2024/02/15 by Bernat Bardagil
#Amazonian languages #clause embedding #quotative #reportative
paper · doi:10.25894/ldd.355
Quotation is a central function in language and communication that has so far been largely neglected in the scientific study of many indigenous languages. This paper addresses this for Panará, a Northern Jê language spoken by approximately 650 people in Mato Grosso and Pará. I present the properties of grammatical constructions used with a quotative function in Panará. The internal structure of quotatives in Panará is similar to that of other embedded clauses, which in turn present the same characteristics as main clauses. The context of quotatives is quite rich, with several quotatives that introduce quotations, the main one being the verb sũn “to say”. There is also a specific quotative used in narrative contexts, jãri “to tell,” which is closely related to a reportative marker tijãri.