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Article published In:
Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area
Vol. 40:1 (2017) ► pp.40–58

Kiranti double negation

A copula conjecture

| University of Antwerp
| University of Antwerp

It is shown how Kiranti languages often express a semantically single clausal negation of a declarative verbal main clause with two clausal negators. We conjecture that the second negator has its origin in a copula and that the reinterpretation and integration of the copula into a negative construction follows the scenario known as a “Jespersen Cycle”.

Keywords: clausal negation, double negation, multiple negation, copula, Jespersen Cycle
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Overview
  • 3.A Jespersen Cycle?
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References


This article is currently available as a sample article.

Published online: 3 November 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ltba.40.1.02van
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