Transitivity Marking in Light Warlpiri, an Australian Mixed Language

Light Warlpiri is a newly emerged Australian mixed language that systematically combines nominal structure from (Australian, Pama-Nyungan) with verbal Kriol (an English-lexified Creole) and English, additional innovations in the auxiliary system. Lexical items are drawn both two sources, English. The verb system interesting because of questions raised about how it elements its sources. Most stems derived or but also occur, reanalysis, either source host Kriol-derived transitive marking (e.g., hit-im ‘hit-TR’). Transitive productive variable. In this paper, we examine transitivity on verbs, drawing narrative data an extensive corpus adult speech. study finds verbs conditioned by six Hopper Thompson’s semantic components transitivity, as well morphosyntactic constraint.