Perception verb complements in Akatek, a Mayan language
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.'