OBVIATION ACROSS CLAUSE BOUNDARIES IN KUTENAI 1

Abstract: Kutenai has an obviation system reminiscent of the system found in Algonquian languages in which at most one third person nominal per clause is proximate and others are obviative. Although the behaviour of proximate nominals within clauses and within texts reflects a special status for proximates, as having some sort of ‘higher rank ’ than obviatives, there are no restrictions across clause boundaries within sentences that require that the proximate be higher in the sentence than proximate nominals. 0. Background In a number of previous papers (Dryer 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996), I have discussed the mechanisms of obviation in Kutenai as they apply within clauses and across sentences within discourse. In this paper, I examine the intermediate possibility, of obviation within sentences but across clause boundaries. I will argue that there is no evidence of any syntactic conditions governing obviation across clause boundaries apart from those that also apply within clauses. These two conditions are first, that there can be no more than one proximate per sentence and second, coreferential nominals must agree in obviation. I