Nêlêmwa is an Aspect-Mood oriented language; verbs are unmarked for tense, time reference is expressed by chronology and time adverbs. Aspect hinges on three notions: events (in the aorist), states, and processes. One focus is the contrast between the perfect and the aorist. Bare aorist verb forms refer to events or to sequences of events with no reference to their internal phases. The perfect expresses internal relations between processes and clauses (anteriority, backgrounding, causal relations); it refers to transitional processes that have reached or not their final instant, expressing changes of states and resulting states. In future reference frames, the perfect expresses imminent change…

In constrast with Nêlêmwa (Oceanic, New Caledonia) whose lexemes are most generally subcategorised as nouns or verbs and undergo category-changing derivations, in Amis (Formosan), roots are pervasively categorially neutral, yet they contain semantic features and instructions that allow or disallow combination with primary derivational affixes which specify their class and category. Lexical categories are expressed after derivation from roots to become morphosyntactic words projected in a syntactic frame; they are then quite rigidly subcategorised as verbal, nominal or adjectival-modifying heads. Still, word forms display some functional flexibility; for instance, nouns and derived nouns, pronouns,…

Les constructions "possessives" en nêlêmwa dépassent la stricte expression de la possession et couvrent un système plus vaste de détermination incluant la parenté, des relations méronymiques (parties du corps, partie à tout, relations partitives), et diverses relations associatives ou attributives (x est un(e) attribut/propriété de y). Les constructions directes et indirectes sont corrélées à des catégories nominales (tels que noms relationnels et noms indépendants) et expriment généralement des contrastes sémantiques (de type relations inhérentes vs. contingentes). L'interprétation de la relation est en outre filtrée par le trait animé et la définitude du déterminant…

This paper analyses the various types of serial and complex verbs and the criteria that help restrict this phenomenon in Nêlêmwa. Complex verbs belong to three main types involving various types of verb and different hierarchies: (i) time-iconic, co-ranking active verbs; (ii) asymmetric verbs expressing adverbial modification or aspectual and modal specification; (iii) semi-grammaticalized verb strings with argument-expanding or conjunctive functions. This paper also investigates the role of complex verbs in a typology of clause-linkage and assesses the syntactic, semantic and discourse differences between one-clause and multi-clause strategies: i.e. between complex verbs and syndetic or asyndetic…

Nêlêmwa (New Caledonia) is a split ergative language. Pronouns are accusative, while nominal arguments are marked as ergative-absolutive. The two ergative markers signal the distinction between animate and inanimate agents. With active intransitive verbs (motion, position, affect, perception, cognition, discourse, Aktionsart), there is a choice of absolutive or ergative constructions, according to the position of the oblique NP. If in the canonical position of the patient (VPA), the oblique NP counts as a full argument and the prime argument is then ergative. If the oblique NP is in the standard, peripheral position of adjuncts, it is then adjunctive and the prime argument is absolutive. The…

Cet article présente le cas de trois lexèmes polysémiques et plurifonctionnels en nêlêmwa (langue océanienne de Nouvelle-Calédonie). Ces lexèmes ont la particularité d'allier quantification et aspect, ou quantification et modalité. Leur sens relève d'un calcul entre leur sens de base et leur valeur relative dans l'énoncé, variant selon leur portée (noms, prédicats ou propositions) et selon leur fonctionnement en intension / qualification ou en extension / quantification.

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