scholarly journals The Copula and Existential Verbs in Qiang

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-249
Author(s):  
Randy J. LaPolla ◽  
Chenglong Huang
Keyword(s):  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Cleft Constructions

This paper discusses the copula and existential verb constructions in Qiang, a Tibeto-Burman language of northern Sichuan, China. There is only one copula verb in Qiang, which can be used in equational, identificational, attributive, naming, and cleft constructions, as well as one type of possessive construction. There are five existential verbs in Qiang, the use of which depends on the semantics of the referent being predicated as existing and its location. The existential verbs have a number of the characteristics of adjective-like stative verbs, and can be modified by adverbs of degree, but they cannot directly modify nouns. Also, the meaning of reduplication of existential verbs is different from that of adjective-like stative verbs: reduplication of existential verbs results in transitivization, while reduplication of adjective-like stative verbs results in emphasis of degree.

scholarly journals A corpus-based description of cleft constructions in Persian

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-206
Author(s):  
Pegah Faghiri ◽  
Pollet Samvelian
Keyword(s):  
Relative Clauses ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Light Verb Constructions ◽  
Light Verb ◽  
Accurate Picture ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Cleft Constructions ◽  
Made In

Abstract This paper presents a corpus-based description of cleft constructions in Persian showing that they display more diversity and complexity than currently described in the literature. Previous studies have only focused on constructions that echo one of the three main classes of clefts (IT-clefts, pseudoclefts and reversed pseudoclefts), and generally use Persian data in parallel to their English counterparts in order to contribute to the ongoing theoretical debates on the analysis of clefts. In order to achieve a more accurate picture of Persian clefts, we annotated and studied cleft and cleft-like sentences in a sample of about 550 relative clauses extracted from a journalistic corpus. Our study revealed new categories of cleft constructions that have not been reported previously; in particular, the lexically headed pseudoclefts whose usage is straightforwardly linked to the abundance of noun-verb light verb constructions in Persian. Moreover, we take issue with some claims made in prior work on the nature of the demonstrative in Persian IT-clefts based on empirical arguments.

Verbi a supporto nel latino tardo: il caso di facio

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 145-160
Author(s):  
Giovanbattista Galdi
Keyword(s):  
Direct Object ◽  
Late Period ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Verbal Noun ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Semantic Evolution

SummarySupport verb constructions are documented throughout the history of Latin. These syntagms are characterized by the presence of a support verb with a more or less reduced semantic force, and a predicative (abstract or verbal) noun that often constitutes its direct object. The present contribution deals, specifically, with the use of facio as a support verb (as in bellum facere, iter facere, insidias facere etc.), focussing on the post-classical and late period. Two main questions shall be discussed: (a) whether, and if so, how facio becomes more productive in later centuries in both non-Christian and Christian sources; (b) what type of semantic evolution the verb undergoes in later Latin and whether, in this respect, continuity or rupture should be assumed with regard to the earlier period. This last point will enable us to suggest a more convincing explanation of an often-quoted passage of Cicero (Phil. 3. 22), in which the expression contumeliam facere is found.

Linguistic expression of commands in Lao

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. Enfield
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Social Hierarchy ◽  
National Language ◽  
Linguistic Expression ◽  
Serial Verb Constructions ◽  
Linguistic Resource ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Person Reference ◽  
Serial Verb

This chapter undertakes a survey of commands and similar speech acts in Lao, the national language of Laos. The survey draws upon a corpus of naturally occurring speech in narratives and conversations recorded in Laos. An important linguistic resource for expressing commands is a system of sentence-final particles. The particles convey subtle distinctions in meaning of commands, including matters of politeness, urgency, entitlement, and expectation. These distinctions are illustrated with examples. Forms of person reference such as names and pronouns also play a role in the formulation of commands, particularly in so far as they relate to a cultural system in which social hierarchy is strongly valued. Various other linguistic issues related to commands are examined, including negative imperatives, complementation, indirect strategies for expressing commands, and serial verb constructions.

Verbal Serialization in Biblical Aramaic

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-33
Author(s):  
Alexander Andrason ◽  
Bonsam Koo
Keyword(s):  
Linguistic Typology ◽  
Verbal System ◽  
Semitic Languages ◽  
Serial Verb Constructions ◽  
Relative Chronology ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Recent Modification ◽  
Serial Verb

AbstractThe present paper discusses the issue of Serial Verb Constructions (SVCs) in Biblical Aramaic within the dynamic grammaticalization-based model of verbal serialization – a recent modification of a prototype-driven approach to SVCs used in linguistic typology. Having analyzed the entire corpus of Biblical Aramaic, the authors conclude the following: (a) verbal serialization constitutes an integral part of the verbal system of Biblical Aramaic; (b) pre-canonical SVCs are more common that canonical SVCs, and no cases of post-canonicity are attested; (c) Biblical Aramaic is a semi-advanced serializing language. Overall, the research corroborates the tendency of Semitic languages to gradually increase their serializing profile; a tendency that is often – albeit not without exception – correlated with the languages’ relative chronology.

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