Page 410 - A GRAMMAR OF BHOJPURI _ PhD Dissertation 2020 TU

b) Syntactic dimensions
(i) Verb type

As common to the most of the languages (Givón, 2001b:255), the verb in
EPCs is existential रह /rʌɦ/ or ह /ɦʌ/ or बा /bɑ/ 'be' which is overt in example (1a-b).

But other verbs onto the scene are also used on the occasion as presented in (2a-c).

Besides, some locational verbs such as बैठ /bʌiʈʰ/ 'sit', उठ /uʈʰ/ 'stand', रह /rʌɦ/ 'live' 0क
/ruk/ 'stay' or entrance verbs such as आ /ɑ/ 'come/arrive' लउक /lʌuk/ 'appear', प1ँच

/pʌɦũc/ 'approach' along with departure verb जा /jɑ/ 'go' are frequently used in EPCs,

as shown in (3a-c).
(3) a. ऊ हमर बड़क8 माई रहली जे डेङ बढ़इनी आ बइठइनी ।

u ɦʌmʌr bʌɽki mɑi rʌɦli

u ɦʌm-ʌr bʌɽ-ki mɑi rʌɦ-ʌl-i
3SG.NOM 1SG-GEN elder-F mother live-PP-3.PST.F.MH

je ɖeŋ bʌɽ ̊ ʌini ɑ bʌiʈʰʌini
je ɖeŋ bʌɽ ̊ -ɑ-ini ɑ bʌiʈʰ-ɑ-ini

COND step forward-CAUS-PST.H and sit-CAUS-PST.H
'It was my elder aunt who stepped in and made me sit.' (06.021)

b. ऊ औरत िहअ जौन हम देखनी ।
u ɔrʌt ɦiʌ jɔn ɦʌm dekʰni

u ɔrʌt ɦiʌ jɔn ɦʌm dekʰ-ni
DIST woman be.3SG.PRES.F COMP 1SG.NOM see-PST.H

'She is a woman that I saw.' (06.034)
c. आज हमनी जे पर बात करे जातानी ऊ ह :ेम ।

ɑj ɦʌmni je pʌr bɑt kʌre jɑtɑni
ɑj ɦʌm-ni je pʌr bɑt kʌr-e jɑ-ʌt bɑni

today 1SG-PL COND LOC matter do-PUR go-IMPF be.PRES.H

u ɦʌ prem
u ɦʌ prem
3SG be.3SG.PRES love

'What we are going to talk about today is love.' (06.042)
(ii) Word-order and indefinite subject

A more controversial issue involves word-order in EPCs. It has been taken for

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