1. Corpus support for variable
second-position clitics in Syriac
Patrick B. Pearson
Deryle Lonsdale
Kristian Heal
Brigham Young University
February 29, 2016

2. Syriac
• Semitic language; dialect of Aramaic
• Semitic root-and-pattern morphology (introflexive)
• Written and read right-to-left
‫ܢ‬‫ܐܢܬܘ‬‫ܕܒܫܡܝܐ‬ ‫ܢ‬‫ܐܒܘ‬ ‫ܡܨܠܝܢ‬ ‫ܢ‬‫ܗܘܝܬܘ‬ ‫ܗܟܢܐ‬ ‫ܗܟܝܠ‬
• Large extant literature dating to 2nd century AD
• Scant principled linguistic research undertaken
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3. Research Observations
• Syriac contains a unified class of rhetorical particles.
• These particles are typologically clitics.
• As clitics, they are second-position clitics.
• The particles display variation in second-position
attachment.
• Previous corpus and data limitations restricted results.
• Larger state-of-the-art digitized corpora can help prove
these assumptions.
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4. Clitics
Independent
words
Affixes
Clitics
• Require a phonological host
• Promiscuous attachment to their host (low selectivity)
• Typically unaccented/non-prominent
• No affix-like idiosyncrasies (semantic/phonological)
• Interact with different linguistic interfaces (i.e., syntax-phonology)
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5. (2P) Second-position clitics
a. INITIAL BEFORE SUFFIXAL
b. INITIAL BEFORE PREFIXAL
c. INITIAL AFTER SUFFIXAL
d. INITIAL AFTER PREFIXAL
e. FINAL BEFORE SUFFIXAL
f. FINAL BEFORE PREFIXAL
g. FINAL AFTER SUFFIXAL
h. FINAL AFTER PREFIXAL
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6. Second position as 2W
2W= second word (i.e., after first full word)
Homeric Greek
theios =moi enupnion ēlthen Oneiros
divine me-D dream came Oneiros
‘divine Oneiros came to me in a dream’
NP: theios Oneiros
NP: theios =moi Oneiros
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7. Second position as 2D
2D= second daughter (i.e., after first syntactic
daughter/multi-word phrase)
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Slovene
in moje srce je bilo veselo
and my heart AUX.3SG be happy
in moje je srce bilo veselo
and my AUX.3SG heart be happy
‘and my heart was happy’
NP
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8. Prior research on Syriac clitics
• Literature is mainly: Biblical/religious, description and
grammar, and lexicography.
• Research on Syriac particles is mostly historical and
lexicographic.
• Three studies on Syriac particles as clitics:
• van Peursen & Falla (2009)
• Kuty (2001)
• Doron & Assif (2000)
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9. The SWCorpus
• Available via BYU’s CPART
• State-of-the-art corpus using WordCruncher
• Hundreds of Syriac literary texts
• Approximately 6,000,000 word tokens
• Searchable (single words and collocates)
• Largest Syriac corpus used for linguistic research
• Source for our examples and observations
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10. The Syriac rhetorical particles
Gloss
Syriac
Particles
Romanization
then, thereupon; emphasizes
interrogatives and particles
‫ܕܝܢ‬ den
indeed, therefore, truly, for ‫ܓܝܪ‬ ger
enclitic emphasizing particle,
enclitic particle marking
direct speech or part of a
quotation
‫ܠܡ‬ lam
because, for;
interrogative, dubitative
‫ܟܝ‬ kay
therefore, namely (that is to
say)
‫ܟܝܬ‬ kayt
thus/therefore, now/now then ‫ܗܟܝܠ‬ hokyl
indeed, on the one hand ‫ܡܢ‬ man
until now, still (while); not yet ‫ܥܕܟܝܠ‬ cdkyl
so, now, therefore ‫ܥܘܕ‬ cwd
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11. SRPs: Typologically clitics
• Diagnostics to determine properties of clitics
• Applied Syriac examples from the SWCorpus to each diagnostic
• Comparative tests distinguishing words and affixes from clitics
• SRPs demonstrate clitic properties in virtually all criteria.
Zwicky & Pullum (1983); Zwicky (1985); Miller (1999)
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12. SRPs as 2W clitics
‫ܢ‬ܶ‫ܐ‬‫ܐ‬ ‫ܐ‬ ܶ‫ܡ‬ܰ‫ܬܕ‬ ܶ‫ܕܡ‬ ‫ܐ‬ ܳ‫ܫ‬ܳ‫ܪܢ‬ܰ‫ܒ‬ ‫ܪ‬ ܰ‫ܡ‬ ܳ‫ܐ‬ ‫ܝܢ‬ܶ‫ܕ‬̱‫ܐ‬ܳ‫ܢ‬‫ܐ‬ܰ‫ܒ‬‫ܐ‬ ܳ‫ܗ‬ ܳ‫ܠ‬
ᵓn =den ᵓmr brnšᵓ d-mtdmᵓ ᵓnᵓ b-ᵓlhᵓ
if but says.3MS person that-imitate.1M.PART I as-God
“But if a person says, 'I will imitate God…”
‫ܢ‬‫ܐ‬̱‫ܛܒ‬ ‫ܒܟܠ‬ ‫ܠܒܝܫܬܐ‬ ‫ܙܟܐܘܗ‬ ‫ܠܡ‬ ‫ܢ‬‫ܬܘ‬̈‫ܕܠܘܬ‬ ‫ܬܐ‬‫ܟܠܢܫ‬
‫ܒ‬ ‫ܥܘܕ‬ ‫ܘܠܡܢܐ‬̈‫ܣܡ‬ ‫ܢܝ‬̈‫ܝܐ‬‫ܚܙܝܢ‬
‫ܘܐܢܫ‬̈‫ܝܢ‬‫ܢ‬ ܿ‫ܡ‬‫ܦܛܥ‬̈‫ܐ‬‫ܡܢ‬‫ܝܗܘ‬̈‫ܕܝܐ‬‫ܘܐܚܪ‬̈‫ܢܐ‬‫ܡܬܠܠܝܢ‬‫ܕܠܘ‬‫ܕܘܝܕ‬ ‫ܐ‬ ܼ‫ܗܘ‬ ‫ܢܒܝܐ‬
‫ܗܟܢܐ‬‫ܗܟܝܠ‬‫ܨܠܘ‬‫ܢ‬‫ܐܢܬܘ‬‫ܢ‬‫ܐܒܘ‬‫ܕܒܫܡܝܐ‬‫ܢܬܩܕܫ‬‫ܫܡܟ‬
‫ܐܐܠ‬‫ܚܒܝ‬ ‫ܕܒܦܓܪܐ‬ ‫ܟܡܐ‬ ‫ܥܕܟܝܠ‬
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13. SRPs as 2D clitics
‫ܡܢ‬‫ܒܬܪ‬‫ܐܢܐ‬ ‫ܩܐܡ‬ ‫ܕ‬‫ܐܢܐ‬ ‫ܩܕܡ‬ ‫ܕܝܢ‬‫ܢ‬‫ܠܟܘ‬
mn btr d-qᵓm ᵓnᵓ den qdm ᵓnᵓ l-kwn
from after REL-arise.1S I but go.before.1MS I to-you.3MP
“But after that I am risen I am before you…”
‫ܡܢ‬‫ܒܬܪ‬‫ܓܝܪ‬‫ܕ‬‫ܢ‬‫ܐ‬ ‫ܥܢܕ‬̱‫ܗܢܐ‬ ‫ܡܢ‬ ‫ܬ‬‫ܥܠܡܐ‬
‫ܗܟܝܠ‬ ‫ܐ‬ ܳ‫ܗܘ‬ ‫ܐܠ‬ ‫ܢ‬‫ܐ‬‫ܐܠܗܐ‬
‫ܕܝܢ‬ ‫ܢܦܫܐ‬ ‫ܟܠ‬‫ܕܡܚܒܠܝܢ‬
‫ܝܣ‬ ܿ‫ܓ‬ ‫ܓܝܪ‬ ‫ܢ‬‫ܢܘ‬ ܼ‫ܗ‬ ‫ܐܦ‬̈‫ܗܘ‬ ܿ‫ܥܕܗ‬ ‫ܠܘ‬ ‫ܐ‬
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14. Evidence of 2W/2D variation
Serbo-Croatian
Taj pesnik mi je napisao knjigu.
that.MASC.NOM poet.NOM me.DAT is wrote.MASC book.ACC
Taj mi je pesnik napisao knjigu.
that.MASC.NOM me.DAT is poet.NOM wrote.MASC book.ACC
“That poet wrote me a book”
Syriac
‫ܘܢܦܩ‬ ‫ܕܝܢ‬ ‫ܩܡ‬ ‫ܟܕ‬ܿ‫ܡܢܗ‬
kd qm den w- nfq mn-(h)
when rose.3MS then and went.out.3MS from-it
‫ܘܢܦܩ‬ ‫ܩܡ‬ ‫ܕܝܢ‬ ‫ܟܕ‬‫ܡܢܗ‬
kd den qm w- nfq mn-(h)
when then rose.3MS and went.out.3MS from-there
“Then when (he) rose and went forth from there”
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15. Further 2W/2D variation
‫ܐܡܪ‬‫ܗܘ‬ ‫ܕܝܢ‬ ‫ܢ‬‫ܠܗܘ‬
‫ܢ‬‫ܠܗܘ‬ ‫ܐܡܪ‬ ‫ܕܝܢ‬ ‫ܗܘ‬
‫ܡܐܡܪ‬ ‫ܒܗܠܝܢ‬ ‫ܢܩܪܐ‬ ‫ܐܢܫ‬ ‫ܓܝܪ‬ ‫ܢ‬‫ܐ‬̈‫ܐ‬
‫ܐ‬ ‫ܢ‬‫ܐ‬̱‫ܥܒܕ‬ ‫ܢܦܚܡ‬ ‫ܓܝܪ‬ ‫ܢܫ‬̈‫ܢ‬‫ܕܟܐ‬ ‫ܐ‬̈‫ܐ‬‫ܥܡ‬
‫ܗܘ‬ ‫ܕܝܢ‬ ‫ܢ‬‫ܠܗܘ‬ ‫ܐܡܪ‬‫ܩܘܣܛܢܛܝܢܘܣ‬
‫ܢ‬‫ܠܗܘ‬ ‫ܐܡܪ‬ ‫ܕܝܢ‬ ‫ܗܘ‬
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16. Summary & Conclusions
• Bridged Syriac studies and state-of-the-art corpus research
• Showed SRPs are clitics
• Showed SRPs have variable 2W/2D second-position placement
• SWCorpus needs annotation
• Frequency of 2W vs. 2D occurrence in SWCorpus
• Conflate 2W/2D variation to a single description
• Analyze SRP usage in different versions of identical texts
• Investigate clitic-cluster order and semantics (lam/den | den/lam)
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17. ܺ‫ܘܕܝ‬ ܰ‫ܬ‬ܺ‫ܓܝ‬ ܰ‫ܣ‬
(Thank you very much)
(Questions and Answers)
Contact Information: patty157@gmail.com
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