This dissertation is an investigation of serial verb constructions in Lao (Tai-Kadai, SVO) and the events that they encode. Serial verb constructions (SVCs), structures where multiple verbs appear in a single clause, raise several important questions for syntactic theory. One issue is how the verbs are related; proposals involving coordination (Payne 1985), subordination (Collins 1997), and adjunction (Hale 1991; Muansuwan 2002) have all been made, while others have made a case for unorthodox double-headed structures (Baker & Stewart 2002; Baker 1989). Additionally, the argument sharing seen in SVCs is seemingly incompatible with proposed constraints on theta-role assignment, such as the Theta-Criterion (Chomsky 1981) or the Biuniqueness Condition (Bresnan 1980). In this thesis I describe new data from the Lao language focusing on two subtypes of SVC that Stewart (1998) calls consequential SVCs (CSVCs) and resultative SVCs (RSVCs). I propose a generative analysis of these structures where an event head licenses a complex VP containing multiple verbs where the object is thematically related to the complex VP rather than the individual predicates. Evidence for the event head comes from a modified version of the explicit segmentation task (Zacks et al. 2001). During the experiment, participants were instructed to divide video clips into events. When participants saw a CSVC before the video, they divided the action sequence depicted by the CSVC into fewer events than when participants saw a coordinated construction before the video. These results suggest that seeing the SVC prompted the participants to group the target sequence of events in the videos together as a larger macro-event, supporting the claim that SVCs encode a single event (contra Foley 2010). These data also support the proposal that events are conceptualized at the clausal level, rather than at the verbal level, which is in line with proposals from Evans (2010), Jackendoff (1991), and Pustejovsky (1991).

Esta tese tem por objetivo (i) fazer uma análise descritiva de construções seriais em baulê, classificando-as segundo a tipologia elaborada por Aikhenvald & Dixon (2006), que subdivide construções seriais em dois grandes grupos semânticos - construções simétricas e construções assimétricas - de acordo com suas propriedades sintáticas e semânticas, e (ii) analisar a sua organização conceitual, a partir da perspectiva de duas teorias de orientação cognitivista, a saber, a Gramática Cognitiva (Langacker, 1997, 2008, 2010 e a Gramática de Construções (Goldberg, 1995). A análise buscou, ainda, comparar as construções seriais em baulê com construções coordenadas sem conectivo por serem semelhantes na estrutura, enfatizando que, na serialização, ocorre a descrição de um único evento, e, na coordenação, é possível representar dois ou mais eventos, o que as diferencia de forma fundamental. O corpora constitui-se da gravação de narrativas contadas por falantes de baulê e de frases elaboradas em português e francês e traduzidas para o baulê. / This thesis has the objective (i) to present a descriptive analysis of serial constructions in Baule, classifying them according to the typology elaborated by Aikhenvald & Dixon (2006), which subdivides serial constructions in two major semantic groups symmetrical and asymmetrical constructions pursuant to their syntactic and semantic properties, and (ii) to analyze its conceptual organization based on the perspective of two theories of cognitivist orientation, namely, Cognitive Grammar (Langacker, 1997, 2008, 2010) and the Grammar of Constructions (Goldberg, 1995). Furthermore, the analyzes sought to compare the serial constructions in Baule to coordinate constructions without connective for being similar in structure, emphasizing that, in serialization, occurs the description of a single event, and, in coordination, it is possible to represent two or more events, what fundamentally differentiates them. The corpora is constituted by the recording of narratives related by native speakers of Baule and by sentences elaborated in Portuguese and French translated to Baule.

Esta tese tem por objetivo (i) fazer uma análise descritiva de construções seriais em baulê, classificando-as segundo a tipologia elaborada por Aikhenvald & Dixon (2006), que subdivide construções seriais em dois grandes grupos semânticos - construções simétricas e construções assimétricas - de acordo com suas propriedades sintáticas e semânticas, e (ii) analisar a sua organização conceitual, a partir da perspectiva de duas teorias de orientação cognitivista, a saber, a Gramática Cognitiva (Langacker, 1997, 2008, 2010 e a Gramática de Construções (Goldberg, 1995). A análise buscou, ainda, comparar as construções seriais em baulê com construções coordenadas sem conectivo por serem semelhantes na estrutura, enfatizando que, na serialização, ocorre a descrição de um único evento, e, na coordenação, é possível representar dois ou mais eventos, o que as diferencia de forma fundamental. O corpora constitui-se da gravação de narrativas contadas por falantes de baulê e de frases elaboradas em português e francês e traduzidas para o baulê. / This thesis has the objective (i) to present a descriptive analysis of serial constructions in Baule, classifying them according to the typology elaborated by Aikhenvald & Dixon (2006), which subdivides serial constructions in two major semantic groups symmetrical and asymmetrical constructions pursuant to their syntactic and semantic properties, and (ii) to analyze its conceptual organization based on the perspective of two theories of cognitivist orientation, namely, Cognitive Grammar (Langacker, 1997, 2008, 2010) and the Grammar of Constructions (Goldberg, 1995). Furthermore, the analyzes sought to compare the serial constructions in Baule to coordinate constructions without connective for being similar in structure, emphasizing that, in serialization, occurs the description of a single event, and, in coordination, it is possible to represent two or more events, what fundamentally differentiates them. The corpora is constituted by the recording of narratives related by native speakers of Baule and by sentences elaborated in Portuguese and French translated to Baule.

Cette thèse porte sur la description morpho-syntaxique du nââ numèè, langue de l’extrême-Sud de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, parlée par moins de 1 000 locuteurs dans les tribus de Touaourou et de Goro dans la commune de Yaté et de l’île Ouen dans la commune du Mont-Dore.Dans la première partie, l’auteur aborde les faits sociaux qui ont fait de la région du Grand Sud l’une des plus impactés par les guerres traditionnelles, la colonisation, l’évangélisation, la construction du barrage de Yaté et plus récemment, l’exploitation minière.Dans la deuxième partie, l’auteur procède à l’identification des phonèmes de la langue. Ensuite, il effectue une comparaison entre le système consonantique, vocalique et tonal ainsi établi et celui réalisé par Rivierre dans les années 70. Cette analyse d’écart lui permet de mettre en exergue les évolutions phonologiques subies par la langue en presque quarante ans. Pour définir les différents morphèmes de la langue, l’auteur utilise la méthode traditionnelle dite « distributionnelle ». Il propose ensuite une catégorisation des lexèmes.Dans la troisième partie, l’auteur traite des procédés morphologiques utilisaient en dérivation et en composition.Dans la quatrième partie consacrée à la syntaxe, l’auteur expose le syntagme nominal avec les différents modes et types de détermination. Cette partie comprend également un exposé des substituts du nom, des déictiques et du système numéral. Puis, l’auteur propose une description du syntagme verbal avec en point d’orgue, l’analyse des marqueurs aspecto-temporels et les constructions sérielles. Dans la partie dédiée aux circonstants, l’auteur s’intéresse au système d’orientation développé et les différents cadres référentiels utilisaient (absolus et relatifs).Dans la dernière partie, l’auteur expose les différents types d’énoncés (simples, complexes et marqués). / This thesis deals with the morpho-syntactic description of Nââ Numèè, a language of the far south of New Caledonia, spoken by fewer than 1,000 speakers in the tribes of Touaourou and Goro in the town of Yate and the isle Ouen in the town of Mont-Dore.In the first part, the author explains the social facts which led to the great southern region being one of the most affected by traditional wars, colonization, evangelization, the construction of the dam at Yate and more recently, mining.In the second part, the author will identify the phonemes of the language. Then a comparison will be made between the consonant, vowel and tonal system thus established and made by Rivierre in the 1970s. This gap analysis allows the author to highlight the phonological changes in the language over almost forty years. The author then uses the traditional "distributional" method to define the different morphemes of language before proposing a categorization of lexemes.In the third part, the author deals with morphological processes used in derivation and in composition. In this chapter, it is interesting to see the increased use of verbal classifiers.In the fourth section dealing with syntax, the author offers a description of the nominal phrase with the modes and types of determination. This part also includes a presentation of the nominal substitutes, deictic and numeral systems. Then, the author describes the verbal phrase with special focus on the analysis of the aspect and temporal markers and serial verbs. In the part dedicated to the circonstants, the author focuses on the orientation system developed and the various repositories spaces used (absolute and relative).In the last part, the author exposes the different types of clauses (simple, complex and marked).

Mandarin Chinese has long been known to possess a category of words known as ‘coverbs’ in the literature, which sit in the gray area between verb and preposition. Li and Thompson (1974) describe the historical origins of Mandarin coverbs to be full transitive verbs, despite their modern state being decidedly less verbal. They also note that coverbs are a non-homogenous class. This thesis works to establish categories of coverbs in Mandarin Chinese and their distance from true verbhood in order to understand the diachronic shift that coverbs are currently undergoing before our very eyes. I will draw on the work of scholars of Atlantic-Congo languages, Oceanic languages, and other languages of mainland Southeast Asia, to create semantic, syntactic, and morphological testing for Mandarin coverbs. Using the results of this three-pronged testing approach, I will map the results on a six-pointed verb-preposition matrix in order to visualize the space between verb and preposition and how Mandarin coverbs inhabit it. I will then use these diagrams to create a numerical score for each category of coverb and place them on a linear progression between verbhood and prepositionhood. Lastly, this work will analyze the theta roles assigned by Mandarin coverbs in each category and propose stages of diachronic development for Mandarin coverbs.

[pt] As CVSs têm sido amplamente descritas em línguas orais e são produtivas em línguas de sinais. Elas se caracterizam como estruturas multiverbais sem elemento coordenador manifesto, apresentando compartilhamento de marcadores funcionais e de argumentos interno e externo, semântica de evento único e prosódia monossentencial. O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar uma caracterização a partir de dados translinguísticos e intermodais, sugerindo uma análise formal para o fenômeno com base em uma caracterização pioneira dessas construções em Libras. Duas tarefas de aceitabilidade gramatical, utilizando a técnica playback, foram conduzidas com a participação de surdos nativos de Libras, abordando sequências verbais seriadas simétricas e assimétricas. Essa metodologia permitiu a obtenção de dados robustos sobre a estrutura e o uso das CVSs em Libras. As observações empíricas indicam, primeiramente, que as sentenças com empilhamento verbal em Libras são distintas em termos semânticos e sintáticos quando comparadas às sentenças com coordenação, tanto a coordenada explícita quanto a encoberta. Além disso, as CVSs em Libras demonstraram ser produtivas e apresentaram restrições semelhantes às observadas na literatura para línguas orais e de sinais. Identificou-se também a produtividade das CVSs-sanduíches em Libras, que, apesar de compartilhar algumas semelhanças com CVSs em outras línguas de sinais, comportam-se de maneira distinta, funcionando como estruturas de foco com reduplicação verbal. Adicionalmente, foram observadas as sequências de verbos AB com mudança de perspectiva, embora sejam menos produtivas. Estas se distanciam de estruturas passivas convencionais, assemelhando-se mais a predicados complexos. Com base na literatura sobre o fenômeno e nos dados obtidos em Libras, a análise teórica adotada sugere que as CVSs em Libras envolvem a gramaticalização de um dos componentes verbais seriados, atuando como marcador de aspecto e sendo incorporado na estrutura como um elemento periférico à estrutura argumental projetada pelo verbo não gramaticalizado. Este estudo oferece uma contribuição significativa para o entendimento das CVSs em línguas de sinais, demonstrando a complexidade intrínseca da estrutura linguística em Libras. Além disso, abre perspectivas para futuras pesquisas na área da linguística de línguas de sinais e para uma caracterização mais robusta das CVSs nas línguas naturais. / [en] Serial verb constructions (SVCs) have been extensively described in oral languages and are also productive in sign languages. These are characterized as multi-verb sequences without manifestation of a coordinator or subordinatior element. These sequences share functional marker related to tense, aspect and negation, and the external and the internal arguments. They denote a single event and have monosentential prosody. The aim of this work is to present a characterization of SVCS, based on crosslinguistic and intermodal data, proposing a formal analysis for the phenomenon built upon first-hand data from Libras. Two grammaticality judgment tasks using the playback technique were conducted with the participation of native Libras signers, addressing both symmetric and asymmetric SVCs. Our observations indicate, firstly, that multiverb sequences in Libras are distinct in semantic and syntactic terms when compared to overt and covert coordinated sentences. SVCs proved to be productive in Libras and exhibited restrictions like those documented in the literature for oral languages and other sign languages. Sandwiched SVCs are also productive in Libras, but despite sharing some similarities with SVCs in other sign languages, behave differently, functioning as focus structures with verbal reduplication. Sequences of AB verbs with change of perspective, while less productive, were also observed. These contrast with conventional passive structures, resembling more complex predicate structures. Based on the theoretical and typological literature and on the data collected in Libras, we adopted a syntactic analysis in which SVCs involve grammaticalization of one of the verbs sequences. This grammaticalized form serves as an aspect marker, heading an aspect projection at the left periphery of the argument structure projected by the non-grammaticalized verb. This study offers a significant contribution to the understanding of SVCs in sign languages, demonstrating the intrinsic complexity of Libras grammar. Moreover, it opens new avenues for research in the field of sign language linguistics and for a more robust characterization of SVCs in natural languages.