Paragraph-level Switch-reference Markers in Chickasaw Conversation

Abstract

Two types of switch-reference markers occur in Chickasaw. The first is a set of suffixes that indicate whether the verb in one clause has the same subject as the verb in a connected reference clause. The second is a set of words that mark topic continuity. These are referred to as paragraph-level switch-reference markers. Members of this group are usually translated as ‘then’, ‘and’, ‘and so,’ and only occur in connected discourse. This study deals with the latter set.

Keywords

• Chickasaw language-- Switch reference