Part 6 · verb serialization markers

directionals

UP – move upward

The directional verb tʰɔ̂ˀ indicating upward movement or, by extension, appearance, emergence, or increase.

literal upward movement

lɛ̀-tʰɔ̂ˀ kəsə̂
go-UP mountain
“go up the mountain”

appearance, emergence

kɔ̀.là-wā θɨ̄ˀ-pʰō tə-ɣà kəpʰō tʰɔ̂ˀ lə̄ ʔə-mɛ̀ˀ lò
foreigner-white soldier one-CLF blister appear GNR.P 3x-face surface
“One foreign soldier had blisters appear on his face.”

inchoative – start to V

sɔ̀.pà kwâ=wɛ̄.dâˀ tʰū-ɣè dɔ̄ˀ nì-tʰɔ̂ˀ=wɛ̄.dâˀ
king look=WD PN and laugh-UP=WD
“The king looked at Htoo Gay and burst out laughing.”

increased degree

ʔə-pɣè dôˀ-tʰɔ̂ˀ kʰī sʰāˀ ɲā
3x-price be.big-UP two fold INTS
“The price has increased two-fold.”

DOWN – move downward

The directional verb lɔ̀ indicating downward movement, movement toward a deictic center, or decrease. Also used in reflexive constructions.

literal downward movement

lɔ̀.tɛ̀ˀ lə̄ θêˀ
fall-DOWN GNR.P tree
“fall down from a tree”

movement toward deictic center

hêˀ-lɔ̀ jà tʰī
give-DOWN 1si water
“Give me water.” (toward speaker)

decreased degree

pɣà dɔ̄ˀ lêˀ-jɔ̂ sɣà-lɔ̀
person ride cart-step be.few-DOWN
“The number of people riding bicycles has decreased.”

reflexive marker

mà-θī-lɔ̀ ʔə-θāˀ
kill-DOWN 3x-heartREFL
“kill oneself”

with descriptive verb

kʰɨ̂ˀ-lɔ̀ [be.cool-DOWN] “cool down”

HORIZ – horizontal direction

The directional verb xɔ̀ indicating movement on the horizontal plane, often used when specifying that movement is neither up nor down. Not attested as an independent verb.

literal horizontal movement

xê sʰū-nêˀ təɣè hɛ̄-xê-xɔ̀ sʰū jə-ʔôˀ ʔì
run ALL.P-that PROH come-run-HORIZ ALL.P 1sx-LOC.N this
“Don't run over there. Come run over here to me (on the same level).”

figurative use

dɔ̄ˀ ʔəwɛ̄ kwâ-xɔ̀=wɛ̄.dâˀ sʰū pɣà.kəmlə̂ ʔə-ʔôˀ
and 3s look-HORIZ=WD ALL.P public 3x-LOC.N
“And (then) he looked at the audience.”

with temporal meaning

tɨ̀-xɔ̀-kədɔ̄ˀ pʰɛ̄ lā-ʔē.pʰrī ʔə-θɔ̄ tə-sʰī ʔə-nì nêˀ
arrive-HORIZ-again LOC.P month-April 3x-day one-ten 3x-day that
“And then on April 10th...”

AWAY – away

The aspectual verb kwìˀ (from "throw") indicating disappearance, removal, or that something is done completely and terminally. Makes telic compounds (actions with a clear endpoint).

intransitive – subject disappears

xê-kwìˀ=wɛ̄ kʰlē~kʰlē nêˀ.lɔ̀
run-AWAY=COR be.fast FP
“(He) ran away quickly.”

transitive – object removed

pʰɔ̂ˀ-kwìˀ=wɛ̄.dâˀ ʔəwɛ̄.θêˀ kʰɛ̄.lə̀ˀ nɔ̀
grab-AWAY=WD 3.PL all AGR.FP
“(They) took away everything (from them).”

with theft

ʔəwɛ̄.θêˀ hɨ̂ˀ-kwìˀ jə-kʰɔ̂ˀ.pʰjū.tʰə̂ˀ
3.PL steal-AWAY 1sx-computer
“They stole my computer.”

deterioration

mêˀ.ʔū ʔɔ̂ˀ-kwìˀ=wɛ̄ wê dɔ̄ tə-pʰlə̂ˀ ʔì dɔ̄ˀ kɛ̄.tʰɔ̂ˀ-kwìˀ pʰâˀ.sʰā nêˀ.lɔ̀
fire eat-AWAY=COR city whole one-CLF this and become-AWAY ash FP
“A fire burned down this whole city and it turned into ashes.”

regional variants

xìˀ (Chiang Mai): θwɛ̂ˀ-xìˀ nɛ̄ˀ ʔə-mɛ̀ˀ.kʰlī [slice-AWAY pineapple 3x-eye] “remove pineapple eyes”

xɨ̀ˀ (Mae Hong Son): bɔ̂ˀ-xɨ̀ˀ kʰɔ̂ˀ-pʰīˀ [take.out?-AWAY shoe] “take off shoes”

manner and purpose

FIXED – fixed in position

The aspectual verb xàˀ indicating that something remains fixed in a position or state. Makes atelic compounds focusing on resulting state. Not attested as an independent verb.

literal fixing

pʰɔ̂ˀ-xàˀ nə-kʰôˀ.pʰlɔ̂ˀ ɣə̂.ɣə̂.klə̀.klə̀ | kəlì hɛ̄ sʰûˀ-māˀ lɔ̀
hold-FIXED 2sx-hat firmly wind come be.strong-INTS FP
“Hold onto your hat. It's very windy.”

resulting state focus

jə-ʔōˀ-tʰɔ̂ˀ pɛ̄.trɔ̄ lɔ̀ (action focus)
1s-open-UP window FACT.FP
“I opened the window.”

jə-ʔōˀ-tʰɔ̂ˀ-xàˀ pɛ̄.trɔ̄ lɔ̀ (result state focus)
1s-open-UP-FIXED window FACT.FP
“I have opened the window.” (it's now open)

with remembering

ʔəwɛ̄.ʔì nêˀ tô.nɔ̂ˀ-xàˀ nɔ̄
this that remember-FIXED AGR.FP
“Remember this, okay?” (keep it fixed in memory)

with posting online

pə-pàˀ-lɔ̀-xàˀ lə̄ Facebook pù lī
1p-put-DOWN-FIXED GNR.P FB inside NS
“We have posted (it) on Facebook already.” (it's now there)

LEARN – learn, train

The purposive modifier lō indicating that an action is done for the purpose of learning or training. Not attested as an independent verb.

pʰō.θâˀ.hō kwɛ̄ˀ-lō lìˀ
child write-LEARN writing
“The children practice writing.”

with reflexive (train oneself)

jə-kə-ʔū-lō jə-θāˀ lə̄ pī
1s-IRR-blow-LEARN 1sx-heartREFL GNR.P flute
“I will learn to play the flute.” (lit., train myself blowing the flute)

with teaching

tʃō-θərâˀ lə̄ ʔə-θôˀ-lō kəɲɔ̄-klòˀ təpʰâˀ
school-teacher REL 3-instruct-LEARN Karen-language COLL
“Schoolteachers who teach Karen.”

PREP – preparative

The modifier pàˀ (from "put") indicating that an action is done in advance as preparation for a future event. Often translated as "for later" or "in advance."

cooking for later

jə-kə-pʰɔ̄-pàˀ mè
1s-IRR-cook-PREP rice
“I'll prepare food (for later).”

preparing oneself

kʰɛ̄.mɨ̂.sʰêˀ nə-kə-bâˀ sʰɣə̄ tâ.bā nə-kətɛ̀ˀ.kətɔ̀-pàˀ nə-θāˀ lī ɦā
tomorrow 2s-IRR-must lead service 2s-prepare-PREP 2sx-heartREFL NS PQ
“Tomorrow you have to lead the service. Have you already prepared yourself?”

planning

dī.θōˀ pə-klɛ̀-pàˀ ʔə-θōˀ bâˀ nêˀ
so.that 1p-arrange-PREP 3x-SIM NEG.FP that
“Things didn't go as we had planned.”

with past perfect sense

lə̄ nêˀ ʔə-mɛ̀ˀ.ɲā ʔəwɛ̄ kʰûˀ-lɔ̀-pàˀ tâ.pù lə̄ kə-kʰûˀ-lɔ̀ ʔə-θī.sôˀ
GNR.P that 3x-front 3s dig-DOWN-PREP hole COMP IRR-dig-DOWN 3x-corpse
“On top of that, he had dug a hole where he would bury her body.”

SOC – sociative

The modifier θəkōˀ indicating that an action is done together with others. Also functions as a noun meaning "friend."

intransitive

pʰɛ̄ pə-ʔôˀ-θəkɔ̄ˀ lə̄ pə-θəkɔ̄ˀ ʔə-hîˀ kʰā
when 1p-EXIST-SOC GNR.P 1px-friend 3x-house TIME
“When we were together at our friend's house.”

transitive

dī.θōˀ kə-hɛ̄ θûˀ-pʰɣī-θāˀ-ɲɔ̄-θəkōˀ xɨ̀ˀ.dɔ̄ˀ ʔəwɛ̄.θêˀ
so.that IRR-come liver-be.light-heart-be.easy-SOC with 3.PL
“So that (the spirits) would come and rejoice together with them.”

in prayer

bā-θəkōˀ jwà
worship-SOC God
“worship together”

V1 / V2 – first verb / second verb

Used in analyzing verb serialization to indicate the position of a verb in a sequence. V1 is the first verb (often a secondary verb or motion verb), V2 is the following verb (often the main verb or a modifier).

V1 as modal secondary verb, V2 as main verb

bâˀ [V1] lɛ̀ [V2]
must go
“must go”

V1 as prior motion verb, V2 as main verb

lɛ̀ [V1] pɣè [V2] tâ
go buy thing
“go shopping”

V1 main verb, V2 purposive modifier

pɣè [V1] -ʔɔ̂ˀ [V2]
buy -eat
“buy for eating”

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