Articles, demonstratives and correlations in Mazahua (Otomanguean)

Abstract

In this paper, the semantics and the syntax of articles and demonstratives are described and the correlations of the articles and demonstratives in Mazahua of San Pedro Potla. The relevance of this paper lies in the fact that little or almost nothing is known about the correlation of articles and demonstrations in the Oto-Pamean subgroup. This hypothesis is based on the idea that ancient Mazahua did not have articles. Currently, this language has two sets of articles: definite articles and recognitional articles. On the other hand, demonstratives are expressed in free and bound morphemes which correspond to two degrees of proximity. Typologically, the idea that articles originate from demonstrations is supported. In regards of the concurrences of the demonstrative-article and demonstrative-demonstrative, it is established that articles and one of the demonstratives encode a particular sense: definite recognitional articles encode identified referents, while demonstratives exhibit anaphoric references.