Reconstructing an [OV] VP for 3A acting on SAP O
In most modern Cariban languages, when 3A acts on SAP O, the configurational information is simply marked on the verb in the form of a personal prefix, and a free O pronoun either cannot occur (cf. Hixkaryana, Derbyshire 1985:8 interpreted in Gildea 1998:70, note 5) or occurs in addition to the verb plus its prefix, arguably not forming a VP constituent with the verb (cf. Tiriyó, Meira 1999:532–535; Carib, Hoff 1978, 1995). However, in Panare sentences with 3A acting on SAP O, a preverbal O pronoun is in complementary distribution with the O prefix (26a–b). Similarly, Hoff (1978:25, note 5) indicates that parallel sentences are also possible in Carib (27a–b), provided by Hoff in personal communication).
Based on these alternations, and on both phonological and morphosyntactic parallelism between the SAP O prefixes and possessive prefixes (which retain a much more robust pattern of alternation with free forms), I reconstruct the entire set of Carib inverse prefixes (i.e. prefixes which indicate 3A acting on a SAP object) to a Pre-Proto-Carib set of free object pronouns internal to the VP (Gildea 1994:200–1, 1998:83–4).21 Thus, I claim that in Proto-Carib, whenever A is third person, it is plausible to reconstruct a VP constituent with OV order.
