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Is verb compounding a regular process?

Summary

Verbal compounds are lexicalized, often non-compositional, constructions which combine two or more verb stems. Languages with serial verb constructions can often have verb compounds too, however they might not always be described as such.

Procedure

1. Code 1 if there is a conventionalized way of combining two verbal elements into a single lexicalized phonological and grammatical word.
2. Code 0 if it is clear the two elements are phonologically independent.
3. Code ? if it is unclear how productive this process is in the language.

Examples

Sichuan Yi (ISO 639-3: iii, Glottolog: sich1238 )

Coded 1. Verbal compounds relate to the meaning of their components in the following four major ways. (a) The verbs are unrelated, (b) the verbs are in an antonymic relationship, (c) the verbs are parallel in their meaning, (d) the second verb denotes the resultative state of the initial verb.

(a) la   hxex 
    come see
    ‘wait’

(b) it  dep 
    lie rise
    ‘rise’

(c) hxep hna
    see listen
    ‘take care’

(d) hna  cie
    hear clear
    ‘hear clearly’

(Gerner 2013: 60)

Menya (ISO 639-3: mcr, Glottolog: meny1245)

Coded 1. In (a) the verb kii ‘grab’ is seen individually, and in (b) the verb qiil ‘hold’ is also seen individually. However, in (c) both the verb kii ‘hold’ and qiil ‘hold’ are compounded together. Both verbs are transitive and when combined, the compound is also transitive.

(a) nyi  i=que      a    ä-kä-k-qäqä=i~
    1SG  that=M=OBJ hand ASS-grab-PST/PFV-1SG/DSO=IND 
    ‘I grabbed him.’

(b) ne  i=qu=e     a    yäqä=nä   ä-qät-äŋ-u
    1PL that=M=OBJ hand still=FOC ASS-hold-IPFV-1PL/COM
    ‘We are still holding him.’

(c) nyi  yäukä=i  hipa hn=qu=nä    ä-kä-qät-q-ä
    1SG  ball=DEF hand INDF=M=FOC  ASS-grab-hold-PFV-1SG/COM
    ‘I (just now) caught the ball with one hand.’

(Whitehead 2004: 87–88)

Mandarin Chinese (ISO 639-3: cmn, Glottolog: mand1415)

Mandarin Chinese is coded as 1.

gou-mai 
purchase-buy
‘buy’
 
qing-zhu 
celebrate-bless
‘celebrate’
 
bang-zhu 
help-assist
‘help’
 
jian-cha 
check-examine
‘examine’

(Yin 2010: 2)

Further reading

Austin, Peter K. 1989. Verb compounding in Central Australian languages. In Burridge, Kate & Graham Scott. (eds), La Trobe Working Papers in Linguistics 2. 1–31. Melbourne: La Trobe University.

References

Gerner, Matthias. 2013. A grammar of Nuosu. (Mouton Grammar Library, 64.) Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.

Whitehead, Carl R. 2004. A reference grammar of Menya, an Angan language of Papua New Guinea. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba. (Doctoral dissertation.)

Yin, Hui. 2010. The so-called Chinese VV compounds — a continuum between lexicon and syntax. In Proceedings of the 2010 Annual Conference of the Canadian Linguistic Association, edited by Melinda Heijl. Toronto: CLA. http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~cla-acl/actes2010/actes2010.html.

Related Features

• GB118 Are there serial verb constructions?
• GB123 Are there verb-adjunct (aka light-verb) constructions?
• GB124 Is incorporation of nouns into verbs a productive intransitivizing process?
• GB150 Is there clause chaining?

Patron

Jay Latarche and Jeremy Collins