11 Adjectives in North-East Ambae 265A verb in Ambae is defined by the fact that it can occur as the head of a VP.
That is, it can be preceded by a subject proclitic which is marked for person and
number of the subject of the clause as in (3), and which can cliticize to verbal par-
ticles, which specify the aspect and mood of the clause as in (4). As the head of a
VP, all verbs can take a subject NP as in (<j)^2 except those which are members of the
small sub-class of meteorological verbs. A transitive verb can also have an object
enclitic attached as in (6).
(3) Go=vano!
2SgSP=gO
'You go!'
(4) Ra=mo gato.
3nsgSP=REAL talk
"They are talking.'
(5) Maresu mo ngara.
child REAL cry
"The child is crying.'
(6) Ra=mo sina=eu.
3nsgSP=REAL lie.to=isgO
"They are lying to me.'
Verbs can be assigned to various sub-classes according to three main factors:
- the transitivity of the verb;
- whether the verb is stative or active; and
- whether the verb is A-type or O-type.
In terms of transitivity, in Ambae there are five possibilities for classification ac-
cording to the valency of the unmarked verb, and options for valency increase or
decrease. A verb may:
- have only an intransitive form; or
- be intransitive in its unmarked form, but can be marked to indicate a valency
increase; or - be ambitransitive (can be both intransitive and transitive with the same form);
or - have only a transitive form; or
- be transitive in its unmarked form, but can be marked to indicate a valency de-
crease.
Apart from five exceptions, the stative-process-active distinction is only relevant
for intransitive verbs, as transitive verbs are, on the whole, active.^3 The sub-class
(^2) Note that the third singular subject marker is zero.
(^3) The five transitive stative verbs are ilo 'know', haro 'not know', mwere 'be like', and the two com-
pound verbs lehigarea 'like' and lehi hesi 'not like, hate'.