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In:Argument Realisation in Complex Predicates and Complex Events: Verb-verb constructions at the syntax-semantic interface
Edited by Brian Nolan and Elke Diedrichsen
[Studies in Language Companion Series 180] 2017
► pp. 169–190

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Chapter 6
Serial verb constructions in Estonian

 | University of Tartu, Estonia, Beijing Foreign Studies University
Published online: 26 January 2017
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.180.06tra
Abstract
The Estonian serial verb construction (SVC) consists of two or more adjacent verbs with concordant grammatical marking in the same clause: cf. Lähe-n vaata-n kohe. ‘go-1sg look-1sg now’ ‘I’ll go look now’. This type of monoclausal SVCs exists in Estonian and in some Finno-Ugric languages, at least with motion verbs (GO, COME, WALK) as first verbs. The results of a corpus study of Estonian GO SVCs show that this type of verb serialisation is productive in Estonian; the SVCs are usually monoclausal, and the first verb of the SVC is often grammaticalised, taking an intentional, inchoative or imperative-hortative function.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.What is the serial verb construction?
  • 3.Overview of previous studies of similar phenomena in Finno-Ugric languages
  • 4.Serial verb constructions in Estonian
    • 4.1Syntactic status of Estonian SVC
    • 4.2First verbs (V1) in Estonian SVCs
  • 5.Corpus study
    • 5.1The etTenTen Corpus
    • 5.2Data and coding
    • 5.3Corpus analysis
      • 5.3.1V1 markers
      • 5.3.2V2 in the SVC
      • 5.3.3Locative and temporal adverbs in SVCs
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
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