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Argument Realisation in Complex Predicates and Complex Events: Verb-verb constructions at the syntax-semantic interfaceEdited by Brian Nolan and Elke Diedrichsen
[Studies in Language Companion Series 180] 2017
► pp. 170–190
The Estonian serial verb construction (SVC) consists of two or more adjacent verbs with concordant grammatical marking in the same clause: cf. Lähe-n vaata-n kohe. ‘go-1sg look-1sg now’ ‘I’ll go look now’. This type of monoclausal SVCs exists in Estonian and in some Finno-Ugric languages, at least with motion verbs (GO, COME, WALK) as first verbs. The results of a corpus study of Estonian GO SVCs show that this type of verb serialisation is productive in Estonian; the SVCs are usually monoclausal, and the first verb of the SVC is often grammaticalised, taking an intentional, inchoative or imperative-hortative function.