2.2.1 The deictic word in Kiriwinan is obligatorily
affixed to the classifier. As all things referrable in conversation may be introduced by a deictic, the obliga tory co-occurrence of deictic-plus-classifier gives the most basic function of the classifier in Kiriwinan. Adams, Becker and Conklin suggest that enumeration is the "most central role" of the classifier in the languages they have studied1; but as will be seen below the presence of the classifier is optional for the larger numbers above ten, whereas all occurrences of the deictic word in Kiriwinan will ensure that the classifier is used. It thus appears that the deictic environment is the most central one for the Kiriwinan classifier.
2.2.2 I must note here that one locating word,
occurring with the obligatory absence of a classifier
baisa "this thing here, this item in plain view" may be
used to replace the deictic word; with this solitary exception all deixis within the noun phrase is made by means of the deictic-plus-classifier combination.
2.2.3 The deictic word consists of the discon
tinuous morpheme ma-...-na which may only occur affixed to the classifier morpheme. The first part of this dis continuous morpheme always occurs as a first order
prefix to the classifier root. The second part may however occur as a third order suffix to the classifier root, being displaced by either one or both of the
suffixes -si- "plural" and -we- "alternate reference".
2.2.4 This may be expressed as a formula:
ma + classifier + {si) + {we) + na
l
2.2.5 Some examples of the noun phrase using the
deictic word, are given below. The classifier root morpheme is shown in upper case for clarity, and the two elements of the discontinuous morpheme are connected by a bar.
7 NP
mi- NA- -na vivila
that-woman woman "that woman"
keda ma- KADA- -na
1______________i
road that-road
"That road"
Deic deic cl
beku ma- KAVI- -na
axe stone that-tool That axe stone
deic
ma- BULÜWO- -si- -na yena
that-group-plural fish
"those large schools of fish"
Deic Deic
mi- NA- -si- -na yena ibodi, mi — NA- -si- -we-
that-animal-plural fish it-suits,that-animal-pl-other no
"Those fish are suitable, but those others aren't."
2.2.6 There are a few irregular forms of the deictic,
which are listed here.
2.2.6.1 When the classifiers Cl 2 n a 1- "nonhuman"
(or Cl 7 n a 2- "female human"), and Cl 4 ya- "flexible
thin" are used, the deictic words only occur in the form
miNAna and miYAna. The reason for this does not seem to
be phonological, as identical phonetic environments at
points of morpheme juncture do not change in this fashion.
processes. If for instance the morphological origin of Cl 7 na- "female human" is the noun ina- "mother", then a process such as ma-*INA-na > mi-NA-na seems feasible. Examples 7 and 11 above show two such words. Both of these classifiers have a high functional load, being two of the five Basic Property Specifiers2.
2.2.6.2 The following five deictic-plus-classifier combinations occur in two forms in free fluctuation: Cl 1 to- "human": maTOna or mTOna "that-person"
Cl 9 kwela- "pot-like": maKWELAna or mKWELAna "that- pot"
Cl 91 pila- "part-piece, in the allomorphic form pa-: maPAna or mPAna "that-piece"
Cl 108 ta- "basket": maTAna or miTAna "that-basketful" Cl 117 mmo- "conical bundle": maMMOna or mMMOna
"that-bundle"
The first three of these are used frequently; the last two, being concerned mainly with the specification of quantities of yams and taro, are of frequent occurrence
in the culturally prominent times of food transactions. Thus all five have a frequently-occurring role in both of the above forms.
2.2.6.3 One isolated form seems to bring together the two normally discontinuous elements of the deictic morpheme, and to attach them as a single prefix to the classifier root. Both singular and plural forms occur,. The alternate indicator -we- does not occur with this word. This irregular form is used only with the classi
fier Cl 5 kwai- "thing", which as one of the five Basic Property Specifiers has a high functional load. In the example I list the regular form followed by the irregular
singular - maKWAIna or manaKWA "that-thing"
plural - maKWAIsina or manaKWAIsi "that-thing-pl"
2.2.6.4 Finally, one form has the plural marker attached either in the normal fashion or else as a pre fix to the classifier, being the only instance known to me of the first part of the deictic morpheme being
dislodged from its first order prefix position. It occurs only with Cl 18 yam1- "day", which is rarely used, either in its regular form or in the alternate
form noted here:
singular - maYAMna "that-day"
plural - ma-si-Y AM-na or ma-YAM-si-na that-pl-day that-day-pl
"those days"
With the exception of the irregular forms noted above, all deictics function regularly using ma-...-na as set out in the formula for the deictic on p 35 .