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Perception verb complements in Akatek, a Mayan language

Perception verb complements in Akatek, a Mayan language

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3. PVCS OF TYPE2 183<br />

(130) a. x-;-y-il ix aw-'el-toj<br />

PERF-B3-A3-see she A2-leave-DIR<br />

`She saw your leav<strong>in</strong>g.'<br />

b. x-;-y-il ix maa-ach-el-toj katu'<br />

PERF-B3-A2-see she NEG-B2-leave-DIR CONJ<br />

x-;-too ix<br />

PERF-B3-go she<br />

`She saw you didn't leave and so she left.'<br />

The <strong>verb</strong> el `leave' can be negated, (130-b), because the perceiver can<br />

still see the person who did not leave. In the case of the <strong>verb</strong> hul `arrive',<br />

the perceiver cannot actually see anybody. Therefore hul `arrive'<br />

cannot be negated at all as a PVC. (131) shows a type2 PVC <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g<br />

hul `arrive'.<br />

(131) oj-;-haw-il s-hul eb'<br />

FUT-B3-A2-see A3-arrive.here they<br />

`You will see them come.'<br />

In sum, type2 PVCs cannot be negated and the negation of type1<br />

PVCs express<strong>in</strong>g perceivable events depends on whether someone or<br />

someth<strong>in</strong>g can be physically perceived.<br />

3.3.4. Modality. The purpose of this section is to <strong>in</strong>vestigate <strong>in</strong><br />

what waytype2 PVCs are subject to modal modi cation. One property<br />

of proposition denot<strong>in</strong>g complement types is their ability to accept<br />

sentential ad<strong>verb</strong>ials like certa<strong>in</strong>ly, probably, orlikely. Purely event<br />

denot<strong>in</strong>g complementtypes do not support this k<strong>in</strong>d of modality. Modi<br />

cation with degree or frequency ad<strong>verb</strong>ials was analyzed <strong>in</strong> chapter<br />

3ascharacteristical of event descriptions. Modal auxiliaries like be<br />

able, on the other hand, do not express someth<strong>in</strong>g directly accessible<br />

to the senses and should therefore be excluded from modify<strong>in</strong>g event<br />

denot<strong>in</strong>g complement types.<br />

Constructions with the modal auxiliary ske' `be able' can be embedded<br />

under PVs as demonstrated <strong>in</strong> example (132-a).<br />

(132) a. x-;-y-il ix Mik<strong>in</strong> ;-ske' a-mulna<br />

PERF-B3-A3-see NCL Micaela B3-be.able A2-work<br />

`Micaela saw you be able to work.'<br />

`Micaela saw (that) you can work.'<br />

b. *x-;-y-il ix Mik<strong>in</strong> a-ske' a-mulna<br />

PERF-B3-A3-see NCL Micaela A2-be.able A2-work<br />

`Micaela saw you be able to work.'

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