Verb-verb compounds and argument structure in Tepehua
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James K. Watters
Abstract
In Tepehua (Totonacan, Mexico), verb-verb constructions are of two kinds: verb-verb compounds and verb-as-operator constructions. In verb-verb compounds, the second verb is the head of the construction and the two verbs may or may not be separated by inflection. These compounds parallel adverb-incorporation constructions and are subject to a constraint: if the first verb is transitive, the second verb must also be formally transitive, even if its semantic contribution is intransitive. Beyond this transitivity constraint, verb selection is only restricted by pragmatics. In the verb-as-operator constructions, the head verb is the first member of the construction, the modifying verb is a member of a closed class, and it may not be separated from the head verb by inflection. In some instances, the second verb functions as an operator specifying aspect or position. The complex predicate construction has made it possible for what was historically a verb root, tʃuqu, to become a very common productive suffix in Tepehua.
Abstract
In Tepehua (Totonacan, Mexico), verb-verb constructions are of two kinds: verb-verb compounds and verb-as-operator constructions. In verb-verb compounds, the second verb is the head of the construction and the two verbs may or may not be separated by inflection. These compounds parallel adverb-incorporation constructions and are subject to a constraint: if the first verb is transitive, the second verb must also be formally transitive, even if its semantic contribution is intransitive. Beyond this transitivity constraint, verb selection is only restricted by pragmatics. In the verb-as-operator constructions, the head verb is the first member of the construction, the modifying verb is a member of a closed class, and it may not be separated from the head verb by inflection. In some instances, the second verb functions as an operator specifying aspect or position. The complex predicate construction has made it possible for what was historically a verb root, tʃuqu, to become a very common productive suffix in Tepehua.
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
