Brazil

ABSTRACT Derivational affixes on Paumarí verbs serve a variety of functions, sometimes simultaneously, sometimes singly. They may change the character of a clause by increasing or decreasing the number of nominal elements, and by changing the participant roles represented by those elements. Derivational affixes are one of the speaker's tools to increase or decrease the conspicuousness of an element, bringing information into a prominent position, removing it from prominence, or deleting it altogether. Following a discussion of clause types and informational prominence, the remainder of the paper describes the specific affixes.