Predication markers in Basque

Abstract

In this paper I give a new account of the nature and distribution of the suffix -a(k) that occurs with individual-level predicate nouns and adjectives in Basque. I first critically go through previous analyses that take this affix – which is homophonous of the Basque definite article – to be either number agreement or a non-referential determiner, and then argue that the affix -a(k) on nominal predicates with a predicative reading is a pronominal-like predication marker. This proposal does not encounter the problems other proposals have to face, and helps us explain why this suffix only combines with individual-level nominal predicates, and is absent in stage-level predicates.

Basque adjectival participles: Stative, resultative or experiential

“…If -a was an adjectivizing morpheme, we would expect it to appear also when the participle is in attributive position (5a), and we would not expect it to occur with root-derived adjectives like gorri 'red'. On the basis of that, I will claim that -a is the exponent of a Pred(icative) head (Baker 2003), extending the analysis of -a made by Eguren (2012) for non-derived adjectives. 5 Thus, verbal and adjectival participles are similar in form: without taking -a into account, the participle occurring in perfect or perfective contexts is morphophonologically the same as that occurring in attributive and predicative positions.…”

The Pronominal Copula in Arabic

“…constructions can also be found in Basque (Eguren 2012), and arguably in the Northern Kurdish dialect of Bahdini (Haig 2011).…”

Euskal (artikuludun) izenen interpretazio existentziala

“…Artikulu honetan ez dut euskarazko [izen+D] egituren erabilera predikatiboaz hitzegingo. Ikus Zabala (1993Zabala ( , 2003, Artiagoitia (1997Artiagoitia ( , 2012, Eguren (2006Eguren ( , 2012; ikus baita ere Etxeberria (prest). 3.…”

“…Euskara batuko artikuluaren erabileran benetan interesgarria dena zera da, euskal DS definituak (pluralak eta masa izaeradunak) egoera mailako predikatu baten objektu zuzen posizioan agertzen direnean irakurketa definituaz gain irakurketa existentziala ere lortu dezaketela (cf. §5; ikus baita ere Artiagoitia 1998, Eguren 2012, Etxeberria 2005, 2010. Beste modu batetara esanik, (6)-ko objektu zuzenak anbiguoak dira irakurketa existentzial eta definitu baten artean.…”