Re: Serial verbs in trigger systems

Nik Taylor wrote:
>I'm quite interested in these trigger languages, but I don't really
>understand what they're all about.  Could you give me some
>resources to learn more about them?
Well, my own understanding of trigger languages is 75% acquaintance
with Filipino languages (esp. Tagalog), and 25% literature. So
perhaps I'm not the one to ask. But a good introduction to the
trigger system is Paul Schachter's article on Tagalog in the book
"The Major Languages of the World" (ed. Bernard Comrie).

Note also that my understanding of trigger systems leans towards the
theory that all of the predicative (trigger) affixes are
nominalizing affixes. With first hand knowledge of Tagalog, this
seems the most likely to me. But there are bound to be different
views on the subject since there does not seem to be a concesus on
what the trigger affixes really are. Even the average Filipino's
understanding of his/her language is corrupted by a better
understanding of English grammar.

There is a new book I heard that is yet to be printed called
"Austronesian Languages" by Robert Blust. Perhaps it contains
information on how the predicative affixes in West-Austronesian
languages work, so it may be useful to you. In any case, I
definitely intend to get it once it is available.

There is also a book that has been out of print for years and I
haven't been able to obtain it. Its called "Proto-Austronesian" by
Otto C. Dahl. I'm sure it has something about how the predicative
affixes originally worked in Austronesian languages.

-kristian- 8-)