Unusual Properties of Applicative Constructions in Umónhon

Abstract

This article describes three applicative prefixes of Umónhon (Omaha, Siouan) and the syntactic constructions they contribute to form using a dataset of 130 example sentences. It includes a descriptive account of their meanings and of their syntactic features. Special emphasis is given to the various types of applied constituents: noun phrases, postpositional phrases, and clauses. The latter two are seldom mentioned or commented on in descriptions of applicative constructions, although they are by no means unique to Umónhon. I exemplify and discuss applied clauses in other Siouan languages and in several unrelated languages. Cross-linguistically, applied clauses seem to be restricted to circumstantial applicatives (introducing motives, purposes, etc.). The question of whether they are embedded into the main clause is probably language specific. When they are, they illustrate a change from an adverbial clause in the non-applied sentence to a complement clause in the applied sentence.