Dyadic Constructions

Dyad constructions provide a way of referring to pairs or groups of people based on the social relationship they share, but so far they have escaped systematization within general linguistics. This article defines and exemplifies the various kinds of dyad construction, distinguishes them from related categories (reciprocals, duals, associative duals, family group classifiers, additive cocompounds), and examines their geographical distribution. Dyad constructions form, from kin and other relational expressions, terms denoting pairs of the type 'uncle and nephew(s),' 'mother and child(ren).' They may be formed by morphological derivation - cf. Kayardild (Australian) ngamathu 'mother', ngamathu-ngarrba 'mother and child' - or may be unanalyzeable lexical roots, such as Mianmin (Papuan) lum 'father and child.' Dyad constructions may be related, formally, to reciprocals, duals, or proprietive or possessive constructions, or may involve dedicated morphemes or unanalyzable lexical stems. They have a skewed geographic distribution, with a hotbed in Oceania and the Western Pacific, sporadic occurrence in Siberia and North America, and only occasional attestation elsewhere (Caucasus, Amazonia, and Southern Africa).