Comparative Concept: support verb (cxn)
Extracted from the appendix of Morphosyntax: Constructions of the World's Languages, by William Croft (2022)
support verb (cxn)
| Typ | construction (def) |
|---|---|
| Alias(se) | support verb • coverb • light verb |
| Assoziiert | |
| Spraakbanken | support verb (cxn) |
Umbrella
Hierarchy
Definition
the element in a support verb construction that has undergone semantic change – specifically, semantic generalization – such that it makes a minimal semantic contribution to the meaning of the whole complex predicate. Example: in English They had a drink, had is the support verb in the support verb construction had a drink. Copulas are analyzed as a subtype of a support verb. (Section 13.5)