Complementizer -ken Complement clauses

Speaker is a village leader who attempts to get villagers to cooperate with him for a common goal, to build a bridge. It is only then that the flocks of sheep can come and fertilize their fields. 18.218 kurik-la [gempu karm-e kett ɕa nen-tɕe ] all-DAT headman Karma-GEN speech listen-SBJV noŋ-a bet. get.opportunity-NMLZ;Q AUX ‘All got a chance to listen to the village leader Karma’s speech.’

18.11.8 Complementizer -ken

I call -ken a subject nominalizer because it nominalizes the clause and typically, but not always see example 18.222, makes it a subject complement. This complementizer combines with almost any type of verb. The following examples illustrate the complementizer -ken complement clause is in square brackets. 18.219 [gen khur-ken di] t ɕiki tɕik ik min-tuk. TE11 duty carry-NMLZ;CONJ DEF one one INCLN NEG-EXIST.VIS ‘There is not a single one who takes the reponsibility.’ The NP headless relative clause in brackets is the grammatical subject of the main clause. Dative case marked IO is left implicit. 18.220 [tek-mu ta-ken khajet di-ki ] weigh-F1 watch-NMLZ;CONJ plural DEF-ERG u-ko khan ʈa tɕhi-na tɕhetŋe that-head what do;VBZR-NFNT1 face mit- tøŋ-ken bek=ka? TE 21 NEG-reveal-NMLZ;CONJ AUX=Q ‘The spectators asked: “Why does he not reveal his face?”’ Again, the subject NP is a headless relative clause. 18.221 [hi-ki khim hi-ko so-ken di ] aku passaŋ bet. this-GEN house this-head build-NMLZ;CONJ DEF uncle passang COP ‘[The one who builds this house] is uncle Passang.’ The definite article in this example can be regarded as an additional complementizer which clearly marks the nominalized clause as a NP. This is subject argument of the equative copula bet. 18.222 [tiŋ-la dik-ken di-ki ] [u-ki tiŋ-la after-DAT chase-NMLZ;CONJ DEF-ERG that-GEN after-DAT tshar ɖo-ken ] u-ki jok-jaa di-pa remain go-NMLZ;CONJ that-GEN weakness-COMP2 that-PL2 lhø t ɕhi-na dit-na juŋ easy do;VBZR-NFNT1 chase-NFNT1 come go-ken bet. TE30 have.to-NMLZ;CONJ AUX ‘One who herds the sheep from behind has to herd cautiously those who lag behind, the weaker ones.’ This is from the story of a sheep shepherd. One of the shepherds has to herd the sheep from behind the flock, because the weaker ones are slow. The first NP in brackets is the subject of the final verb dit- na. The second NP is the object of the same final clause dit-na. Another NP is juxtaposed to the second one but it is not a complementation.

18.11.9 Complementizer -pa with PCU matrix verbs