Difference between revisions of "Verb Phrases"
Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
There exists a progressive aspectl auxiliary in Sereer, and as an auxiliary, is distinct from verbs that express the main verbal content of the clause. Inflected for subject, this auxiliary -xe features characteristic semantic emptiness, expressing only progressive aspect, as shown in (1) and (2): |
There exists a progressive aspectl auxiliary in Sereer, and as an auxiliary, is distinct from verbs that express the main verbal content of the clause. Inflected for subject, this auxiliary -xe features characteristic semantic emptiness, expressing only progressive aspect, as shown in (1) and (2): |
||
− | <gl id=" |
+ | <gl id="workAboutTo" fontsize=12> |
mexe jalaa |
mexe jalaa |
||
\gll me-xe jal-aa |
\gll me-xe jal-aa |
||
Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
\gll a-xe deɓ-iid-aa |
\gll a-xe deɓ-iid-aa |
||
3-PROG rain-PROX-PROG |
3-PROG rain-PROX-PROG |
||
− | \trans Its |
+ | \trans Its going to (start) raining |
+ | </gl> |
||
+ | |||
+ | <gl id="hurtAboutTo" fontsize=12> |
||
+ | axe ɗomiida |
||
+ | \gll a-xe d\ɗom-iid-aa |
||
+ | 3-PROG hurt-PROX-PROG |
||
+ | \trans Its going to (start) hurting |
||
</gl> |
</gl> |
||
Revision as of 04:52, 15 December 2012
Verb phrases (VP's) in Sereer consist of a verb optionally modified by any or all of the following components: any number of adverbs, a single determiner, a prepositional phrase, a relative clause, and a possessive NP. These components are ordered as follows:
1) Verb
2) Adverb
3) Noun Phrase
4) Prepositional Phrase
Auxilliaries
There exists a progressive aspectl auxiliary in Sereer, and as an auxiliary, is distinct from verbs that express the main verbal content of the clause. Inflected for subject, this auxiliary -xe features characteristic semantic emptiness, expressing only progressive aspect, as shown in (1) and (2):
<gl id="workAboutTo" fontsize=12> mexe jalaa \gll me-xe jal-aa 1sg-PROG rain-PROG \trans I am working </gl>
<gl id="RainAboutTo" fontsize=12> axe deɓiidaa \gll a-xe deɓ-iid-aa 3-PROG rain-PROX-PROG \trans Its going to (start) raining </gl>
<gl id="hurtAboutTo" fontsize=12> axe ɗomiida \gll a-xe d\ɗom-iid-aa 3-PROG hurt-PROX-PROG \trans Its going to (start) hurting </gl>
Valence patterns and alignment
Intransitive Verbs
Sereer Examples of intransitive verbs include 'to die' and 'to sleep'
Copula-like clauses
Transitive Verbs
Direct object arguments follow verbs, as in ()
<gl id="JegCow" fontsize=12> Jegan afala naak le \gll Jegan a-fal-a naak le masc.name 3sg.-kick-3sg. cow DET \trans Jegan kicks the cow </gl>
Ditransitive Verbs
Direct object and oblique arguments follow verbs, and there are no restrictions on the ordering of these arguments, as shown in () and ():
<gl id="YandeLetter" fontsize=12> Miñaan acooɗa (a) Yande oleetar ole \gll Miñaan a-cooɗ-a (a) Yande oleetar ol-e masc.name 3sg.-give-3sg. fem.name ol-e \trans Miñaan gave Yande the letter </gl>
<gl id="LetterYande" fontsize=12> Miñaan acooɗa oleetar ole (a) Yande \gll Miñaan a-cooɗ-a oleetar ol-e (a) Yande masc.name 3sg.-give-3sg. fem.name ol-e \trans Miñaan gave the letter (to) Yande </gl>