Hindi Pseudo Incorporation

This paper argues that Hindi incorporation is, in fact, pseudoincorporation, involving noun phrases rather than nouns. Furthermore, it shows that there is no requirement that the incorporated nominal form a morphological or even a syntactic unit with the verb. Such loosely aligned nominals can nevertheless be identified as incorporation on the basis of semantic intuitions having to do with number interpretation, anaphora, and certain properties typically associated with lexical processes. Contrary to standard assumptions, it is argued that the targets of pseduo-incorporation are specified for number. Singular incorporated nominals in Hindi are shown to be semantically singular, with number neutrality arising as a consequence of interaction with aspectual specification. Taking aspectual information into account is also shown to have interesting implications for current approaches to the semantics of incorporation, one in which the incorporated nominal introduces a discourse referent, and one in which it functions as a predicate modifier. A closer look at the effect of aspect on anaphora, for example, does not unequivocally support the predicate modification view of pseudoincorporation. The paper also explores the cross-linguistic applicability of the claims made on the basis of Hindi. Most notably, a distinction between Hungarian verbs with respect to incorporation of bare singulars provides striking confirmation of the claims that number morphology is semantically visible in pseudo-incorporation. It also discusses the restrictions on the productivity of pseudo-incorporation in light of the findings for Hindi and Hungarian. I. The Nature of Hindi Pseudo-Incorporation This paper has three goals. The first is to establish that Hindi incorporated nominals are phrasal and enjoy a great deal of syntactic freedom. That is, Hindi exemplifies a very liberal kind of pseudo incorporation. The second is to account for the semantics of Hindi incorporation. The third is to determine the extent to which conclusions about the semantics of Hindi pseudo-incorporation have cross-linguistic relevance. In the first part of the paper (sections 1-4) we will focus on the first task, beginning with a review of the properties typically associated with incorporation. This will allow us to place the discussion of Hindi within a cross-linguistic context. I will then proceed to establish the reality of incorporation in Hindi, showing that the target of such incorporation are NP’s not N’s. I will also show that these incorporated nominals can undergo movement. Finally, I will relate these claims to previous work on Hindi incorporation. 1. Identifying Incorporation The phenomenon known as noun incorporation is identifiable primarily on the basis of morphological and syntactic evidence about the shape and position of the nominal element involved. Consider the Inuit example in (1a), from Van Geenhoven (1998), as well as the more familiar example of English compounding in (1b):