Complex Verbs

Abstract In order to state the synchronic rules that place person markers in Udi, it is essential that we understand the full variety of the structure of the verb. We must similarly understand this in order to reconstruct the morphosyntax of focus and of the complex verb in Udi and to explain their development. Thus, the goal of this chapter is to describe the internal structure of the Udi verb. As part of this goal, we must develop some criteria that will enable us to distinguish between complex and simplex verbs and diagnostics to differentiate between complex verbs and constructions that closely resemble them. The finite verb (referred to here as the ‘verb form’) consists minimally of a verbstem and a tense – aspect – mood (TAM) suffix. For example, the verb form buq’-sa consists just of the stem buq’- ‘love, want’ and the present tense marker, -sa; the verb form ak’-e consists of the stem ak’- ‘see’ and the aorist II marker, -e. (In predicate- and sentence-focus structures, verbs also contain a PM.) These examples are simplex verbs, that is, they are based on a verbstem consisting of a single morpheme; most of the verbs in the language are complex. A complex verb is understood here to be one based on a stem that consists of two or more morphemes.