The Structure of the Coverb-Light Verb Construction

Mengistu Amberber

University of New South Wales

Workshop on Complex predication and the Coverb Construction

(July 7 – 8, 2006, University of Queensland, Brisbane)

In this paper, I investigate the coverb-light verb construction (CLVC) with particular reference to the Amharic language. I argue that the CLVC can be accounted for by exactly the same theoretical apparatus independently motivated for the analysis of morphologically simple verbs. I show that mono-morphemic verbs have a complex structure consisting of what I refer to as ‘Event-type functor’, such as caus, become, be and a category neutral root. The event-type functor is projected as (little) v which can be zero or realized by overt morphology (either an affix or an independent verb). In the projection of the CLVC, v is instantiated by a morphologically independent verb – a light verb - such as ɑlə ’say’, or ɑdərrəgə ‘make’, ‘do’. In (1) the predicate consists of a valency-encoding prefix and the verb stem, whereas in (2) the predicate consists of two morphologically independent items: the non-finite coverb sɨbbɨrr followed by the light verb ɑlə ’say’. The light verb carries agreement, tense and aspect features.

The CLVC raises a number of interesting theoretical issues. From the perspective of semantics: (a) what is the conceptual structure of the coverb and the light verb? (b) how is the meaning of the CLVC computed from the meaning of its constituents? From the perspective of morphology and syntax: (a) does the CLVC exhibit the same formal properties as a simple verb? (b) is the CLVC a Vo category or a phrasal constituent? These questions and related issues will be addressed in this paper. I will argue that essentially the same machinery utilized to account for morphologically simple predicates can be utilized to account for the CLVC. I will show that the polysemous function of some verbs, that is, verbs that function both as a lexical verb and a light verb, can be accounted for by motivating a single LCS representation without resorting to multiple lexical entries.

(1)	t'ərmus-u	tə-səbbərə
	bottle-def	intr-break.prf.3m
	‘The bottle broke'

   

(2)	t'ərmus-u	sɨbbɨrr	ɑlə
	bottle-def	break	say.prf.3m
	‘The bottle broke'