The function of -ki 'switch' in Kogi

Resumen

-ki 'switch' is a phrase-final clitic which may occur on practically any constituent in the sentence in Kogi, a Chibchan language spoken by the Kogi people ofthe Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia. When -ki occurs on nouns, the basic function seems to be to mark a switch to that referent from other potencial referents. When -ki occurs on medial verbs, it marks a switch between events of differing degrees of impor- tance to plot development. In this paper, I will examine and illustrate the functions of - ki