Vietnamese Serial Verb Constructions: Toward Demystifying Verb-Formation Constructions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1604.04Keywords:
serial verb constructions, verb-verb predicate-argument constructions, causative-resultative constructions, motion verb-directional preposition constructions, fixed verb-verb constructionsAbstract
This paper reviews existing definitions of serial verb constructions (SVCs) and highlights the divergent approaches adopted by linguists in conceptualizing and identifying SVCs across languages. Grounded in Vietnamese grammar-particularly its topic-comment theory-and informed by native speakers’ cognitive frameworks, the study establishes SVC properties that resonate with the internal logic of the Vietnamese language. By aligning cross-linguistic theoretical models with indigenous grammatical intuition, the paper clarifies how Vietnamese speakers distinguish SVCs, both conceptually and functionally. Drawing upon a set of eight proposed properties, the paper categorizes Vietnamese serial verb constructions into two distinct types: non-lexicalized SVCs and lexicalized SVCs. It further demystifies the differences between SVCs and other superficially similar but structurally distinct constructions, including non-lexical autonomous verbal constructions, lexicalized verbal constructions, verb-verb predicate-argument constructions, causative-resultative constructions, and motion verb-directional preposition constructions.
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