Several Tibeto-Burman languages show a peculiar pattern of distribution of copulas and/or finite verb forms, in which one set occurs with first person subjects in statements, second person subjects in questions, and in complement clauses of verba dicendi when the complement and main clause subjects are coreferential, and another set in all other contexts. When the evidence for and against reconstructing the system at the branch or family level is assessed, it appears that this “conjunct/disjunct” pattern is a recent secondary innovation in all of the languages in which it is found. It probably developed independently at least twice, in Tibetan and Akha; its occurrence in other languages may represent Tibetan influence.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Scott DeLancey (1992) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched one closely related paper. Consider it for comparative context: