A Grammar of Daakaka

This reference grammar is the first description of the endangered Oceanic language Daakaka. This language is spoken by about 1000 speakers on the island of Ambrym, Vanuatu. The data on which the analysis is based were collected by the author during a documentation project between 2009 and 2012. All structural levels of the language are discussed, including discussions of reduplication patterns and orthography design, nominal and verbal subclasses, clause types and information structure and the different types of subordinate clauses. Particular emphasis is given to the intricate system of nominal possession, the system of TAM- and polarity markers and serial verb constructions. Literary genres of the region and related art forms such as songs and the symbolic sand drawings are discussed in the final chapter. The grammar will be especially relevant to readers with an interest in Oceanic languages, general typology and theoretical linguistics as well as those with a broader interest in the region.

Kilu von Prince, Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Berlin, Germany.