On the Grammaticalization of Naxi Verbs
Mu Shihua analyzes how Naxi verbs grammaticalize into aspect markers and sentence-final words, arguing this is a primary mechanism generating Naxi's grammatical markers and a driver of the language's typological shift toward an isolating, SOV analytic structure. Directional verbs meaning "to come" (lɯ, lo) and "to go" (mbɯ, mbo, xɯ, xo, khɯ) grammaticalize along a continuum from full lexical meaning to fully grammaticalized aspect markers -- "to come" verbs typically yielding prospective-aspect markers, "to go" verbs yielding prospective or perfective markers depending on the verb, with some (mbo, xo) retaining lexical residue longer than others (mbɯ, khɯ). The article traces how these markers, once grammaticalized, undergo a further round in sentence-final position, developing meanings of confirmation, conjecture, and evidentiality. The author frames this within a broader claim about SOV/analytic Tibeto-Burman languages: as verb morphology withers, grammatical functions shift onto post-verbal elements, proceeding unidirectionally from under- to full to over-grammaticalization.
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