstrates a range of factors, both historical and pragmatic, which may motivate grammatical variation in discourse.

Published online: 16 October 2008
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.104.07mus