This thesis explains why the prefix maha- in Malagasy (a Western Austronesian language) can have either an abilitive or causative meaning. It is not the case that there is a causative maha- prefix and an abilitive maha- prefix. There is, in fact, only one prefix which is both causative and abilitive. The apparent difference in meaning arises because of a difference in the emphasis placed on what I shall suggest are the two components of this prefix: stativity and causation. Whether maha- receives an abilitive or a causative reading depends on whether it attaches to what I term an "eventive" root or a "non-eventive" root. In the former case, it receives an abilitive reading, in the latter case, a causative reading.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.26752 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Creators | Phillips, Vivianne. |
| Contributors | Travis, Lisa (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Department of Linguistics.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001557716, proquestno: MQ29562, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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