Section Section Description Page Number
Preface and acknowledgements p. ix
List of figures and tables p. xi
Abbreviations and conventions p. xii
1 Serial verbs: The framework p. 1
1.1 What serial verbs are like p. 1
1.2 Defining a serial verb p. 3
1.3 Serial verb constructions in the history of linguistics p. 7
1.4 What this book is about p. 12
1.5 The empirical basis, and conventions used p. 14
1.6 Appendix: How serial verb constructions have been dealt with in the linguistic literature p. 15
2 Recognizing a serial verb p. 20
2.1 Serial verb as one predicate p. 20
2.2 Serial verbs as one clause p. 23
2.3 Prosodic properties of serial verbs p. 27
2.4 Shared tense, aspect, modality, reality status, evidentiality, mood, and polarity values p. 28
2.5 Serial verb constructions as ''one event'' p. 34
2.6 Sharing arguments in serial verb constructions p. 40
2.6.1 Sharing subjects and objects p. 40
2.6.2 Serial verb constructions with non-identical subjects p. 44
2.6.3 Serial verb constructions with no shared arguments p. 49
2.7 To summarize p. 51
3 Serial verbs: Their composition and meanings p. 55
3.1 Composition of serial verb constructions p. 55
3.2 Semantic types of asymmetrical serial verbs p. 56
3.2.1 Direction and orientation p. 56
3.2.2 Aspect, extent, and change of state p. 58
3.2.3 Secondary concept serialization p. 60
3.2.4 Serialization of complement-clause-taking verbs p. 62
3.2.5 Increasing valency and specifying arguments p. 62
3.2.6 Reducing valency p. 65
3.2.7 Comparatives and superlatives p. 67
3.2.8 Event-argument serial verbs p. 68
3.2.9 Further meanings of asymmetrical serial verbs p. 70
3.2.10 Asymmetrical serial verbs: an interim summary p. 72
3.3 Semantics of symmetrical serial verbs p. 73
3.3.1 Sequence of actions or concomitant actions related together p. 73
3.3.2 Cause-effect and resultative serial verbs p. 75
3.3.3 Manner serial verbs p. 78
3.3.4 Synonymous, or parallel, verb serialization p. 79
3.3.5 Symmetrical serial verbs: an interim summary p. 80
3.4 Contrasting asymmetrical and symmetrical serial verbs p. 80
3.4.1 Grammaticalization and lexicalization in serial verb constructions p. 82
3.4.2 Iconicity of component order, and further features of serial verbs p. 84
3.5 To summarize p. 85
4 Formal properties of serial verbs p. 92
4.1 Contiguity of components p. 92
4.2 Wordhood of components p. 93
4.3 Contiguity and wordhood: how the parameters interact p. 96
4.4 The expression of grammatical categories p. 99
4.4.1 Person marking in serial verbs p. 100
4.4.2 Marking further verbal categories in serial verbs p. 106
4.4.3 Grammatical processes which have scope over one component of a serial verb p. 111
4.5 Transitivity matching in serial verb constructions p. 114
4.6 To summarize p. 117
5 The limits of verb serialization p. 122
5.1 Limited verb serialization, and double verb constructions p. 122
5.2 When verb sequences are not serial verbs p. 124
5.2.1 Serial verbs and sequences of clauses p. 127
5.2.2 Serial verbs and multi-verb constructions of other kinds p. 132
5.3 Serial verbs and other verb sequences: to conclude p. 139
6 The many facets of serial verbs p. 143
6.1 Several kinds of serial verb constructions in one language: wordhood and contiguity p. 143
6.1.1 Multi-word non-contiguous and multi-word contiguous serial verbs in one language p. 143
6.1.2 Multi-word non-contiguous and one-word contiguous serial verbs in one language p. 147
6.1.3 Multi-word non-contiguous and one-word non-contiguous serial verbs in one language p. 149
6.1.4 Multi-word contiguous and one-word contiguous serial verbs in one language p. 150
6.1.5 One-word non-contiguous and one-word contiguous serial verbs in one language p. 152
6.1.6 Multi-word contiguous and one-word non-contiguous serial verbs in one language p. 153
6.1.7 Three kinds of serial verb constructions in one language p. 154
6.1.8 Languages with more than one kind of serial verb constructions: some generalizations p. 155
6.2 Types of verbs, and types of serial verb constructions p. 156
6.3 To summarize p. 160
7 What are serial verbs good for? p. 164
7.1 Serial verb constructions and their grammatical functions p. 164
7.2 Serial verb constructions, definiteness, and focus p. 174
7.3 Serial verb constructions and the representation of events p. 178
7.4 What are languages with serial verbs like? p. 185
7.4.1 The typological profile of languages with serial verb constructions p. 185
7.4.2 Further features of languages with serial verb constructions p. 188
7.4.3 Serial verb constructions and the features of verbal lexicon p. 191
7.5 To summarize p. 191
8 The rise and fall of serial verbs p. 196
8.1 Where do serial verbs come from? p. 196
8.1.1 The origins of serial verb constructions p. 196
8.1.2 What further factors favour the development of serial verbs? p. 204
8.1.3 Serial verbs in language history p. 206
8.2 Serial verbs and language contact p. 207
8.2.1 Serial verbs as a feature of linguistic areas p. 208
8.2.2 Serial verbs in one-to-one language contact, and substratum phenomena p. 211
8.2.3 Serial verb constructions in Creole languages p. 213
8.3 What happens to serial verbs in language history: grammaticalization and lexicalization p. 218
8.3.1 How components of serial verbs become grammatical markers p. 218
8.3.2 From several verbs to one p. 226
8.4 Serial verb constructions in language acquisition and loss p. 227
8.5 To summarize p. 229
9 The essence of serial verbs p. 237
A fieldworker''s guide: Serial verb constructions-how to know more p. 250
References p. 255
Index of authors p. 283
Index of languages, linguistic families, and areas p. 288
Index of subjects p. 295
