A case for revisiting definitions of serial verb constructions: Evidence from Akan serial verb nominalization

Abstract

In this study, we undertook an experiment in which native speakers of Akan were given serial verbs both with and without oblique non-verbal elements (such as relator nouns, direct objects, postpositions, etc.) and asked them to construct Serial Verb Construction Nominals (SVCNs) from them. We found that, by and large, when not given said non-verbal elements, speakers were not able to construct nominal forms. In another task, we gave speakers nominal forms and asked them to deconstruct them to the constituent serial verbs from which they were derived. Time and again, speakers gave, not only the serial verbs, but also the non-verbal elements even though they were not asked to do so. Gestalt meanings were also given by speakers when asked the meanings of individual elements. Thus, the semantic integration and lexicalization that takes place in full lexicalized-integrated serial verb constructions extends not only to serial verbs but also to these non-verbal elements which, to native speakers, seem to form just as important a part of the SVC as the verbal elements. Thus, we argue that definitions of SVCs, henceforth, should not prejudice the serial verbs to the detriment of other equally important parts of the construction.

Serial verb reduplication in the Mabia languages of West Africa

“…SVCs are known to occur in various languages of the world. The construction has been observed in four main linguistic areas: (i) West African languages, especially Mabia, Kwa, and Benue-Congo languages (Musah, 2018;Abubakari, 2018Abubakari, , 2011Kambon et al, 2015;Kambon, 2012;Osam, 1994, Ameka, 2006Bodomo, 1997Bodomo, , 2002Bodomo, , 2011 among others) (ii) African-Caribbean Creoles such as Sranan (Sebba, 1987), (iii) South East Asan languages such as Chinese (Li, 1991), Khmer (Schiller, 1991), and Thai, and (iv) The Pacifi c i.e. the Oceanic and Papuan languages such as Kallam and Alamblak (Durie, 1988).…”

Mind your tones! The role of tonal morphology in Kwa action nominalization

“…Mention could be made of works on Akan (cf. Obeng 1981;Appah [2003Appah [ ] 2005Adomako 2012;Kambon 2012;Kambon et al 2015;Kambon et al 2019), Gã (cf. Adams 2001Korsah 2011;Campbell 2017), Ewe (cf.…”

Akan noun–verb nominal compounds: The exocentric synthetic view

“…Pioneering work on SVC nominalization has been done in the last few decades (Bodomo & van Oostendorp 1994;Bodomo 2004;2006;Hiraiwa & Adams 2008;Aboh & Dyakonova 2009;Kambon 2012). Following Bodomo & van Oostendorp (1994), much of this literature has followed the terminology of "Serial Verb Nominalization. "…”

“…Such ways include on the basis of transitivity of included verbs, whether or not argument sharing exists, and/or based on the degree of idiomaticity, semantic integration and lexicalization. Following Osam (1994) categorization of SVCs based on degree of semantic integration (and associated degrees of lexicalization) Kambon (2012) showed that there are progressively greater degrees of integration ranging from the non-integrated Chaining Serial Constructions (CSCs) to Partial Lexicalized-Integrated Serial Verb Constructions (PL-ISVCs) to the most integrated Full Lexicalized-Integrated Serial Verb Constructions (FL-ISVCs).…”

“…Figure 1: Scale of lessening conceptual distance (Kambon 2012: 95) Using Semantic Integration and Lexicalization as a means of categorization, Kambon (2012) showed that 98.63% (144 out of 146) of all FL-ISVCs identified have nominal counterparts while only 2.46% (17 out of 690) of all PL-ISVCs identified have nominal counterparts. CSCs, on the other hand seem to nominalize haphazardly as designata and denotata in the form of apparently random frozen proverbs, idioms/figures of speech and sentences.…”