8 R.M.W. Dixon
People who talk of the copula complement being (all or part of) the predicate of
a copula clause would say that (is) tall is the predicate of (3). And they should also
say that (e) balavu is the predicate of (4). This obscures the fundamental difference
between (3) and (4), a difference that will be vital to our discussion below of var-
ieties of adjective classes. Example (4) is an intransitive clause with one core ar-
gument in S function (a tama-qu 'my father') and an intransitive predicate whose
head is the adjective balavu 'long, tall'. A range of modifiers could be included in
this (as in any other) predicate, in addition to the bound subject pronoun, 3sg e.
In contrast, (3) is a copula clause with two core arguments—the NP my father as
copula subject, and the adjective tall as copula complement. The predicate in (3)
is the copula verb, be, and this is marked for tense, combined with specification of
number and person of the copula subject (3sg.CS:present form is).
Tariana is a language which combines the possibilities shown in (3) and in (4).
If the label 'predicate' were used for both is tall in (3) and for e balavu in (4), then
it should be used for both hanu-ite-pidana in (ia) and hanu-ite in (ib); this would
totally obscure the critical distinction between hanu-ite-pidana functioning as
intransitive predicate, in (ia), and hanu-ite functioning as copula complement,
in (ib).
In summary, although when the term 'predicate' is used in its logical sense (the
Oxford English Dictionary: 'assert something about the subject of a proposition')
both is tall in (3) and e balavu in (4) are predicates; when the term is used in its
most normal technical linguistic sense, these two elements are classified quite dif-
ferently. In the majority linguistic usage of the term, a predicate does not include
any NP (the O argument for an accusative language, or the A argument for an
ergative language); it should not be taken to include a copula complement. Thus
balavu 'tall' is predicate head in (4), but tall is copula complement (quite distinct
from the predicate) in (3).
- Distinguishing noun and verb
In most languages it is an easy matter to distinguish noun and verb classes, in
terms of syntactic function and morphological possibilities. But in a few languages
this can be a rather subtle matter.
A noun always has primary function as head of an NP that can be a core argu-
ment (in A, O, S, CS, or CC function) in a clause. In some languages a noun may also
function as head of a phrase that functions as predicate in an intransitive clause. A
verb always has primary function as head of a predicate; in some languages it may
also fill a core argument slot. There are languages in which both of these extensions
apply. For example, in Nootka (Wakashan family; Swadesh 1938:78) we find:
(5) [fl:/!-fWa:]iNTRANSITIVE PREDICATE [<?0:&S-ff]s
be.large-3sg:iNDiCATiVE man-suBjECT.MARKER
'the man is large'