The “ serial verb construction ” in Chinese : A Gordian knot

Given that the term “construction” is not a label to be assigned randomly, but implies a precise structural analysis and the establishment of an associated set of syntactic and semantic properties, we will demonstrate that the term “serial verb construction” (SVC) as currently used in Chinese linguistics simply refers to any surface string with more than one verb i.e., it subsumes a multitude of different constructions. This state of affairs has two important consequences, both for synchronic and for diachronic studies. The “synchronic” consequence is that SVCs in Chinese linguistics are not commensurate with SVCs in NigerCongo languages, hence it is futile at this stage to undertake typological studies aiming to derive the differences between so-called “serializing” and “non-serializing” languages in terms of a “serialization parameter”. On the diachronic side, SVCs are invoked as a privileged site for verb > preposition reanalysis, but it is left open what structure is referred to under this label. In order to make meaningful statements about language change, however, it is indispensable to have a precise structural analysis of both the input and the output structure.