R. Amritavalli, CIEFL, Hyderabad
The paper sketches the functional architecture of the Kannada clause, with a focus on negation. Kannada has moved from `synthetic' to `analytic' verb forms, dissociating a Tense-Agr complex from a Neg/Modal one. An earlier verb sequence [Vstem-infix(T/Neg/Modal)-Agr] has split into [Vstem-T-Agr] or [Vinf/gerund-Neg/Modal]; i.e. `matrix infinitives/gerunds' occur with main clause negation. Tense, though covert, is argued to be present. The semantics of Kannada gerunds and Kannada infinitives is investigated and Stowell (1982)'s differentiation of gerunds and infinitives w.r.t. tense is argued not to yield the right results.