Abstract

Menggwa Dla possesses a switch-reference (SR) system which traditionally functions like those in many other Papuan languages. However, in the speech of younger speakers, the proper reference-tracking function of the SR markers has only been retained when the person-number-gender features of the subject cross-reference suffixes are incapable of disambiguating their referentiality. Otherwise, the coreferential (CR) chain verb forms have become the unmarked SR-neutral chain verb forms. While the disjoint-referential (DR) chain verb forms still indicate the disjoint-reference of the interclausal subjects, the DR chain verb forms are mainly used to indicate some sort of discourse discontinuity (e.g. temporal discontinuity, logic discontinuity) in addition to participant discontinuity. It will be demonstrated that the older speakers’ traditional SR system in Menggwa Dla is a canonical SR system which primarily indicates participant continuity versus discontinuity, whereas the younger speakers’ innovative SR system is more biased towards the function of reference-tracking.

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