Serial verb constructions in Estonian
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Ilona Tragel
Abstract
The Estonian serial verb construction (SVC) consists of two or more adjacent verbs with concordant grammatical marking in the same clause: cf. Lähe-n vaata-n kohe. ‘go-1SG look-1SG now’ ‘I’ll go look now’. This type of monoclausal SVCs exists in Estonian and in some Finno-Ugric languages, at least with motion verbs (GO, COME, WALK) as first verbs. The results of a corpus study of Estonian GO SVCs show that this type of verb serialisation is productive in Estonian; the SVCs are usually monoclausal, and the first verb of the SVC is often grammaticalised, taking an intentional, inchoative or imperative-hortative function.
Abstract
The Estonian serial verb construction (SVC) consists of two or more adjacent verbs with concordant grammatical marking in the same clause: cf. Lähe-n vaata-n kohe. ‘go-1SG look-1SG now’ ‘I’ll go look now’. This type of monoclausal SVCs exists in Estonian and in some Finno-Ugric languages, at least with motion verbs (GO, COME, WALK) as first verbs. The results of a corpus study of Estonian GO SVCs show that this type of verb serialisation is productive in Estonian; the SVCs are usually monoclausal, and the first verb of the SVC is often grammaticalised, taking an intentional, inchoative or imperative-hortative function.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Argument realisation in complex predicates and complex events at the syntax-semantic interface 1
- The syntactic realisation of complex events and complex predicates in situations of Irish 13
- Pleonasm in particle verb constructions in German 43
- Serial verb constructions and event structure representations 79
- Non-conventional arguments 117
- Complex predicates in Lithuanian 137
- Serial verb constructions in Estonian 169
- Complex predication in three dialects of Australia’s Western Desert 191
- Complex verbs in Bohairic Coptic 213
- The organizational structure of lexical compound verbs in Japanese 245
- Verb-verb compounds and argument structure in Tepehua 277
- Multi-verb constructions in Cheyenne 305
- Feelings as emotion, attitude, and viewpoints 347
- Nominal predication in Persian 373
- Concept structuring in Persian PP-centric complex predicates 413
- Index 449
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Argument realisation in complex predicates and complex events at the syntax-semantic interface 1
- The syntactic realisation of complex events and complex predicates in situations of Irish 13
- Pleonasm in particle verb constructions in German 43
- Serial verb constructions and event structure representations 79
- Non-conventional arguments 117
- Complex predicates in Lithuanian 137
- Serial verb constructions in Estonian 169
- Complex predication in three dialects of Australia’s Western Desert 191
- Complex verbs in Bohairic Coptic 213
- The organizational structure of lexical compound verbs in Japanese 245
- Verb-verb compounds and argument structure in Tepehua 277
- Multi-verb constructions in Cheyenne 305
- Feelings as emotion, attitude, and viewpoints 347
- Nominal predication in Persian 373
- Concept structuring in Persian PP-centric complex predicates 413
- Index 449
