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The Mehweb “assertive” copula gʷa: a sketch of a portrait
Ch. 12. P. 315–331.
Mehweb Dargwa features a particle gwa, a peculiar element which is basically used for emphasizing the assertion. The paper explores some grammatical characteristics of this particle. It is shown that, in both verbal and non-verbal clauses, gwa serves as a predicative marker forming a complete predication and is an equivalent of a copula (even though, unlike the neutral copula in Mehweb, it lacks inflection). Similarly to typical East Caucasian predicative markers, gwa may occur in different positions, though its place is syntactically constrained (e.g., it cannot be embedded within syntactic islands). Still, Mehweb speakers allow gwa not to be adjoined to either the predicate or the focus. This makes the distribution of the particle surprising as compared with similar predicative markers in well-described East Caucasian languages, where they may either occur on the predicate or immediately follow the focused element.
Keywords: нахско-дагестанские языкиEast Caucasian languagesмегебский языкMehwebcopula constructionNakh-Daghestanian languagesfocus particlesфокусные частицы
Publication based on the results of:
In book
Berlin: Language Science Press, 2019.
Kozlov A., Stenin I., В кн.: Одиннадцатая конференция по типологии и грамматике для молодых исследователей. Тезисы докладов (Санкт-Петербург, 27–29 ноября 2014 г.).: Издательство Нестор-История, 2014. С. 86–89.
Тезисы посвящены семантике двух ненецких «интраклитик» — -xərtə- и -c'əyə-. «Интраклитиками» в самодистике называются особые морфемы, которые присоединяются к словоформе перед словоизменительными аффиксами; значения этих морфем примерно соответствуют тем, которые выражаются в некоторых других языках с помощью фокусных частиц. Толкования обеих интраклитик естественно формулировать с помощью понятия вероятности. ...
Added: July 26, 2026
Kozlov A., Stenin I., , in: Congressus Duodecimus Internationalis Fenno-Ugristarum, Oulu 2015. Book of Abstracts.: Oulu: University of Oulu, 2015. P. 239–241.
The paper is devoted to the morphosyntactic and semantic properties of two focus ‘intraclitics’ in Tundra Nenets. ...
Added: July 26, 2026
Maisak T., Word Structure 2026 Vol. 19 No. 2-3 P. 338–367
In a situation when two or more grammaticalization targets in one language are phonologically identical but functionally distinct, neither polygrammaticalization nor accidental syncretism can be ruled out, especially if we are dealing with a language without historical attestations. In the present paper, I present a detailed account of the coexistence of two homophonous grammatical markers ...
Added: July 9, 2026
Maisak T., Transactions of the Philological Society 2026 Vol. 124 No. 2 P. 386–427
This paper presents a first typological study of a particular type of imperative interjections, namely interjections with the meaning ‘here, take it!’ used by a speaker when they ask the addressee to take something from the speaker's hands (often combined with a gesture of giving). The sample of languages is both geographically and genealogically restricted ...
Added: July 9, 2026
Tiskin D., Типология морфосинтаксических параметров 2025 Vol. 8 No. 1 P. 112–129
There are several rival theories of fake indexicals, i.e. bound indexicals (prominently pronouns) whose φ-features do not semantically contribute to focus alternatives (e.g. Only Mary did her homework, John didn’t do his). According to Minimal Pronoun theories (such as Kratzer’s or Wurmbrand’s), bound pronouns are Merged without φ-features and acquire them under binding via agreement-like ...
Added: January 26, 2026
Сибилев Г. О., Типология морфосинтаксических параметров 2023 Т. 6 № 1 С. 112–129
he article discusses the event structure of morphological causative in Khwarshi Proper dialect of the Khwarshi language (Tsezic< Avar-Ando-Tsezic<Nakh-Daghestanian). We also analyzed the semantic parameters of the morphological causative on -χ-/-k’- and compared them with the semantic parameters of the analytical causative construction. Note that a construction with a morphological causative can be either monoeventive ...
Added: December 22, 2025
Сибилев Г. О., Acta Linguistica Petropolitana. Труды института лингвистических исследований 2025 Т. 21 № 1 С. 163–185
The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the ways speaker-oriented modality can be expressed in Khwarshi Proper (Tsezic<Avar-Ando-Tsezic<Nakh-Daghestanian). Our field data also serves to fill some data gaps in the grammatical sketch of Khwarshi Proper [Testelets, Khalilova in print]. In this article, we describe hortative, imperative, optative, preventive constructions and the jussive construction with ...
Added: December 22, 2025
Poliakova E., RHEMA. РЕМА 2024 № 1 С. 28–60
Equasimilative constructions belong to the semantic field of comparison,
but have been studied to a much less extent than comparative constructions.
There are practically no areal-typological studies in this area. This paper focuses on equasimilative constructions in Khwarshi proper (Nakh-Dagestanian).
Additionally, it provides an overview of equasimilative constructions
in the languages of the Caucasus to determine the parameters that ...
Added: November 16, 2025
Poliakova E., Вопросы языкознания 2024 № 4 С. 77–95
One of the common features of the Nakh-Daghestanian languages is the evidential opposition
between some of the past tense verb forms, which mark (in)direct access to the information. Khwarshi has two synthetic past forms that are traditionally considered to form this kind of opposition, but,
according to our data, it may in fact not be based on ...
Added: November 13, 2025
Filatov K., Томский журнал лингвистических и антропологических исследований 2025 № 4(50) С. 75–86
The article is dedicated to the typology of temporal mobility, that is the ability of verbal forms to have temporal opposition. Based on several Andic languages (< Avar-Andic-Tsezic < Nakh-Dagestanian), two formal subtypes of temporal mobility are introduced. The first subtype, — symmetric mobility, assumes that the basic and the past forms are equally marked, ...
Added: August 21, 2025
Russkih A., Родной язык: лингвистический журнал 2024 № 2 С. 6–37
The additive particle =lo in the Upper Andi variety of Zilo is a multifunctional clitic which is used both in contexts typologically frequent for additive particles and in peripheral ones. The paper provides a comprehensive description of the functions of additive =lo in the Zilo Andi in a typological perspective, with special attention to the ...
Added: January 30, 2025
Melenchenko M., Folia Linguistica 2025 Vol. 59 No. 3 P. 785–821
The paper presents an overview of numeral systems in Lezgic languages (East Caucasian) and discusses hypotheses about their diachronic development. Similarly to other branches of the East Caucasian family, languages of the Lezgic branch have either a decimal (base-10) or a vigesimal (base-20) system. Decimal systems are attested in languages and dialects in the northwestern ...
Added: December 27, 2024
Maisak T., Вопросы языкознания 2024 № 3 С. 60–98
В работе дается обзор грамматикализованных глагольных конструкций с континуативным значением (‘все еще делать, продолжать делать’), отмечаемых в ряде языков лезгинской группы нахско-дагестанской семьи, однако до сих пор не привлекавших должного внимания исследователей. Особенностью четырех лезгинских языков является наличие стативного глагола, описывающего продолжение существования или нахождения в определенном месте (‘все еще быть, оставаться’), именно этот глагол ...
Added: September 3, 2024
Maisak T., Verhees S., Folia Linguistica 2024 Vol. 58 No. s45-s1 P. 185–220
Andi (East Caucasian) features a verb form that marks an event that is (still) not happening, contrary to the speaker’s expectation (i.e. ‘Still Not’ Present). This form is unusual for several reasons. First, forms of this kind are not typical for the language family. Second, while it conveys negative semantics, the form does not contain ...
Added: September 3, 2024
Maisak T., , in: Songs and Trees: Papers in Memory of Sasha Vydrina.: СПб.: Институт лингвистических исследований РАН, 2023. P. 363–424.
Dedicated focus constructions have been identified as an important means of managing information structure in Nakh-Daghestanian languages. In a typical focus construction, a focalizing element, which is often a grammatical marker with another basic function, is placed immediately after the focused constituent. Being present in many languages of the family, focus constructions are subject to ...
Added: February 3, 2024