Clusivity[subj]: clusivity agreement with subject
| Values: | Ex | In |
Clusivity is a feature of first-person plural personal pronouns. As such, it can also be reflected by inflection of verbs, e.g. in Mbyá Guaraní.
Some languages are head-marking, which means that the verbal morphology can cross-reference
multiple core arguments, not just the subject. If the cross-reference involves the Clusivity of the argument,
we have two layers of Clusivity on the verb: Clusivity[subj], and (for transitive verbs) Clusivity[obj].
While it would be possible to make the subject layer the default and use just Clusivity for it,
the explicit labeling of both layers is probably more helpful in such languages, as it can reduce confusion.
In: inclusive subject
Includes the listener, i.e. we = I + you (+ optionally they).
Examples
- [gun] Mba’echa pa ñande jaiko? “How do we (I+you) live?” (lit. how Q 1.PL.INCL A1.PL.INCL-live)
Ex: exclusive subject
Excludes the listener, i.e. we = I + they.
Examples
- [gun] Upei roiko upeicha. “Then we (I+they) lived like this.” (lit. afterwards A1.PL.EXCL-live like.this)