Chol Agreement and Case Fragment @cite{coon-2013a}

@cite{imanishi-2020}

Agreement morphology and case assignment for Chol (Cholan, Mayan), a low absolutive language with aspect-based split ergativity.

The System

Chol has two agreement paradigms:

• Set A (ERG/GEN): prefixes cross-referencing the transitive agent
• Set B (ABS): suffixes cross-referencing the absolutive argument

Morpheme order: Asp-SET_A-V-SET_B (low absolutive order, contrasting with Kaqchikel's Asp-SET_B-SET_A-V).

Case Licensing (@cite{coon-2013a}; @cite{imanishi-2020}, §2.4.3)

• ERG: inherent from transitive v
• ABS (transitive): structural from Voice (low absolutive)
• ABS (intransitive): structural from Infl

Accusative Side (Non-Perfective)

In non-perfective aspect, the aspectual predicate choñkol embeds a nominalized clause. The RON does NOT hold: the external argument may be generated inside the nominalized clause. Result: S/A = GEN (from D), O = ABS (from Voice).

inductive Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ArgPosition : Type

Argument positions in a Chol clause.

• agent : ArgPosition
• patient : ArgPosition
• intranS : ArgPosition

instance Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instDecidableEqArgPosition : DecidableEq ArgPosition

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instDecidableEqArgPosition x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯

instance Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instBEqArgPosition : BEq ArgPosition

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instBEqArgPosition = { beq := Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instBEqArgPosition.beq }

def Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instBEqArgPosition.beq : ArgPosition → ArgPosition → Bool

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instBEqArgPosition.beq x✝ y✝ = (x✝.ctorIdx == y✝.ctorIdx)

def Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instReprArgPosition.repr : ArgPosition → Nat → Std.Format

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

instance Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instReprArgPosition : Repr ArgPosition

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instReprArgPosition = { reprPrec := Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instReprArgPosition.repr }

def Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ArgPosition.ergCase : ArgPosition → Minimalism.CaseVal

Case assignment in perfective (ergative) clauses. Standard ergative alignment: A = ERG, S = P = ABS.

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ArgPosition.agent.ergCase = Minimalism.CaseVal.erg
• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ArgPosition.patient.ergCase = Minimalism.CaseVal.abs
• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ArgPosition.intranS.ergCase = Minimalism.CaseVal.abs

def Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ArgPosition.accCase : ArgPosition → Minimalism.CaseVal

Case assignment in non-perfective (accusative) clauses. Since the RON does not hold, the subject appears inside the nominalized clause as the highest DP and receives GEN from D. The object receives ABS from Voice (low absolutive).

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ArgPosition.agent.accCase = Minimalism.CaseVal.gen
• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ArgPosition.patient.accCase = Minimalism.CaseVal.abs
• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ArgPosition.intranS.accCase = Minimalism.CaseVal.gen

def Fragments.Mayan.Chol.argPositions : List ArgPosition

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.argPositions = [Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ArgPosition.agent, Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ArgPosition.patient, Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ArgPosition.intranS]

theorem Fragments.Mayan.Chol.erg_abs_alignment : ArgPosition.agent.ergCase ≠ ArgPosition.patient.ergCase ∧ ArgPosition.patient.ergCase = ArgPosition.intranS.ergCase

Ergative alignment in perfective: A distinguished from S/P.

theorem Fragments.Mayan.Chol.acc_alignment : ArgPosition.agent.accCase = ArgPosition.intranS.accCase ∧ ArgPosition.agent.accCase ≠ ArgPosition.patient.accCase

Accusative alignment in non-perfective: S = A (GEN), O distinct (ABS).

theorem Fragments.Mayan.Chol.extended_ergative : ArgPosition.agent.accCase = Minimalism.CaseVal.gen ∧ ArgPosition.intranS.accCase = Minimalism.CaseVal.gen

Extended ergative: all subjects get GEN (= set A) in non-perfective.

def Fragments.Mayan.Chol.absPosition : ABSPosition

Chol's absolutive morphemes appear in low position (at the end of the verb stem, post-stem). Observable from morpheme order: ASP-ERG-ROOT-(DERIV)-SUFFIX-ABS.

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.absPosition = Fragments.Mayan.ABSPosition.low

inductive Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ExtractionTarget : Type

Extraction possibilities in Chol transitive clauses. Unlike Q'anjob'al, Chol allows both A and P arguments to extract freely. There are no extraction asymmetries — Chol lacks syntactic ergativity.

The resulting ambiguity (when both arguments are 3rd person) is a natural consequence of the absence of extraction restrictions: Maxki₁ tyi y-il-ä (___₁) jiñi wiñik (___₁)? 'Who saw the man?' / 'Who did the man see?'

• intranS : ExtractionTarget
• patient : ExtractionTarget
• agent : ExtractionTarget

instance Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instDecidableEqExtractionTarget : DecidableEq ExtractionTarget

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instDecidableEqExtractionTarget x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯

instance Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instBEqExtractionTarget : BEq ExtractionTarget

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instBEqExtractionTarget = { beq := Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instBEqExtractionTarget.beq }

def Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instBEqExtractionTarget.beq : ExtractionTarget → ExtractionTarget → Bool

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instBEqExtractionTarget.beq x✝ y✝ = (x✝.ctorIdx == y✝.ctorIdx)

instance Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instReprExtractionTarget : Repr ExtractionTarget

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instReprExtractionTarget = { reprPrec := Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instReprExtractionTarget.repr }

def Fragments.Mayan.Chol.instReprExtractionTarget.repr : ExtractionTarget → Nat → Std.Format

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

def Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ExtractionTarget.extractable : ExtractionTarget → Bool

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ExtractionTarget.intranS.extractable = true
• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ExtractionTarget.patient.extractable = true
• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.ExtractionTarget.agent.extractable = true

theorem Fragments.Mayan.Chol.all_extract_freely : ExtractionTarget.intranS.extractable = true ∧ ExtractionTarget.patient.extractable = true ∧ ExtractionTarget.agent.extractable = true

All core arguments extract freely in Chol.

def Fragments.Mayan.Chol.extractionProfile : Interfaces.ExtractionProfile

Chol's extraction profile: no special morphology for any extraction.

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

def Fragments.Mayan.Chol.absObjectInNonFinite : Bool

In Chol non-finite embedded clauses (aspectless), absolutive objects ARE available. This follows from Chol being LOW-ABS: v⁰ assigns case to the object without needing Infl⁰.

Mejl [i-k'el-oñ] 'She can see me.' (ABS object ✓) Choñkol [k-mek'-ety] 'I am hugging you.' (ABS object ✓)

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.absObjectInNonFinite = true

def Fragments.Mayan.Chol.absIntranSInNonFinite : Bool

Absolutive intransitive subjects are NOT available in Chol non-finite clauses: they must be marked with the ergative/possessive prefix instead.

Choñkol [k-ts'äm-el] 'I am bathing.' (ERG prefix, not ABS) *Choñkol [ts'äm-i-yoñ] intended: 'I am bathing.' (ABS ✗)

Equations

• Fragments.Mayan.Chol.absIntranSInNonFinite = false

theorem Fragments.Mayan.Chol.nonfinite_abs_asymmetry : absObjectInNonFinite = true ∧ absIntranSInNonFinite = false