Multi-verb constructions in Èdó: Event Structure and multi-verb constructions

506 Pages·1.728 MB·Afrikaans-English

by  Ogie Ota.

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I dedicate this thesis to the memory of my late mother
Ruth Adidi Ehanire Ogie.
She told me that her children were her gifts from God.
May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace amen.

And
To my father Prof. Evbinma Ogie
who introduced me to Linguistics.

Acknowledgements
Once upon a time there lived a little girl in Benin City Nigeria. She dreamt that she
would be a linguist just like her dad when she grew up.

The year is 2008 and the little girl has grown up and Santa Clause and her guardian
angel 'Èhì' has brought her to Norway on the PhD programme at NTNU, she is now
living in beautiful winterland in the land of trolls, askeladen, polar bears, moose,
beautiful fjords and the midnight sun. It is Christmas and she is about to submit her
thesis. Along the way she has had a lot of help from many Santa Clauses, elves and
Èhì'.
A million thanks goes to her supervisor Prof Lars Hellan for his meticulous
supervision and for his support through the ups and downs she encountered in the
course of writing the thesis.

Special thanks to Prof. Dorothee Beermann who aided in the thesis, Victor Manfredi,
Felix Ameka and Ben Waldow who read part of the thesis.

Thanks go also to Professors Thorstein Fretheim, Amidu Assibi, Arne Foldvik, Wim
van Dommelen and Torbjørn Nordgård. Eli Sætherø Andenes has helped with
administrative matters. Thank you.

Thanks to the University of Benin Nigeria, NTNU and NAV Midtbyen for their
financial support during different phases of the programme.

To be mentioned also are the workers at Kim-senteret and my co-workers at Mental
Helse Sør-Trøndelag.

There have been many discussions (and celebrations) with Petter Haugereid, Kaja
Borthen, Jonathan Brindle, Bedilu and Amare Getahun through the years.
Collaboration and discussions with Tjerk Hagemeijer over the years has also
contributed to the thesis.

Many thanks to Dr. Michael Ulvan who has been a source of support throughout the
four seasons year after year.
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The adventure in winterland has been enjoyed in the companies of Toril and Bonny
Okpe and their family, Inger, Doris and Geir Haugan, Alex, William, Berthe and
Korbjørn Engeland, Nichlas, Omosede and Rune Storø, Thomas and Aleksander
Waldemarsen and their mums Mette and Heidi. They have been there through thick
and thin. Thanks go to them.

It is wonderful to be a part of a family whose love and support has been a source of
strength throughout the years. Love to daddy Evbinma Ogie, Hilary Anibowei, Osato,
Abies, sister Niye and uncle Osawaru Iguodala, sister Blessed Ogie, Adesuwa and
Martin Odeiga, Oghoghosa, Ekhoe and Ame Ogie, Oritseshe Edukugho, Eseosa,
Itohan, Imudia, Tosan, Eleanor and Osagie Ehanire, Shola, Eke, Eze, Alero and Aunt
Pat Obianyor, Alex, Mimi, aunt Benny and uncle Andrew Ehanire, Aunt Becky
Agheyisi, Dami and Mimi Popoola and Toyosin, Seyi, Tina and Kunle Alake.

It’s Christmas and the adventure in winterland continues. The little girl grown big
hopes that Santa Claus will bring many gifts to everyone and wishes everyone a merry
Christmas and a happy new year. Even when you read this and it is not Christmas
time, feel the message of Christmas which is that of hope. To God be the glory.
Ùrúèsé 'thank you'

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements 3

Abbreviations 8
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION: EMPIRICAL AND THEORETICAL DOMAIN 11
1.2 Language background 14
1.3 Èdó – some basic facts 15
1.3.1 The structure of the noun phrase 16
1.3.2 Structure of the simple verb phrase 20
1.3.2.1 Verbs and aktionsart 20
1.3.2.2 Verb morphology 23
1.4 The theoretical domain 25
1.4.1 Introduction 25
1.4.2 HPSG: a theory of signs 25
1.4.3 Typed feature structure grammar 30
1.4.3.1 The type system 30
1.4.3.2 Unification 33
1.4.4 Linguistic application of feature structure descriptions 36
1.4.4.1 Category 37
1.4.4.1.1 Head features 37
1.4.4.1.2 Valence features 40
1.4.5 MRS 47
1.4.6 Syntax-semantic interface 48
1.4.6.1 Lexical mapping theory in LFG 48
1.4.6.3 Linking in the Matrix 0.6 56
1.4.6.3.1 Lexical types 56
1.4.6.4. Èdó lexical types 60
1.4.6.4.1 One-argument verbs 62
1.4.6.4.2 Two-argument verbs 63
1.4.6.4.3. Three-argument verbs 68
1.4.6.5 Constituent types 76
CHAPTER TWO TENSE, ASPECT AND MOOD IN ÈDÓ 83
2.0 Introduction 83
2.1.0 The category tense 84
2.1.1 The present tense 88
2.1.2 The past tense 91
2.1.3 The future tense 103
2.2 Pre-verbal modifiers 104
2.3 Viewpoint aspect in Èdó. 113
2.3.1 Perfective aspect 113
2.3.2 Imperfective aspect 118
2.4 The type tense in Èdó 122
2.5 Lexeme-to-word-rule 125
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2.6 Summary 133
CHAPTER THREE VERBAL CLASSES AND SITUATION ASPECT IN ÈDÓ 135
3.0 Introduction 135
3.1 Eventuality types 137
3.2 Approaches to the study of aspectual classes 148
3.2.0 Introduction 148
3.2.1 Interval semantics 148
3.2.2 Events semantics 153
3.3 Eventualities in Èdó 159
3.3.1 States 159
3.3.2 Events and states 171
3.3.3. Events 178
3.4 EVENT RELATIONS AND EVENT STRUCTURE 182
CHAPTER FOUR MULTI-VERB CONSTRUCTIONS: INDENTIFICATION AND
CLASSIFICATION 193
4.1 VP constructions in Èdó 194
4.1.1 Restrictions on verb co-occurrence in multi-verb constructions 196
4.2. Multi-verb constructions: syntactic characterization 242
4.2.1. Multi-verb construction: identification 242
4.2.2. Extraction 244
4.2.3. Tense, mood and negation 247
4.2.4 Multi-verb constructions and the -rV suffix 253
4.2.4.1 V+ modifier constructions and the -rV suffix 259
4.2.4.2 V+ mood constructions and the -rV suffix 265
4.2.4.3 V+ infinitival complement constructions and the -rV suffix 269
4.2.4.5. Light verbs and the -rV suffix 276
4.2.5 The functional status of V2 287
4.2.5.1 VP constructions and the infinitival marker yá 288
4.2.5.1.1 Further evidence of the non finite nature of V2 in infinitival complement
constructions. 292
4.2.5.2 VP constructions and the floating anaphor tòbóré 294
4.2.5.2.1 The tòbóré anaphor 294
4.2.5.2.2 V 2 subject referent and tòbórè distribution 302
4.2.5.2.2.1 There is only one token NP for V1 and V2 302
4.2.5.2.2.2 V2 shares subject referent with V1 306
4.2.5.3 Multi-verb constructions and adverb distribution 311
4.2.5.3.1 Preverbal adverbs distribution 312
4.2.5.3.2 VP delimiting adverbs distribution 316
4.2.6 Argument sharing in multi-verb constructions. 320
4.3 Conclusion 329
CHAPTER FIVE A SURVEY OF MULTI-VERB CONSTRUCTIONS IN SOME
LANGUAGES OF THE VOLTA-CONGO 332
5.0 Introduction 332
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5.1. Identification 335
5.2 Tense, aspect, mood and negation 346
5.3 Argument sharing patterns 358
5.4 Structural types 380
5.5. Summary 403
CHAPTER SIX TEMPORAL RELATIONS AND EVENT STRCTURE 406
6.0 Introduction 406
6.1 Multi-verb constructions and temporal interpretation 407
6.2 Tests for temporal relations 421
6.3 Temporal event interpretation and syntactic structure 431
6.3.0. Introduction 431
6.3.1 Overlapping events 431
6.3.2. Non-overlapping events 436
6.4 Temporal relations and –rV suffixation 440
6.5 A type hierarchy for temporal relations 448
CHAPTER SEVEN A FORMAL REPRESENTATION OF MULTI-VERB
CONSTRUCTIONS IN ÈDÓ 453
7.0 Introduction 453
7.1 Previous analyses of Èdó SVCs 454
7.2. Formal HPSG approaches to multi-verb constructions 463
7.3. Formal representation: Èdó multi-verb constructions 470
7.4 Conclusion 492
CHAPTER EIGHT CONCLUSION 493
REFERENCES 497

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