Editing Reflexive verb (section)

== Australian languages ==

=== Guugu Yimithirr ===
In [[Guugu_Yimithirr_language|Guugu Yimithirr]] (a member of the [[Pama nyungan|Pama-Nyungan]] language family) reflexivity can combine with past (PST), nonpast (NPST), and imperative (IMP) tense marking to form the verbal suffixes: '''''/-dhi/''''' (REFL+PST), '''''/-yi/''''' (REFL+NPST) and '''''/-ya/''''' (REFL+IMP) respectively. See the following example where the verb ''waarmbal,'' a transitive verb meaning 'send back' is detransitivized to mean 'return' taking only one nominal argument with an agentive role:

{{Interlinear|indent=3
|Nyundu wanhdha{{=}}wanhdhaalga waarmba-aya?
|2sg+NOM when return.REFL+NPST
|When will you return?<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/793207750|title=Handbook of Australian languages. Vol. 1|date=1979|publisher=Benjamins|others=Dixon, Robert Malcolm Ward., Blake, Barry J.|isbn=978-90-272-7355-0|location=Amsterdam|pages=123|oclc=793207750}}</ref>}}

The same valence-reduction process occurs for the transitive ''wagil'' 'cut'

{{Interlinear|indent=3
|Gaari wagi-iyi
|NEG cut-REFL+IMP
|Don't cut yourself!<ref name=":0" />}}

In each of these cases, the reflexively inflected verb now forms a new stem to which additional morphology may be affixed, for example ''waarmba-adhi'' 'returned' may become ''waarmba-adhi-lmugu'' (return-REFL+PST-NEG) 'didn't return.' As with many [[Pama–Nyungan languages]], however, verbs in the lexicon belong to [[Grammatical_conjugation|conjugation classes]], and a verbs class may restrict the ease with which it can be reflexivized. 

These reflexive morphemes are largely employed for expressing reciprocality as well; however, in cases where there is potential ambiguity between a reflexive and a reciprocal interpretation, [[Guugu_Yimithirr_language|Guugu Yimithirr]] has an additional means for emphasizing the reflexive (i.e., '''by''' the agent '''upon''' the agent) interpretation: namely, the ''/-gu/'' suffix upon the grammatical subject. See for example the following contrast between the reciprocal and reflexive:

==== Reciprocal ====
{{Interlinear|indent=3
|Bula gunda-adhi
|3DU hit-REFL+PST
|The two of them hit each other.}}

==== Reflexive ====
{{Interlinear|indent=3
|Bula-agu gunda-adhi
|3DU-REFL hit-REFL+PST
|The two of them hit themselves.<ref name=":0" />}}

=== Gumbaynggir ===
Another [[Pama–Nyungan languages|Pama–Nyungan]] language, [[Gumbaynggir language|Gumbaynggir]] has a verbal suffix ''/-iri/'' to mark reciprocality and de-transitivize transitive verbs e.g.

{{Interlinear|indent=3
|yaraŋ bulari bum-iri
|DEM two-S hit-RECP+PST
|Those two were fighting<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/793207750|title=Handbook of Australian languages. Vol. 1|date=1979|publisher=Benjamins|others=Dixon, Robert Malcolm Ward., Blake, Barry J.|isbn=978-90-272-7355-0|location=Amsterdam|pages=315|oclc=793207750}}</ref>}}

=== Kuuk Thaayorre ===
As with [[Guugu Yimithirr language|Guugu Yimithirr]], [[Kuuk Thaayorre language|Kuuk Thaayorre]], a [[Paman languages|Paman language]], has some ambiguity between reflexive and reciprocal morphemes and constructions. Ostensibly, there are two suffixes ''/-e/'' and ''/-rr/'' for reflexivity and reciprocality respectively; however, in practice it is less clear cut. Take for example the presence of the reciprocal suffix in what should seem like a simple reflexive example.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gaby|first=Alice|date=2008|title=Distinguishing Reciprocals from Reflexives in Kuuk Thaayorre|journal=Trends in Linguistics|pages=259}}</ref>

{{Interlinear|indent=3
|pam thono tup ko’o-rr-r nhanganul watp
|man one.NOM [ideophone] spear-RECP-PST.PFV 3SG.REFL dead
|One man speared himself dead, whack!}}

Or the reverse wherein an apparent reciprocal assertion has reflexive morphology:

{{Interlinear|indent=3
|pul runc-e-r
|2DU-NOM/ERG collide-REFL-NOM.PFV
|They two collided with one other.}}

In actuality, the broader function of the reciprocal verb is to emphasize the agentivity of the grammatical subject(s), sometimes to directly counteract expectations of an external agent--as in the first example above. The combination of the reciprocal verb with the reflexive pronoun highlights the notion that the subject acted highly '''agentively''' (as in a mutual/symmetric reciprocal event) but was also the '''undergoer''' of their own action (as in a reflexive event where agentivity is backgrounded e.g. "I soiled myself"). 

Conversely, the reflexive verb can have precisely this function of backgrounding the agentivity of the subject and bringing the focus to the effect that was wrought upon the undergoer(s) as in the second example above.