Reduplication in Yurakaré

Abstract

Yurakaré, an isolate language spoken in central Bolivia, makes extensive use of reduplication to form words. Three different types of morphological reduplication can be distinguished on formal grounds: complete root reduplication, partial prefixed reduplication, and partial suffixed reduplication, each associated with different functions. I describe each of the three types, and discuss their formal and functional characteristics. I furthermore connect the three reduplication types to the Iconicity Principle, showing that each reduplication type represents a different way of applying the Iconicity Principle that more form represents more meaning, thus maximally exploiting the iconic connection between form and meaning and on the other hand maintaining interpretative transparency. Keywords: Yurakaré; reduplication; verbal morphology; Iconicity principle.