LANGUAGE IN INDIA

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Volume 25:2 February 2025
ISSN 1930-2940

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Some Salient Linguistic Features of Complex Predicates in Hindi

Prof. Pradeep Kumar Das, Ph.D.

Abstract

The linguistic features of a complex predicate have been very interesting and unique phenomena in different Southeast-Asian Languages. These features can be clearly and categorically analyzed from syntactic, morphological and semantic points of view. The formation and function of the ‘complex predicate’ manifests very distinctly and it marks the linguistic features in such a way that they can easily explained with their relationship to various case-association, valences of the verb, thematic role and agreement patterns from that of the simple-predicate.

The present paper is an attempt to examine how we combine a Noun/Adjective with a verb (i.e. a light verb) and thus make a predicate out of these combinations and the whole process strengthens the verb in terms of making a complex predicate in case of a ‘conjunct verb’. However, a somewhat similar process of combining a verb to another verb i.e. in forming a ‘compound verb’ weakens the verb (i.e. the polar verb) in producing a complex predicate. There is also an attempt in the paper to show how and why the complex predicates are formed in different Indian languages, and how these complex predicates, especially the ‘Conjunct verbs’ help the natives to verbalize some expressions such as ‘to forgive, to hate, to love, and to marry, to clean, to shortened etc. which most Indian languages don’t have verbal expressions and these concepts are verbalized by putting a noun/adjective with a light verb and thus, the lack of such verbal expressions are fulfilled. The acquisition of these complex predicate makes the speakers more competent to master some very useful aspects of language and make them comfortable to handle different contexts of the use of verbal expression in the language.

The paper examines the case of ‘compound verb and conjunct verb’ to exemplify the instances of ‘some salient linguistic features of complex predicate in Hindi’.

Keywords: complex predicate, case-association, thematic role, strengthening, weakening, linguistic features, conjunct verb, compound verb, agreement etc.

1. The grammatical categories in languages

We know that the linguistic elements are the constructs of different concepts of human cognition. The way in which the human mind responds to the categorization of linguistic constructs in human languages is surprisingly similar across the board, yet very complex to comprehend. And this is where the linguistic theorization comes very handy to explain these similarities that are found in languages without any genealogical or geographic relatedness. In short, the linguistic elements are unique items in themselves. They have their own existence, and they help human beings to weave the garland of communication in the form of atoms of human language which culminates in a sentence as the basic unit and a discourse as an output of the whole process.

2. The synthesis of linguistic units into a complex construct

We have abundant examples in human languages where we notice that two or more lexical items get linguistically synthesized. If we examine the historicity of the synthesis of these items, it will unfold several natural and fascinating theoretical facts. However, we must wonder as to why we have not been concerned and thus discuss such issues in linguistics at all. An instance of synthesis of two lexical items that comes to mind immediately is the process by which the ‘phrases’ gradually become ‘compounds’ in many languages.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Pradeep Kumar Das
Centre for Linguistics
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi-110067
http://pradeepkumardas.info
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