A restructuring analysis of the non‑inferential evidential verb han in Siwkolan Amis

Abstract

AbstractThis work aims to investigate the morphosyntactic properties ofhanin Siwkolan Amis and to defend a lexical split ofhan, one being a lexical category with argument structure and the other a functional category merging to Voice0. I argue that the functionalhancannot be analyzed as a quotative verb or apv-inflected verb as proposed in the literature, due to novel findings thathan(a) is permitted in patient, instrumental and locative voice constructions, (b) represses the presence of voice affixes, (c) must stand immediately adjacent to the lexical verb and (d) encodes the non-inferential evidentiality. I followCinque’s (2004)functional approach to restructuring predicates by treatinghanas a functional category of Voice0andShih & Lin’s (2011)voice Agree system where voice is a reflex of thematic relations. This analysis fares well with Wu’s (2006,2007) proposed system of undergoer voice in Amis which subsumes patient, instrument and locative voice in general. Moreover, the [iθ] feature on Voice0is spelt out ashansurfacing as a bound affix attached to the raised lexical verb fromv0. Several issues involved in dealing with the Amis voice system and implications for the evidential systems in Formosan languages are also discussed.