The demise of serial verbs in South Efate

Abstract

The literature on Oceanic verb serialisation is replete with examples from Vanuatu. Crowley (2002a) noted that what he called the dissolution of serial verbs was observable in languages of southern Vanuatu, in particular in his study of Sye of Erromango. I will show that serial verbs in South Efate have followed a similar path to that described for Sye and also for Anejom by Lynch (2004a), including verb compounding, the use of directional particles, and an “echo-subject” construction. What is particularly interesting in South Efate is the development of a set of auxiliary verbs in a preverbal slot that carry out many of the functions associated with serial verb constructions. South Efate has been described as the southernmost of the Proto North-Central Vanuatu subgroup, but the features outlined here suggest a more complex relationship with southern languages than was previously considered.