2013/06/01 by Carmel O’Shannessy · 215 citations
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Australian Indigenous Culture and History #Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation #Lexicography and Language Studies #Lexicon #Grammaticalization #Linguistics #Restructuring #Computer science #Grammatical category #Noun #Philosophy #Business
paper · doi:10.1353/lan.2013.0025
published in Language 89(2), 328-353 (Linguistic Society of America)
openalex publication_date 2013/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/10
Light Warlpiri, a new Australian mixed language combining Warlpiri (Pama-Nyungan) with varieties of English and/or Kriol that has emerged within approximately the last thirty-five years, shows radical restructuring of the verbal auxiliary system, including modal categories that differ from those in the source languages. The structure of Light Warlpiri overall is that of a mixed language, in that most verbs and some verbal morphology are drawn from English and/or Kriol, and most nominal morphology is from Warlpiri. Nouns are drawn from both Warlpiri-lexicon and English-lexicon sources. The restructuring of the auxiliary system draws selectively on elements from Warlpiri and several varieties and styles of English and/or Kriol, combined in such a way as to produce novel constructions. It may be that when multiple sources provide input to a rapidly emerging new system, innovative categories are likely to appear.