Multi-predicate Constructions in Nuuchahnulth

Abstract

This dissertation documents and models two types of multi-predicate constructions in Nuuchahnulth: serial verb constructions, and a construction involving the suffix -(q)ḥ, which is called the predicate linker. I define a serial verb construction (SVC) as any clause with two verbs present and no overt coordinating element. I document the circumstances under which this occurs, give its grammatical constraints, and classify SVCs in Nuuchahnulth into four syntactically distinct categories. I also examine the linker suffix and provide a grammatical description for it. Unlike SVCs, the linker coordinates two elements which serve as predicates in the syntax, a category which includes not just verbs, but common nouns and adjectives as well. I use the properties of the linker and SVCs to shed light on words that are category-ambiguous. Finally, this is all implemented inside of a DELPH-IN style computational grammar within the head-driven phrase structure grammar (HPSG) framework. My analyses are then tested against a set of speaker-vetted sentences illustrating the phenomena.