The grammar of complex predicate constructions in Warrwa and other Nyulnyulan languages
William B. McGregor

Abstract

Many languages of northern Australia have a verbal construction, sometimes referred to as the coverb construction, involving two verbal elements, one inflecting (variously called a verb, generic verb, finite verb, light verb, inflecting verb), the other non-inflecting (generally called coverb, also preverb, verbal particle, uninflecting verb). In this paper I address questions concerning the grammatical classification and analysis of these constructions and their components, focussing on Warrwa. The arguments of McGregor (2002) are improved on, and the hitherto almost undescribed Warrwa system described. In the process, I address the status of these constructions as complex predicates, as per the criteria that (a) two predicational elements are involved that (b) jointly predicate in (c) a monoclausal construction. While (c) is met, I argue that (a) and/or (b) are not: even though both elements can serve a predicative function, in our target construction only one -- the inflecting (or 'light') verb -- actually does. The grammatical function they discharge in the construction is explored, and it is suggested that the inflecting verb has a grammatical function (though it is not an auxiliary). I also situate the construction in relation to compounding and derivation, and indicate how the semantics can be accounted for in this framework grammatically rather than via lexical 'merger'.

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