Keywords: syntax, semantics, grammatical semantics, constructional meaning, Estonian des-construction, Estonian mata-construction
The Estonian des- and mata-constructions operate as free modifiers of event constructions, thus qualifying for the typological definition of a converb construction. The des-converb construction modifies the main clause by expressing the occurrence of an event, whereas the mata-converb construction does the same by expressing the non-occurrence of an event. The adverbial function of the converb construction varies depending on context. As previous research has shown, the variation of the function of the des– and mata-converb construction is quite extensive. The article suggests some semantic-pragmatic categories forming a framework to describe this variation. The framework inloves two base functions and eight secondary ones. The base functions of a converb construction are concomitance and time; its secondary functions are cause, manner, instrument, comparison, result, concession, contrast and condition. Each des– and mata-converb construction has a fixed base function, which may either perform as the lone function of the construction or co-exist with one or more secondary functions.
As shown by qualitative corpus analysis, a des-converb may have either concomitance or time as its base function, whereas a mata-converb construction always features concomitance as its base function, never time. The secondary functions cause, instrument, concession and condition can co-exist with both concomitance and time as base functions, whereas the secondary functions manner, comparison, result/consequence and contrast only coexist with concomitance as their base function. In the corpus data analysed there was not a single mata-converb construction with the secondary function comparison, and only two mata-converb constructions had the secondary function instrument. The des-converb construction can present all secondary functions, but the secondary functions concession and contrast occur more seldom with the des-converb construction than with the mata-converb construction. There are both des– and mata-converb constructions combining several secondary functions. The combinations of the secondary functions cause-condition and concession-condition occur with both converb constructions, but the des-converb construction also accepts combinations of the secondary functions cause-manner, instrument-concession and instrument-condition, while the mata-construction also accepts the combinations of manner-result, manner-concession, result-contrast and manner-condition.
Carl Eric Simmul (b. 1991), PhD Student, University of Tartu, simmulman@gmail.com
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