Page 543 - A GRAMMAR OF BHOJPURI _ PhD Dissertation 2020 TU

(9) Most continuous/ accessible topic
Zero anaphora

Unstressed anaphoric pronouns/bound pronouns or grammatical agreement
Stressed independent pronouns
R-dislocated DEF-NPs

Neutral ordered DEF-NPs
L-dislocated DEF-NPs

Y-moved NPs (‘contrastive topicalization’)
Cleft/focus constructions

Referential indefinite NPs
Most discontinuous/inaccessible topic

In this section, we discussed the specific discourse contexts in which the
coding devices given in (9) are employed to indicate topic continuity in Bhojpuri
discourse, ranking from the most continuous to the most discontinuous.

14.3.1 Zero anaphora
Zero anaphora or anaphoric zero is used in the contexts of maximal referential

continuity (Givón 1983:17). The antecedents of the anaphoric zero may be a full-NP,
anaphoric zero or pronoun, are found significantly in the immediately preceding

clauses (Givon 2001a:418). As attested in Chitoniya Tharu (Paudyal 2013:408),
Bhojpuri also attests this divece. Consider the following examples:

(10) a. कवनो गाँव म1 एगो बु*ढ़आ रहली ।

kɔno ɡɑ ̃ o mẽ eɡo buɽ ̊ iɑ rʌɦli
kɔno ɡɑ ̃ o mẽ ek-ɡo buɽ ̊ -i-ɑ rʌɦ-ʌl-i
some village LOC one-CLF old-F-DEF live-PP-3.PST.F.MH

'There was an old woman in a village.' (05.001)
b. ऊ सुभाव से तिनका खुसराह रहली ।

u sub ̤ ɑo se tʌnikɑ kʰusrɑɦ rʌɦli

u sub ̤ ɑo se tʌnikɑ kʰusrɑɦ rʌɦ-ʌl-i
3SG nature means little wicked live-PP-3.PST.F.MH
'She (the old woman) was wicked by nature. (05.002)

The topic/participant in (10b) is coded by anaphoric zero, which is used for the
most continuous tipic. The referent of this zero is full-NP which has been expressed

as बु*ढ़आ /buɽ ̊ iɑ/ 'old woman' in (10a).

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