The limits of unmarkedness : A semantic analysis of adjunct clauses in Middle Egyptian documentary texts

Abstract: The aim of this study is to semantically analyze the use of marked and unmarked adjunct clauses in Middle Egyptian documentary texts in order to investigate the limits of choosing an unmarked form in more informal language use. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used in the analysis. The results show that marked adjunct clauses are more frequent than unmarked, and the choice between these two is to a great extent based on the semantic role of the clause. Additionally, unmarked forms can often be regarded as marked, e.g. by tense or mood, and the overall co(n)text, which indicates that markedness should be seen as a continuum, instead of two polar opposites marked and unmarked. Consequently, the results indicate that markedness – although in different forms – is the norm in non-literary Middle Egyptian texts, thus differing from the official language that is used in literary, royal, and religious texts. Furthermore, the present study has a diachronic dimension. The comparison between texts from the earlier and later Middle Kingdom clearly show the development in the use of adjunct clauses that took place between Old and Late Egyptian, when marked forms eventually became the norm in all language use.