GB068 - grambank/grambank GitHub Wiki

Do property words (defined semantically as property concepts such as value, shape, age, dimension) act like verbs in predicative position?

Summary

This feature investigates whether adnominal property words, analogous to "adjectives" in some linguistic settings, take on verbal morphology when utilized in predicative positions. This includes not only simple predicative uses, but also instances where these property words are used in relativized forms. It's important to note that predicative property words do not have to bear all the markings associated with verbs. If verbs and predicative property words share at least some form of marking, this feature is coded as 1 (for example, if a language has "it runs" and "it greens"). Conversely, if extra morphology or elements are obligatory for property words, then this feature should be coded as 0. The coding should generally apply to the majority of property words in the language.

Procedure

1. Code 1 if most property words, including their relativized forms, used predicatively receive markers which are used on verbs.
2. Code 1 if neither property words nor predicative verbs receive marking.
3. Code 1 if property words receive significantly similar marking as stative verbs.
4. Code 0 if property words are obligatorily accompanied by elements which are not obligatory with verbs.
5. Code 1 if most examples of property words follow this pattern; code 0 if most do not; code ? if property words are split between this and another pattern.

Examples

Hano (ISO 639-3: lml, Glottolog: hano1246)

See Vari-Bogiri (2011: 62). Coded 1.

“Adjectives behave like verbs when they function as predicate, preceded by subject marker and TAM category and they function as stative verbs when they refer to state or process.”

Bororo (ISO 639-3: bor, Glottolog: boro1282)

The example below is taken from Stassen (2013), citing Crowell (1979: 26, 50).

a. i-mago-re
   1SG-speak-NEUTRAL
   ‘I speak/spoke.’

b. i-kure-re
   1SG-tall-NEUTRAL
   ‘I am/was tall.’

Since the morphology for ‘tall’ and ‘speak’ is identical, and this is typical of adjectives in Bororo, Bororo would be coded as 1.

Irish (ISO 693-3: gle, Glottolog: iris1253)

Example from Stassen (2013), citing Greene (1966: 46, 43).

a. téann   Sean
   go.PST  Sean
   ‘Sean went.’

b. is     breoite  é
   be.PRS ill	   he
   ‘He is ill.’

Because adjectives require a copula, the coding should be 0 for this feature.

Further reading

Dixon, R. M. W. 2010. Basic linguistic theory, Volume 2: Grammatical topics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter 12 deals with adjectives and their relationship with other word classes.

Stassen, Leon. 2013. Predicative adjectives. In Matthew S. Dryer & Martin Haspelmath (eds), The world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

References

Crowell, Thomas H. 1979. A grammar of Bororo. Ithaca: Cornell University. (Doctoral dissertation.)

Greene, David. 1966. The Irish language. Dublin: The Three Candles.

Stassen, Leon. 2013. Predicative adjectives. In Matthew S. Dryer & Martin Haspelmath (eds), The world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Vari-Bogiri, Hannah. 2011. Phonology and morpho-syntax of Raga, Vanuatu. Port Vila: University of the South Pacific. (Doctoral dissertation.)

Related Features

• GB069 Do adnominal property words (defined semantically as property concepts; value, shape, age, dimension) used attributively require the same morphological treatment as verbs?

Patron

Jay Latarche and Jeremy Collins