Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/52606

KEYWORDS : イテリメン語;形動詞

Itelmen (a Chukotko-Kamchatkan language spoken in Kamchatka in the Russian Federation) contains the verbal forms K--KNEN and K--IN, which function as adjectives. Previously, Russian linguists considered the K—KNEN and K--IN forms to be participles similar to the ɣe--linor n--qinforms in Chukchi and Koryak or infinite forms only applicable for third person past predicates. In this paper, I present examples of the K--KNEN and K--IN forms from my field data and argue that these forms should be considered adjectival participles. The K--KNEN form seems to be an agent-oriented participle when it is used with intransitive verbs, whereas the K--IN form appears to be a patient-oriented participle from transitive verbs. Both forms are used as adjectives—attributives, complements or predicates—and retain their verbal elements such as tense (primarily past tense), aspect (durative), and voice (active or passive).