The project investigated the form, meaning, and use of sentences expressing existence in five languages that are typologically different from English. Previous research has established that expressions of existence in human language fall into a small range of types, closely connected in form to expressions of location, possession, and impersonality. But relatively little is known about the range of variation possible in the meaning and use of such expressions. Consistent with the intuition that existence is a fundamental concept, many linguists and philosophers hold that sentences expressing existence have a constant function, whatever their form. However, most previous studies have been limited to a small number of well-known, closely related languages. It seems highly likely that broader investigation will reveal that even in this fundamental domain, differences in form are correlated with specific differences in meaning and in patterns of use. In an attempt to establish this hypothesis and broaden the knowledge base relevant to expressions of existence, the PI's and student investigators will conduct an investigation of five languages whose linguistic profiles differ radically from English: three languages of the Pacific (Chamorro, Maori, and Samoan) and two languages of Europe (Breton and Irish). Through data collected through fieldwork with native speakers, from written language materials, and from naturally occurring discourse, the following questions will be addressed:

• In each language, what linguistic forms are used to express existence?
• How are these forms deployed in discourse? In narrative, for instance, can sentences expressing existence be used to introduce new characters or to reintroduce familiar characters?
• What meaning restrictions, if any, are imposed on expressions of existence? Can they be used to assert the existence of a particular object, of a kind of object, of every object of a certain kind?
• What specific correlations are there between the linguistic form of these expressions, their meaning, and their function?

This research is important for several reasons. (1) It will broaden the range of languages in which expressions of existence have been examined in depth. (2) It will contribute insights into the cross-linguistic interaction of linguistic form, sentence meaning, and discourse function. (3) All five languages to be investigated are endangered languages. This research will contribute significantly to their documentation, particularly in the under-studied areas of meaning and language use.