Inclusive/Exclusive Distinction in Independent Personal Pronouns (Feature 15)
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Feature Annotation
Here we ask how independent personal pronouns express ‘we’-like concepts.Inclusive and exclusive pronouns differ in that
– an inclusive pronoun necessarily includes reference to the addressee and means ‘we = I and you’; others can optionally be included.
– an exclusive pronoun excludes the addressee from the reference, resulting in a meaning like ‘I and some others, but not you’.
Additional remarks
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Values
| Value | Value Annotation | |
| 1 | No inclusive/exclusive opposition | Cf. European languages (including English), Belizean Creole wi, Seychelles Creole nou |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Inclusive and exclusive differentiated | Specialized pronouns for both inclusive and exclusive reference, Bislama yumi (inclusive) vs. mifala (exclusive) |
| 3 | Only inclusive differentiated | There is a special pronoun for the inclusive ‘we’, but the marking of the exclusive is identical to ‘I’ (e.g. Canela-Krahô). |
| 4 | 'We' and 'I' identical | The 1sg pronoun and 1pl pronoun are identical (e.g. Qawasqar). |
| 5 | No word for ‘we’ | Some languages have no basic way of expressing any ‘we’-like concept. In these languages there is no morpheme at all corresponding to English we, but instead the speakers say 'I and you' or ‘I and he’ (e.g. Pirahã). |
WALS No.
39 (Total)
