Strategies for individuation within and beyond the NP in Wichi (Mataguayan, South America)

MAYRA JUANATEY; VERÓNICA NERCESIAN; MÓNICA AMARILLA

STUF - Language Typology and Universals

De Gruyter Brill.

Año: 2025

1867-8319

This study explores the structural strategies to express participant individuation inWichi (Mataguayan). Individuation is understood as the discursive operation that transformsa generic or non-referential concept into a contextually anchored referent, making it trackablewithin discourse. Drawing on a referential framework that views reference as a mental andcommunicative operation between interlocutors, the study focuses on how Wichi introducesnew referents using bare common nouns devoid of explicit individuation markers within thenoun phrase. The analysis reveals that individuation strategies in Wichi may extend beyondthe noun phrase into relative clauses, juxtaposed clauses, and even across sentenceboundaries. It also explores the role of anaphoric and inter-referent relations in individuationstrategies. Methodologically, the study employs qualitative-quantitative analysis of a textualcorpus source from primary fieldwork data.