Serial verb construction

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Serial verb constructions are a phenomenon that typically shows up in isolating languages; in Asia this includes B. Chinese , Thai , Vietnamese and Khmer , in West Africa z. B. Yoruba and Igbo . This phenomenon can also be found in various Papua languages ​​of New Guinea .

In verb serialization , two or more verbs are strung together (mostly) without any formal connection ( asyndetic ), which allows more complex issues to be expressed. Subjects and objects can also be included, so that in this case one can also speak of a means of linking sentences .

An example from Vietnamese:

Muốn please được thua phải đi hỏi .
want knowledge win to lose have to go ask
"If (you) want to know whether (you) won or lost, (you) have to go and ask."

Examples from the Yoruba:

O ìwé
he to take book come
"He brings the book"
O gbé e
he wear it come
"He brings it"

Individual evidence

  1. Walter Bisang: The verb in Chinese, Hmong, Vietnamese, Thai and Khmer. Comparative grammar in the context of verb serialization, grammaticalization and attractor positions . Narr, Tübingen 1992, p. 319.
  2. Maggie Tallerman: Understanding syntax . Arnold, London 1998, pp. 79-81.
  3. Hadumod Bußmann : Lexicon of Linguistics (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 452). 2nd, completely revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 1990, ISBN 3-520-45202-2 , p. 683.

literature

  • Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald , RMW Dixon (Ed.): Serial verb constructions. A cross-linguistic typology . Oxford University Press, 2006.
  • Carol Lord: Historical change in serial verb constructions . Benjamin, Amsterdam a. a. 1993.