Knowledge base · Part XI — Valency, Voice, and Noun Incorporation · this topic as a network

91. Adverbial (Manner) Incorporation and the Property-Verb Question

How does Hokkaido Ainu express manner by incorporating a verb stem into another verb, and what is the status of that element?

15 sentences from 18 sources · every sentence names the pages it rests on

Verbal adverbial prefixes modifying verbs include ar-, oar-, ray-, ru-, sirko-, and toyko-, and have an arity of 0. (Nakagawa 2024: 198) Noun incorporation in which a noun adverbially modifies a verb is not very common in Ainu. (Satō 2008: 221) The prefix shir- can refer to weather and climate, as in shir-pirka 'the weather is good' and shir-wen 'the weather is bad'. (Kindaichi & Chiri 1936) The prefix shir- can refer to the immediate space in front of one, as in shir-hutne 'the space is narrow'. (Kindaichi & Chiri 1936) The prefix shir- can function as an intensive prefix with verbs, as in shir-kupa 'bite down hard' and shir-kuta 'dump out completely'. (Kindaichi & Chiri 1936) An attributive verb may cut into the sequence of a personal affix and the verb kor 'have' that indicates the possessive relationship with the head noun. (Shibatani 1990: 42)

The construction and the -no diagnostic

What diagnostic uses the suffix -no to identify manner incorporation in Hokkaido Ainu?

Adverbs derived with the suffix -no omit that suffix and incorporate into the verb stem as bare roots. (Kindaichi & Chiri 1936, Shibatani 1990) When a verb adverbialized by -no is incorporated with adverbial meaning, the suffix -no is removed and the verb incorporates in its bare verb form. (Nakagawa 2024: 484) Adverbs incorporate rather freely into verbs. (Shibatani 1990) Ainu generally does not allow adverbial noun incorporation. (Satō 2016) Most adverbs can be incorporated directly into the verb stem in their unchanged form. (Kindaichi & Chiri 1936) The suffix -kur frequently attaches to incorporated adverbs as a meaningless expletive morpheme. (Kindaichi & Chiri 1936) Ainu incorporates adverbs as well as noun-modifying verbs into the verb. (Shibatani 1990: 62)

pirka-no a=ipere

well 4.A=feed

‘(I) fed them well.’

· constructed

a=pirka-ipere

4.A=well-feed

‘(I) fed them well.’

Shibatani 1990: 72 · HK

What is incorporated is a verb, not an adverb

Is the incorporated element in manner compounding a verb or an adverb, and how is this determined?

The 1-place verb tunas 'fast, early' can be used directly as an adverb without any suffix (e.g. tunas a=e 'I eat quickly'). (Nakagawa 2024: 492)

The resu family and the applicative interaction

How does manner incorporation interact with the applicative verb family based on resu 'rear'?

i=tomteresu i=pirkaresu

4.O=raise.finely 4.O=raise.well

‘raised me with care and raised me well’

ILCAA Ainu materials 1976 · SAR

pirka ipe i=eresu kor an=an

good food 4.O=raise.on and 4.S=exist

‘they were raising me on good food’

ILCAA Ainu materials 1976 · SAR

a=epirkatomteresu kor an pe a=ne ayne

4.A=raise.well.finely.on and exist NMLZ 4.A=COP CONJ

‘I was one who had been raised well and with care’

Yoshikawa 2020 · SAR

Typological placement

How does Hokkaido Ainu manner incorporation fit into typologies of incorporation, particularly noun incorporation?

Ainu lacks productive adverbial incorporation, and verbal adverbial prefixes are virtually limited to ar- 'completely'. (Satō 2023)

The sources contradict each other here(in framework): “Ainu lacks productive adverbial incorporation, and verbal adverbial prefixes are virtually limited to ar- 'completely'.” against “Adverbs incorporate rather freely into verbs.”— Satō rejects productive adverbial incorporation in Ainu, whereas Shibatani asserts that adverbs incorporate rather freely.

The sources analyse this differently(in scope): “Ainu lacks productive adverbial incorporation, and verbal adverbial prefixes are virtually limited to ar- 'completely'.” against “Verbal adverbial prefixes modifying verbs include ar-, oar-, ray-, ru-, sirko-, and toyko-, and have an arity of 0.”— Satō views verbal adverbial prefixes as virtually limited to ar-, whereas Nakagawa lists a broader inventory of six prefixes.