Grammaticalization of aspect enclitics
The grammaticalization chains from verb to aspect enclitics are parts of more complex structures. They involve polygrammaticalization– a situation wherein one morpheme is the source of more than one chain (see Heine 1992:354; Craig 1991). A classic example of polygrammaticalization is the verb bang ‘go’ in Rama (Chibchan; Craig 1991). It has been grammaticalized as an argument marker and as a tense-aspect marker. Similarly, the auxiliary ‘be at’ in Ewe got grammaticalized as a preposition and as a present progressive/ingressive marker (Heine 1992:355).
The three verb roots undergo polygrammaticalization, and grammaticalize differently in verb compounds and asymmetrical SVCs (see Diagrams 1–3). In verb compounds, they become aspect enclitics. In asymmetrical serial verb constructions they become auxiliary verbs. Only one of them,-yena, has also grammaticalized as a postposition in a directional serial verb construction.
These instances of polygrammaticalization can be accounted for by the ‘simultaneous’ functioning of the three verbal roots shown in Table 3 as enclitics and as components of asymmetrical serial verb constructions. Aktionsart enclitics do not undergo polygrammaticalization of this sort. They function as components of symmetrical serial verb constructions which are not grammaticalized in the same way (see §2.2.2).
Grammaticalization of verbs to aspect enclitics involves the development from an independent predicate and/or verb from an open class in an asymmetrical serial verb construction to an enclitic; this means a shift from a major open class (verbs) to a closed class of grammatical morphemes. This passage involves (a) change in meaning and (b) phonological change or reduction. This is illustrated with examples below.
As an independent verb-sita means ‘manage, be able’, as in (32).
The enclitic-sita is very widely used to refer to the action just finished and relevant at the moment of speech or of the narrative (cf. anterior, or perfect: Bybee, Perkins and Pagliuca 1994). In rapid speech this enclitic often undergoes irregular metathesis and phonological reduction-sta, wta, or-ewta. It is used with dynamic and stative predicates — see (33) and (34). When used with an asymmetrical serial verb construction, it refers to it as a whole, and goes on the last component, as in (33). SVCs are in square brackets.
The verb-mayã means ‘make a mistake, forget, cheat, do or say the wrong thing, almost do something’ as an independent verb — see (35).
The enclitic-mayã is rather rare. It is mostly used with dynamic verbs (e.g. verbs of falling). Its meaning is ‘something negative almost happened but the agent (A/ SA) managed to prevent it’. What was done to prevent this has to be stated as well; and the whole is one serial verb construction — see (36) and (37). This enclitic undergoes phonological reduction in rapid speech, pronounced as-may6«.
Like any motion verb, it is often serialized (Aikhenvald 1999c). In (39) it is used as the main verb in an asymmetrical SVC.
The enclitic-yena ‘little by little’ is used with just a handful of verbs (‘stop raining’, ‘burn, go out’ (of a fire), ‘go down’ (of a river in dry season), ‘speak’ (of a baby), ‘eat’ (real food: of a baby). Its means ‘doing something little by little, passing from one state to another’ — see (40) and (41). See §3.4. In rapid speech it is reduced to-y6na,or-yna.
Another, independent, grammaticalization process involves grammaticalization of verbs from a closed class within an asymmetrical serial construction. The three verbs behave in a slightly different way. The verbs-sita and-mayã get gram maticalized as auxiliaries only, while-yena also becomes a postposition. This path follows the principles of grammaticalization in asymmetrical SVCs outlined in §2.2.2. It involves change in meaning, but not in phonological shape.
In aspectual serial verb constructions,-sita means ‘finish’, and often just marks completed action, similar to perfective.
Unlike the enclitic-sita, the corresponding verb in asymmetrical constructions is used only with dynamic predicates. See (42).
The ‘anterior’ meaning of enclitic-sita is sometimes very close to that of perfective or completed-sita as a component of an asymmetrical aspectual SVC. This sometimes resulted in an almost complete interchangeability of the enclitic and the SVC. See (43).
The development of anterior to perfective is well attested in the languages of the world (see Bybee, Perkins and Pagliuca 1994:81–8; 94–7). This ‘polysemy’ of sita may be indicative of its comparatively recent development as an enclitic from an independent verb.
The causativized version of the verb-mayã is often used in asymmetrical serial verb constructions of the modal type in the meaning ‘pretend to do something’ (but not do it), ‘almost do something’. See (44).
Similarly to other motion verbs which regularly get grammaticalized as post positions in asymmetrical directional SVCs,-yena has to be transitivized (see §2.2.2). As a postposition it means ‘ahead of’, see (47). Criteria for the post positional status of these fossilized verbal forms are given in §2.2.2, for (4).
