The main aim of the project is to trace the paths of the development and properties of non-finite verbs in Rajasthani, an Indo-Aryan language. The project will focus on main non-finite forms such as converbs, adjectival and adverbial participles and infinitives. The project will also result in compilation of an electronic corpus of Rajasthani texts which will allow a multifaceted analysis of verbal forms.
The main objective will be the investigation of morphosyntactic, semantic and, where it is possible, pragmatic properties of non-finite verbs in order to check whether all constructions involving these forms show similar patterns of neutralisation of semantic roles for syntactic purposes, or in other words, if they show any signs of alignment change (as it was claimed e.g. by Khokhlova 2000; 2001 on the basis of morphosyntactic analysis of early Rajasthani; cf. also Verbeke 2013 for more typological perspective). The properties of non-finite verbs which will be dealt with in the project will include: emergence of different converbal, participial and infinitival forms, evolution of main argument marking (such as A, O and S according to the Dixon’s scheme (1994)) in constructions where non-finites appear, relation of the converbal chains to the absolute constructions, development of obligative patterns (main argument marking and the infinitive form), the scope of operators such as aspect, tense and illocutionary force and the possible existence of syntactic, semantic or pragmatic pivots/controllers (cf. Van Valin & LaPolla 1997; Van Vallin 2005).