Adjective Classes - A Cross-Linguistic Typology

276 Catriona Hyslop

TABLE 4. Function and distribution of valency increasing affixes

Affix

vaga-

-Ci

-gi(ni)

-tagi(ni)

0

Function

S^O

S^A

S^A

S^O

0

Distribution

adjectives

active intransitive verbs

active intransitive verbs

active intransitive verbs

some adjectives and active intransi-

tive verbs (no transitive form)

Example

mwasara 'be clean' — >

vagamwasam '(make) clean'

gam 'swim, bathe' — >

garuhi 'bathe, splash s'one'

qalo 'fight' — >

qalogi 'fight over, for sth'

dule 'hang' — >

duletagi 'hang sth'

lague 'be/become big' (adj)

dadari 'arrive' (active V)

4.6.1. Causative serial verb constructions

There are two morphological causatives in Ambae, but these are very restricted,
occurring with only a small number of verbs, and the most common means of ex-
pressing a causative relationship is by a switch-subject SVC. The causative verb
is the first verb in the construction, where the subject of the transitive verb is the
causer, and the object of the first verb is coreferential with the subject of the sec-
ond verb, and this is the causee. The first verb is most commonly either vai or loll,
both of which mean 'make, do', as in (38). The second verb can be any kind of verb,
either an adjective or an active verb.

(38) ... tangaloi ngihie mo vai na gineu mo hasi...
person that REAL make ACC thing REAL bad
'... that person made the thing get worse ...'

(39) Vavine ngihie u gari-geri mwere. Mo vede na singo-na mo
woman that TEL REDUP-flashy INTENS REAL paint ART lips-3sgP REAL
memea.
red
"That woman is really flashy. She paints her lips red.'

4.6.2. Ambient serial verb constructions

In manner SVCs, the first verb is generally an active verb, which describes the
main action of the clause. The second verb is always an adjective, which describes
the manner in which the action of the first verb is carried out. The transitivity of
the first verb determines the transitivity of the clause as a whole. If the first verb is
transitive, then both the first verb and the adjective must be marked for aspect or
mood as in (40). If the first verb is intransitive then the adjective is not marked for
aspect or mood as in (41). There are a limited number of adjectives that can occur