Knowledge base · Part IX — The Verb: Structure, Transitivity, and Verbal Number · this topic as a network
61. The Adverbializer -no and Adverb Formation from Verbs
How does the language form manner and degree adverbs from verbs?
When attached to an action or change verb, the element no does not form an adverb but intensifies the meaning of the verb. (Nakagawa 2022: 14.2)
Form and domain
What is the form and domain of the adverb-forming suffix?
The adverbializing suffix -no is identical to the coordinative conjunctionalizer no. (Refsing 1986: 135) The suffix -no forms adverbial phrases from verbal complexes. (Kindaichi & Chiri 1936) In the colloquial language, suffixing -no is consciously recognized as the marker that derives adverbs from adjectives. (Kindaichi & Chiri 1936) While stative/property intransitive verbs generally take the suffix -no to form adverbs, a restricted set of verbs can be used directly as adverbs without -no. (Nakagawa 2024: 121) In compound verbs, when an intransitive verb adverbially modifies another verb, the suffix -no does not appear. (Nakagawa 2024: 121) The emphatic verb suffix -no and the adverbializer suffix -no appear to be mutually exclusive on particular stems; forms like retanno or hureno are not used to mean 'whitish/in a white manner' or 'reddish/in a red manner'. (Nakagawa 2024: 209) Adverb formation patterns include underived inherent forms, intransitive verb + -no forms, conversion from intransitive verbs, conversion from transitive verbs, derivation with e- and o-, and derivation with he- and ho-. (Nakagawa 2024: 273) The suffix -no attaches productively to intransitive verbs—especially stative, property-denoting intransitive verbs—to form adverbs. (Nakagawa 2024: 275) The stative verb poro 'big' irregularly forms the adverb poron-no 'greatly, a lot', alongside the regular form porono. (Nakagawa 2024: 276) The adverbializing suffix -no is considered historically identical to the conjunctive particle no, and practically the boundary between them is hard to determine. (proposed in Nakagawa 2024: 276) When elements that are adverbs derived with the adverbializer -no outside the verb are incorporated into a verb, the suffix -no is dropped. (Nakagawa 2024: 492) Adverbialization of adjectives is achieved with the suffix -no. (Refsing 1986) Adverbialization of adjectives is achieved with the suffix -no, which the author interprets as the conjunctionalizer no that can follow other verb expressions as well. (Refsing 1986: 29) The element -no following verb expressions is analyzed as the conjunctionalizer no, which can follow all kinds of verb expressions. (Refsing 1986: 29) The suffix -no originally attaches to verbs to derive adverbial expressions. (Satō 2008: 288) The suffix -no also functions to overtly indicate that an already adverbial form is adverbial. (proposed in Satō 2008: 288) In colloquial Ainu, the suffix -no is generally used to derive adverbs from verbs. (Shibatani 1990)
Manner and degree adverbs
How are manner and degree adverbs derived from descriptive intransitive stems?
Adverbs of manner can be derived from stative verbs by suffixing -no. (Refsing 1986: 135) The prefix hamo- attaches to verbs to form negative adverbs meaning 'without doing ...'. (Murasaki 2025: 106) The formative -ponne attaches to verbs to form adverbs expressing a modest/restrained manner. (Murasaki 2025: 106) Some adverbial expressions are derived from other word classes, such as by adding -no to stative verbs, -ne to numerals for counting entities, or case postpositions to nouns or demonstratives. (Refsing 1986: 132)
Stative and negative-manner linkage
How does the suffix link a stative or negated predicate as an adverbial modifier to a following predicate?
The conjunctive element no 'in the state of' is used when the preceding verb phrase expresses a state or negative meaning, or when an action verb is accompanied by a negative element. (Nakagawa 2024: 340) With intransitive stative verbs, no can be regarded as an adverb-forming suffix, so that forms with no become adverbs as a result, making it difficult to draw a sharp line between an affix and a conjunctive particle. (Nakagawa 2024: 340) If eyamno is treated as an adverb taking a nominative personal affix, one must posit a distinct class of adverbs from postpositional adverbs that take objective personal affixes; but if no is treated as a conjunctive particle, k=eyam no is straightforwardly an inflected transitive verb phrase followed by a conjunctive particle. (Nakagawa 2024: 341) While *ipe no soyne is unacceptable, somo ipe no soyne 'went outside without eating' is grammatical because not having eaten is a static state without temporal change. (Nakagawa 2024: 341) The stative verbs pirka and wen may be used adverbially without suffixing -no. (Refsing 1986: 135) A clause conjunctionalized with no describes the circumstances under which the following clause is realized. (Refsing 1986: 241) While wa mainly follows affirmative predicates, no generally follows negated predicates and stative verbs. (Refsing 1986: 241) The conjunctionalizer no may attach to stative verbs to form adverbial adjuncts expressing the circumstances under which an action or event occurs. (Refsing 1986: 241)