Scope: complexity of complement

The complement of a postposition (N in the diagram) may, in general, be of any of the following categories:

  1. pronoun (E20)

  2. lexical noun or NP (E7)

  3. clause (E21)

E20 bá kä́i
2.sg equ
‘like you’
E21 I w-ó̱ yís te i sh-ë́=ké̱ kä́i !
3 do-sbj [1.sg erg 3 say-ipfv=ipfv2] equ
‘Do as I say !’

Case relator takes coordinative complement ?

Yes. A coordinative noun phrase may be governed by one postposition.

E22 i kt-á̱=wa̱ i te bák irä tebélí irä wa
3 tie-pfv=tot 3 erg [ axe crd knife crd ] instr
‘he killed him with an axe or with a knife’

Case relator takes clausal complement?

Yes.

Case relator is copied on subconstituents of NP?

No.

Bondedness: tightness of bond between case relator and complement

Apart from a few lexicalized cases, postpositions have no alternate use as adverbs.

Case relator governs case ?

No.

Case relator syntagma can be split by intervening material?

Yes.

E23 a. ká yís kuta te dí y-ë́ tá̱i̱
neg 1.sg male's.sister erg liquor drink-ipfv big
‘my sister does not drink much corn drink’
b. yís kuta ká te dí y-ë́ tá̱i̱
c. yís kuta te ká dí y-ë́ tá̱i̱
E24 Yís te yäk-ä-klä älí-w-á̱ bás kjë́la=bä i̱a̱.
1.sg erg dine-vsn-fin cook-caus-pfv 2.pl only=lim dat
‘I cooked food just only for you.’

Complement can be left-dislocated and taken up by intercalated resumptive?

Yes. Optionally, the Medial Demonstrative jé anaphorically takes up a left-dislocated topic, even the complement of a postposition immediately preceding it.

E25 yë́ria (jé) da
hunter d.med com
‘with the hunter’

Case relators can be coordinated while sharing their complement?

No.

E26 ják bata kí̱ jé =ja̱mi̱ i ni̱kí̱ ka
stone tip sup d.med =ad 3 bottom lat
‘on and under the stone’
E27 Shára wa irä=le Shára ska irä=le
Grano.de.Oro per crd=dub Grano.de.Oro loc crd=dub
‘near or in Grano de Oro [toponym]’

Syntagmatic variability

Position of case relator vis-à-vis complement varies?

No.