Adjective Classes - A Cross-Linguistic Typology

3 The Two Adjective Classes in Manange 93

To indicate future tense with verb-like adjectives, the verb itA 'become' is used,

inflected with the irrealis -pA. The verb-like adjective is inflected with -pA and takes

the position of copula complement:

(50) [lkye=ko]cs [^SA-pA\CC [ltA-pA]PRED

rice=DEF tasty-NR become-NR

"The rice will be tasty.'

It is not possible to indicate future/irrealis by simply inflecting the verb-like adjec-

tive with -pA, as one does with simple verbs, as this would result in an imperfective

interpretation, as in (48) above.

Table 2 summarizes the syntactic and morphological differences between verb-

like adjectives and non-adjectival verbs in predicative contexts. We can see that

while verbs function consistently in intransitive predicates and differ primarily in

their inflection, verb-like adjectives only function as intransitive predicates in per-

fective contexts. In imperfective and irrealis contexts, verb-like adjectives parallel

simple adjectives in that they function as copula complements, followed either by

the optional copula in imperfective contexts, or by the inflected verb itA 'become'

in irrealis contexts.

TABLE 2. Properties of verbs, verb-like adjectives, and simple adjectives in non-

attributive contexts

Perfective

Imperfective

Irrealis

Verbs

[V-tsi]PRED

[V Evm]pred

[V-tsemo]INTRPRED

[V-pA]INTRPRED

Verb-like

adjectives (V.ADj)

[V.ADi-tsi]PRED

[VADIEVID]PRED

[V ADI-PA] cc ([imo] PRED)

[V.ADJ-pA]CG ltA-pA]PRED

Simple adjectives

ADJ [imo imu]PRED

ADJ [imo imu]PRED

ADI [ltA-pA]PRED

4.3.3. Complementation
Another difference between verb-like adjectives and true verbs is the inability
of verb-like adjectives to occur in complement clauses with complement-taking
predicates such as desideratives, deontics, and abilitatives. In desiderative con-
structions, for example, true verbs are nominalized and function as complements
of the verb 3say 'desire':
(51) IVA 4kwhe iprim-pA 3say ikhA imo
isg song hit-NR desire come COP
T want to sing.'
Unlike verbs, verb-like adjectives may not be directly suffixed with -pA and precede
3say 'desire' in this type of complement structure: