Inchoativity and mirativity in Italo-Romance and Balkan Slavic verbal periphrases. : The cases of functional GO and TAKE

Vincenzo Nicolò Di Caro; Luca Molinari

doi:10.5565/rev/isogloss.333

Inchoativity and mirativity in Italo-Romance and Balkan Slavic verbal periphrases.

The cases of functional GO and TAKE

Authors

Vincenzo Nicolò Di Caro Ca' Foscari University of Venice https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2604-2172
Luca Molinari

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Abstract

This paper investigates the properties of GO and TAKE used as functional verbs to express the beginning of an action or a state (inchoativity) or a sense of surprise, wonder, astonishment, or regret (mirativity) as found in a group of multiple verb constructions, in a macro-comparative perspective. Multiple Agreement Constructions (V1+mi/mu/da/če+V2_[+finite]) and Pseudo-Coordination (V1+‘and’+V2_[+finite]) are considered in Italo-Romance (Italian and Sicilian) and Balkan Slavic (Bulgarian), together with the Italo-Romance Infinitival Construction (V1+a+V2_[-finite]), drawing from novel fieldwork data and online corpus data. GO and TAKE generally proved to be highly productive as both inchoative and mirative markers in all the languages considered. In particular, an analysis of cases in which these two functional verbs convey (to different degrees) both functions at once is provided, relying on the cognitive basis underlying the process of their grammaticalisation.

Keywords

Inchoativity, Mirativity, Multiple Agreement Constructions, Pseudo-Coordination, Southern Italo-Romance, Balkan Slavic

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