georgian pro-verbs amiridze

8/3/2019 Georgian Pro-Verbs Amiridze

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Verb Forms inside Verb Forms.The Case of the Modern SpokenGeorgian Pro-Verbs

Nino Amiridze

Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS

Trans 103512 JK Utrecht

The Netherlands

[email protected]

Nino Amiridze. Verb Forms inside Verb Forms. 11th International Morphology Meeting, Vienna, February 14-17, 2004 p.1/2


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Abbreviations

AOR = aorist (simple past)

DAT = dative

DO3 = 3rd person direct object

ERG = ergative

IO1 = 1st person indirect object

IO3 = 3rd person indirect object

NOM = nominative

PPART = past participle

PRV = pre-radical vowel

PV = preverb

S1 = 1st person subject

S3 = 3rd person subject

SG = singular

TS = thematic suffix (stem formant).



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Verbal Prefixes

The order of prefixes in a Georgian verb form is fixed.

However, it is not necessary for them to be realizedsimultaneously:

Preverb-Agreement.Prefix-Pre.Radical.Vowel-Root

Preverbs express perfectivity and in movement verbs additionally direction in space andorientation towards or away from the 1st/2nd person.

The slot for agreement prefix can be occupied by subject as well as object markers.

Pre-radical vowels act as valency changing affixes.

In finite verb forms nothing can interfere between theprefixes, be put immediately before the preverb or

immediately after the pre-radical vowel.



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Non-Canonical Prefix

Modern spoken Georgian has developed special

constructs which display a pronominal element imas-immediately preceding the agreement prefix:

Preverb-imas-Agreement.Prefix-Pre.Radical.Vowel-

Example 1

(man) (me) (is) gada-imas-m-i-kn-a

(s)he.ERG I.DAT it.NOM PV-imas-IO1.SG-PRV-do-S3.SG.AOR

He VERBed it for me from one place/thing into another"



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Non-Canonical Prefix

The pronominal element imas- is a DAT form of the distal

demonstrative pronoun:Example 2

me imas a-v-i--eb da ara amas

I.NOM that.DAT PV-S1.SG-PRV-take-TS and not this.DAT

I will take that [one] but not this [one]"



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Proforms

Such constructs as gada-imas-m-i-kn-a in Example 1 act as

proforms and are able to replace lexical verb forms. Forinstance, gada-imas-m-i-kn-a in Example 1 can replace the

verb forms in Example 3 and Example 4:

Example 3(man) (me) (is) gada-m-i-qar-a

(s)he.ERG I.DAT it.NOM PV-IO1.SG-PRV-throw.away-S3.SG.AOR

(S)he threw it away for me"

Example 4

(man) (me) (is) gada-m-i-c. er-a

(s)he.ERG I.DAT it.NOM PV-IO1.SG-PRV-copy-S3.SG.AOR

(S)he copied it for me"



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Prescriptivists against the Proforms

The proforms are used when one has accidentally

forgotten or avoids mentioning the exact lexical verb form.There are the following concerns expressed byprescriptivists:

(i) The proforms are a sign of being less literate school children and teenagers

with relatively poor performance and possibly with learning problems may turn in

oral discourse to more using the proforms instead of the rich lexical resources.

Thus, the proforms impoverish the language.

(ii) The proforms are a sign of being rude sometimes proforms are inserted in

some inappropriate expressions to avoid the use of the lexical verb form.



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However...

However, the forms like 1 are not characteristic exclusively

for the speakers of certain age, gender and/or social class.They can be used by anyone, including an educated

speaker.

Also, it is not necessary at all the context to be aninappropriate expression. The proforms are used when an

utterer avoids mentioning a lexical verb form by some

reason.

In any case the proforms do reach the hearers sharing the

knowledge of the context with the utterer.



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Thematic Structure Can Vary

It is crucial that a single proform can be used as a

substitute for verbs of very different thematic structureranging from weather verbs to prototypical 3-argument

verbs.

For instance, Example 5 is used as a substitute for any of

Example 6.



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Thematic Structure Can Vary

Example 5

imas--kn-aimas-DO3.SG-do-S3.SG.AOR

(S)he VERBed it"

Example 6

a. i-c. vim-a b. da-e-c-a c. i-tir-a

PRV-rain-S3.SG.AOR PV-PRV-fall-S3.SG.AOR PRV-cry-S3.SG.AO

It rained" (S)he/it fell down" (S)he cried"

d. a--a-g-o e. mi-h-qid-a

PV-DO3.SG-PRV-build-S3.SG.AOR PV-IO3.SG-sell-S3.SG.AOR

(S)he build it" (S)he sold it to him/her"



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The Status ofimas- in the Proforms

imas- cannot be a clitic:

The pronominal element imas- in the proform imas--kn-a(cf. 5) is in DAT. The verb form -kn-a (cf. 7), on which the

proform in 5 is based, does not take a DAT argument:

Example 7(man) is / *imas -kn-a

(s)he.ERG that.NOM that.DAT DO3.SG-do-S3.SG.AOR

(S)he did that"



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imas- cannot be an incorporated material:

In Georgian an incorporated material is put immediatelybefore the preverb (cf. 8). However, as 1 illustrates, imas-

does not occur immediately before the preverb.

Example 8sul-ga-qid-ul-i / *ga-sul-qid-ul-i murman-i

soul-PV-sell-PPART-NOM PV-soul-sell-PPART-NOM Murman-NOM

Murman having sold his soul"



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Further, incorporation occurs in Georgian only with non-

finite verb forms (cf. 8), never with finite forms (cf. 9a):Example 9

a. *murman-ma sul-ga--qid-a

Murman-ERG soul-PV-DO3.SG-sell-S3.SG.AORb. murman-ma sul-i ga--qid-a

Murman-ERG soul-NOM PV-DO3.SG-sell-S3.SG.AOR

Murman sold his soul"



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On How the Substitution Works

The proforms can substitute a lexical verb form if the

grammatical features of the two match while argumentstructure can vary.

For instance, imas--kn-a (5), based on the verb form -kn-a

having a 3rd person subject marker (7), can only substitute

the verb forms taking a 3rd person (6) but not the 1st person

subject argument (10).



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Example 10

a. da-v-e-c-i b. v-i-tir-ePV-S1.SG-PRV-fall-AOR S1.SG-PRV-cry-AOR

I fell down" I cried"

c. mo-v-k. al-i d. mi-v-qid-e

PV-S1.SG-kill-AOR PV-S1.SG-sell-AOR

I killed him/her/it" I sold it to him/her"



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Similarly, the proforms with a certain preverb cannot be

used as a substitute for verb forms having another preverb(cf. 11 used for replacing 12 but not 13).

Example 11

(me) (is) gada-imas-v-ken-i

I.ERG it.NOM PV-imas-S1.SG-do-AOR

I VERBed it from one place/thing into another"



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Example 12

(me) (is) gada-v-a-k. et-eI.ERG it.NOM PV-S1.SG-PRV-do/make-AOR

I made it into something else"

Example 13

(me) (is) e-v-a-k. et-e

I.ERG it.NOM PV-S1.SG-PRV-do/make-AOR

I repaired it"



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Also, if a proform is in Aorist Indicative it cannot substitute

a verb form in Future Indicative (cf. 5 used for any ofExample 6 but for none of Example 14):

Example 14

a. i-c. vim-eb-s b. da-e-c-em-a c. i-tir-eb-s

PV-rain-TS-S3.SG PV-PRV-fall-TS-S3.SG PRV-cry-TS-S3.SG

It will rain" (S)he/it will fall" (S)he will cry"

d. a--a-g-eb-s e. mi-h-qid-i-s

PV-DO3.SG-PRV-build-TS-S3.SG PV-IO3.SG-sell-TS-S3.SG(S)he will build it" (S)he will sell it to him/her"



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Less Specific Less Restricted

The less grammatical information coded in the proforms

the less restricted they are. The proform imas--kn-a (5)with the 3rd person subject marker -a can replace the

forms with the subject marker (cf. 6b-e) but also those with

an additional benefactive argument marker (cf. 15):Example 15

a. da-m-e-c-a b. m-i-tir-a

PV-IO1.SG-PRV-fall-S3.SG.AOR DO3.SG-PRV-cry-S3.SG.AOR

(S)he/it fall on me" (S)he mourned me"

c. a-m-i-g-o d. mo-m-qid-a

PV-IO1.SG-PRV-build-S3.SG.AOR PV-IO1.SG-sell-S3.SG.AOR

(S)he build it for me" (S)he sold it to me"



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More Specific More Restricted

The more grammatical information coded in the proforms

the more restricted they are. For instance, the proformimas-m-i-kn-a (16) with the agreement markers for the

subject and the benefactive arguments, respectively -a and

m-, can only replace the forms with both agreementmarkers in Example 15 but none of those lacking m- in

Example 6b-e.

Example 16imas-m-i-kn-a

imas-IO1.SG-PRV-do-S3.SG.AOR

(S)he VERBed it for/to me"



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Variation in the Form of Proforms

Apart from the form gada-imas-v-ken-i in Example 11 there

is another proform of a similar use (cf. 17 replacing 12):Example 17

gada-v-a-imas-v-ken-i

PV-S1.SG-PRV-imas-S1.SG-do-AOR

I VERBed it from one place/thing into another"The complex proform gada-v-a-imas-v-ken-i (Example 17) is

a puzzle because it contains a combination of morphemes

not found elsewhere in Georgian. The first person subjectis registered as v- twice in the same verb form once in

the position before the root -ken, and again just after the

preverb gada-.



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Proforms inside Other Proforms

The sequence of morphemes -imas-v-ken-i is treated by the

complex proform gada-v-a-imas-v-ken-i as a stem. However,what seems to be formally a stem can itself serve as a

proform (cf. 18) and substitute any of the verb forms in 10.

Example 18imas-v-ken-i

imas-S1.SG-do-AOR

I VERBed it"

Example 17 illustrates a proform imas-v-ken-i (18) within acomplex proform [gada-v-a-[imas-v-ken-i]].



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What Do the Proforms Actually Replace?

The proforms like imas--kn-a (5) or imas-v-ken-i (18) may

look like a do itanaphor because imas- is a pronominal

element and the verbal elements --kn-a (5), -v-ken-i (18),

taken separately, are verb forms (cf. 7, 19) with the root

originally meaning to do".Example 19(me) (is) v-ken-i

I.ERG it.NOM S1.SG-do-AOR

I did it"

However, the proforms do not serve as a VP test like do it"

serves for English (cf. Tom threw a ball. Harry did it too.).

They, in fact, replace a verb together with its argument(s).



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What Do the Proforms Actually Replace?

Namely, the proforms replace

(i) a verb and a theme argument in unaccusatives (cf. 5 used for 6b)

(ii) a verb and an agent argument in unergatives (cf. 5 used for 6c)

(iii) a verb and both arguments in transitives (cf. 5 used for 6d, 11 used for 12)

(iv) a verb and all the three arguments in di-transitives (cf. 5 used for 6e, 1 used for 3

and 4).

Therefore, the proforms in fact replace not just the VP but

an IP and serve as an IP test.


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