原始南岛语动词类别之重建-FeaturedArticle.PDF

Featured Article Reconstructing Proto Austronesian Verb Classes* Language and Linguistics 16(3) 279–345 © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1606822 Malcolm Ross The Australian National University Although morphological innovations are usually regarded as important in reconstructing the histories of language families, relatively little attention has been paid to the reconstruction of Proto Austronesian (PAn) verbal morphology, and this paper aims to take a step in this direction. Morphological classes of verbs have been reconstructed for several Formosan languages, and this paper offers a preliminary reconstruction of PAn verb classes, examines the challenges inherent in that reconstruction and offers tentative responses to them. The final section takes a brief look at how the reconstruction of PAn verb classes permits the establishment of morphological innovations and casts light on the subgrouping of Austronesian languages. Key words: Austronesian, Proto-Austronesian, verbal morphology, reconstruction, Formosan languages, mor- phological classes 1. Introduction Why reconstruct the morphological classes of Proto Austronesian (PAn) verbs? Because their reconstruction is an