Recognizing a serial verb

Serial Verbs ◽  
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.

Serial verbs

Serial Verbs ◽  
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.

scholarly journals A case for revisiting definitions of serial verb constructions: Evidence from Akan serial verb nominalization

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-99
Author(s):  
Obadele Kambon ◽  
E. Kweku Osam ◽  
Nana Aba Appiah Amfo
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Semantic Integration ◽  
Not Given ◽  
Serial Verb Constructions ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Serial Verbs ◽  
Serial Verb Construction ◽  
Serial Verb ◽  
Direct Objects ◽  
Do So

In this study, we undertook an experiment in which native speakers of Akan were given serial verbs both with and without oblique non-verbal elements (such as relator nouns, direct objects, postpositions, etc.) and asked them to construct Serial Verb Construction Nominals (SVCNs) from them. We found that, by and large, when not given said non-verbal elements, speakers were not able to construct nominal forms. In another task, we gave speakers nominal forms and asked them to deconstruct them to the constituent serial verbs from which they were derived. Time and again, speakers gave, not only the serial verbs, but also the non-verbal elements even though they were not asked to do so. Gestalt meanings were also given by speakers when asked the meanings of individual elements. Thus, the semantic integration and lexicalization that takes place in full lexicalized-integrated serial verb constructions extends not only to serial verbs but also to these non-verbal elements which, to native speakers, seem to form just as important a part of the SVC as the verbal elements. Thus, we argue that definitions of SVCs, henceforth, should not prejudice the serial verbs to the detriment of other equally important parts of the construction.

The many facets of serial verbs

Serial Verbs ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 143-163
Author(s):  
Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald
Keyword(s):  
Surface Structure ◽  
Single Word ◽  
Serial Verb Constructions ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Serial Verbs ◽  
Serial Verb Construction ◽  
Serial Verb ◽  
The Many

A single language can have more than one kind of serial verb construction. Serial verbs may differ along the parameters of wordhood and contiguity. Different types of serial verbs may differ in their meanings and the degree of their grammaticalization or lexicalization. The closer the components are in surface structure, the more likely they are to grammaticalize or to lexicalize, and the more restrictions they will display. We expect single-word serial verbs to be more cohesive in their semantics than multi-word serial verbs, in accordance with the principle of iconic motivation. Semantic groups of verbs which are likely to occur in serial verb constructions form a hierarchy, with verbs of direction and motion being most likely, and stative verbs the least likely to occur. If a language has serial verb constructions, we expect directional serial verbs to develop before any other type. All the languages with symmetrical serial verbs also have asymmetrical ones.

The essence of serial verbs

Serial Verbs ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 237-249
Author(s):  
Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald
Keyword(s):  
Serial Verb Constructions ◽  
Grammatical Categories ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Serial Verbs ◽  
Serial Verb ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Definition Of

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.

What are serial verbs good for?

Serial Verbs ◽  
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.

scholarly journals The origin of serialization

2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 644-684 ◽  
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.

Serial verb constructions in Kamtok (Cameroon Pidgin English)

English Today ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Ayafor
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Serial Verb Constructions ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Contact Language ◽  
Serial Verb Construction ◽  
Serial Verb ◽  
Grammatical Structures

Kamtok, an English-based expanded pidgin/creole in Cameroon, has many of the grammatical structures of its lexifier language. However, there are certain grammatical structures in this contact language which are not so obvious in its lexifier, though they may exist sparingly in spoken forms of the production of some native speakers. One of these is the serial verb construction (SVC). SVCs are ‘a series of two (or more) verbs [that] have the same subject and are not joined by a conjunction … or a complementiser … as they would be in European languages (Holm, 1988: 183).

Substratal Influence in Saramaccan Serial Verb Constructions

1992 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
John McWhorter
Keyword(s):  
Universal Grammar ◽  
West African ◽  
Serial Verb Constructions ◽  
African Languages ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
The World ◽  
Serial Verbs ◽  
Serial Verb ◽  
Substrate Influence

Bickerton's bioprogram hypothesis uses serial verbs as a primary demonstration that Saramaccan represents the closest approximation to Universal Grammar extant, judging from the fact that speakers of mutually unintelligible West African languages formulated it with little contact with European languages. Closer examination of Saramaccan and its substrate languages suggests, however, that the creole is a prime demonstration of substrate influence. The uniformity of serials across the substrate languages can be shown to have provided the opportunity for compromise between the small differences in the constructions in forming the language, according to perceptual saliency relative to the languages involved. A survey of serializing language families shows that serials in Saramaccan are most similar to those in its substrate, while a survey of créoles around the world shows that serials appear in créoles with similar substrates and almost never in those with nonserializing substrates. Furthermore, the explanation of serials as compensation for missing categories in Saramaccan is belied by an evaluation of this argument as applied to prepositions, which shows that the Saramaccan system mirrors that of its substrate with limited accommodations to its superstrate.

A fieldworker’s guide

Serial Verbs ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 250-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald
Keyword(s):  
Complete Picture ◽  
Serial Verb Constructions ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Serial Verbs ◽  
Serial Verb

These guidelines are intended for linguists working on a comprehensive grammar of a language. They provide orientation to the questions to be addressed in order to establish a complete picture of serial verb constructions. Ideally, the analysis of serial verb constructions ought to deal with as many as possible of the topics listed below. These points will be useful for linguists working on previously undescribed or insufficiently documented languages, and for those who work on better-known languages, concentrating on subtle details of use which have not been accounted for before. This is by no means a questionnaire. It is a checklist of features which need to be described, analysed, and illustrated, for an indepth view of serial verbs in a given language. Relevant sections of this book are indicated in parentheses....

The rise and fall of serial verbs

Serial Verbs ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 196-236
Author(s):  
Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Inflectional Morphology ◽  
Minor Components ◽  
Serial Verb Constructions ◽  
Language History ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Serial Verbs ◽  
Serial Verb ◽  
Creole Languages

We have identified three scenarios for the emergence of serial verb constructions: clause fusion scenario, whereby serial verbs emerge out of sequences of clauses; the verbal modification scenario, and the concurrent grammaticalization scenario. The development of serial verbs may correlate with the expansion of analytic structures and the loss of inflectional morphology. Serial verbs in some language families are of fair antiquity. In many instances their emergence can be accounted for by language contact. Serial verbs in Creole languages often reflect the substratum influence of the languages which contributed to their formation. In the course of language history, serial verbs can lose their status as such. Minor components in asymmetrical serial verb constructions become grammatical markers—auxiliaries, or bound morphemes. Symmetrical serial verbs become lexicalized units no longer separable. Serial verbs tend to be acquired by children at an early age.

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