Participle-converbs in Iron Ossetic

Abstract

This paper concerns the use of forms in -gɐ and -gɐjɐ in contemporary Ossetic. Our aim is to produce a typologically informed and fine-grained account of both the syntax and semantics of these two formatives. As we will show, the main difference is that while the form in -gɐ is a participle-converb (with a wide range of uses), the form in -gɐjɐ is a converb proper. At the same time, there are a number of surprising syntactic effects and subtle semantic differences. We will provide a general description of the uses of the two forms and of some of the typologically interesting facts associated with them, and an explanation of the facts observed.

Publication
Agnes Korn, Geoffrey Haig, Simin Karimi, Pollet Samvelian (eds.). Topics in Iranian Linguistics. Wiesbaden: Reichert
Date