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Article published In:
Studies in Language
Vol. 48:2 (2024) ► pp.472–512
News from the Field

A new converb originating from the locative noun in Beserman

ORCID logo | Independent researcher
ORCID logo | Institute of Linguistics, Russian Academy of Sciences | The Pushkin State Russian Language Institute

In Beserman, a new converb grammaticalizes from the possessive locative form of the locative noun in (o)ń-ńig. We show that the constructions with the converb have a clausal structure, while the constructions with the locative noun are mostly noun phrases, even if they include an indication of the agent and patient of the situation encoded by the locative noun. Semantically, the two types of constructions are also different. In the converb constructions the situations encoded by the main and the embedded clause must overlap, while with locative nouns this is not necessarily the case. The temporal reference of locative nouns is habitual/iterative, while converbs often have episodic (non-habitual) interpretation. The original locative noun denotes a reference to a fixed location where the situation usually takes place. In the constructions with the converb this meaning is bleached and generalized as an action which takes place in any possible location.

Keywords: syntax, converb, nomen loci, Beserman, Permic, grammaticalization
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Functions of the locative noun and the new converb in Beserman
    • 2.1The locative noun in the system of Beserman non-finite forms, its origin and use
    • 2.2Semantics of NLOC and the new converb
    • 2.3After 2015: The new findings
    • 2.4Temporal reference of NLOC and the new converb
    • 2.5Lexical restrictions on the (o)ń-ńig converbs
    • 2.6Intermediate summary
  • 3.Morphosyntactic properties of the locative noun and the converb
    • 3.1Locative noun
      • 3.1.1Nominal properties of NLOCs
      • 3.1.2Verbal properties of NLOCs
    • 3.2The new converb
      • 3.2.1Morphological properties of the converb in (o)ń-ńig
      • 3.2.2Syntactic properties of converbs in (o)ń-ńig
    • 3.3Locative nouns and non-derived nouns, converbs in (o)ń-ńig and other converbs: A comparison
  • 4.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
Published online: 7 November 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.22049.ser
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