The road to opacity: Reflexes of Proto-Oceanic *-akin in northern Vanuatu

Abstract

This paper provides a systematic overview of the modern reflexes of the Proto-Oceanic applicative suffix *-akin in the languages of northern Vanuatu. Our three focal languages are Hiw, Vurës, and Mwotlap, but data from neighboring languages are also used to demonstrate the historical development of *-akin in the area. We describe five different development paths of *-akin, namely (1) as a (semi-)productive applicative suffix; (2) as a non-productive suffix attaching to a verb, with recognizable yet irregular semantics; (3) as a non-productive suffix potentially linked to another root, yet with opaque semantics; (4) as a vestigial syllable in certain words, with no language-internal evidence of any suffixation process; and (5) as a preposition, through a process of degrammaticalization or debonding.