18. The demise of serial verbs in South Efate

This chapter provides an integrated summary of the properties of serial verbs discussed throughout the book, and their parameters of variation. The definition of serial verbs with their characteristic properties is followed by the principles of argument sharing within serial verbs. In terms of their composition, serial verbs divide into symmetrical and asymmetrical types. There can be nesting within serial verb constructions. The two broad kinds of constructions are contrasted in terms of their semantics, order of components, and propensities towards grammaticalization or lexicalization. Contiguity and wordhood are further typological parameters of variation within serial verbs. Grammatical categories such as person of the subject, aspect, tense, modality, evidentiality, or mood, can be marked concordantly on each component, or just once per construction. Serialization can be productive or limited. It is essential to distinguish serial verbs from multi-verb sequences of other kinds. Origins and development of serial verbs are briefly summarized.

Download Full-text

What are serial verbs good for?

Serial Verbs ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198791263.003.0007 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 164-195

Author(s):

Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald

Keyword(s):

Single Event ◽

Verbal Morphology ◽

Serial Verb Constructions ◽

Wide Range ◽

Verb Constructions ◽

Serial Verbs ◽

Serial Verb ◽

Good For

Serial verb constructions can express a multitude of grammatical meanings—including directionality, aspect, comparison, increasing valency, and many more. These meanings may be expressed with affixes in other languages. Using a serial verb may help express definiteness and focus. Detailed portrayal of various facets of one single event is a function of symmetrical serial verbs. Languages with serial verbs—or ‘serializing’ languages—are not exclusively associated with any particular type of language. Serial verbs are a major means of expressing grammatical meanings in languages with few if any bound morphemes. Many of these languages are highly analytic and isolating in their profile. Languages with little verbal morphology tend to rely on serial verbs for expressing the relevant meanings. Prolific use of serial verbs is a corollary of the language having a comparatively small number of verbs with a wide range of meanings.

Download Full-text

Serial verbs

Serial Verbs ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198791263.003.0003 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 55-91

Author(s):

Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald

Keyword(s):

Internal Structure ◽

Minor Component ◽

Serial Verb Constructions ◽

Event Argument ◽

Change Of State ◽

Verb Constructions ◽

Serial Verbs ◽

Serial Verb ◽

A Minor ◽

Open Class

In terms of their composition, serial verb constructions divide into asymmetrical and symmetrical. Asymmetrical serial verbs consist of a minor component from a closed class of verbs, and a major component from an open class; this is the head of the construction. Symmetrical serial verbs consist of several components from open classes. Asymmetrical serial verb constructions cover a wide array of meanings—direction and orientation, aspect, extent and change of state, associated posture and motion, increasing and reducing valency, and marking the index of comparison. They are also used as complementation strategies with secondary concept verbs and with complement-taking verbs, and mark manner modification in event-argument constructions. The recurrent meanings of symmetrical serial verbs cover cause-effect, result, and manner, in addition to synonymous verb constructions. The established properties of asymmetrical and symmetrical serial verbs are defined in terms of their meanings, iconicity, internal structure, and grammaticalization and lexicalization.

Download Full-text

Recognizing a serial verb

Serial Verbs ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198791263.003.0002 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 20-54

Author(s):

Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald

Keyword(s):

Argument Structure ◽

Overwhelming Majority ◽

Event Type ◽

Cultural Stereotypes ◽

Serial Verb Constructions ◽

Event Argument ◽

Verb Constructions ◽

Serial Verbs ◽

Serial Verb Construction ◽

Serial Verb

A serial verb construction is a sequence of verbs which act together as a single predicate. Serial verbs are always monoclausal and are pronounced as a single verb would be. The components of a serial verb construction share tense, aspect, modality, reality status, evidentiality, mood, and also polarity values. A serial verb construction typically refers to what can be conceptualized as one event, and one recognizable event type, in terms of cultural stereotypes available to the speakers. Serial verbs tend to share at least one argument. An overwhelming majority of serial verbs have a single overall argument structure, with the subjects, objects and obliques belonging to the whole construction. In switch-function serial verb constructions, the O (or the recipient) of the first component is the same as the S (rarely, the A) of the second one. Event-argument and resultative serial verb constructions share no arguments.

Download Full-text

The origin of serialization

Studies in Language ◽

10.1075/sl.33.3.05ros ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 644-684 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Françoise Rose

Keyword(s):

Short Review ◽

Detailed Account ◽

Serial Verb Constructions ◽

Verb Constructions ◽

Serial Verbs ◽

Serial Verb ◽

Dependent Clause

This paper gives clear synchronic evidence for the origin of serial verb constructions (SVCs) in Emerillon, a Tupi-Guarani language. SVCs in that language result from a gerundive construction after the loss of both a subordinator and an indexation pattern specific to dependent clauses. After a short review of the general literature on the origins of SVCs and their similarity to converbs (of which Tupi-Guarani gerundives may be considered a subtype), the author gives a detailed account of the Emerillon SVCs. Strong arguments then show that Emerillon serial verbs (superficially comparable to independent verbs) originate from a ‘deranked’ dependent clause. The paper ends with some discussions on clause linkage, comparing more specifically SVCs and converbs on the morphological, syntactic and functional levels.

Download Full-text