Complexities of Thai copular constructions

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of syntactic and pragmatic characteristics of copular constructions in Thai with both elicited data and data taken from naturally occurring texts. In this article, we claim that Thai presents copular-construction complexities. We have found that there are a number of verbs such as pen, jùː, kʰɨː, dâːjkὲː and tɕʰâj functioning as copulas. They not only link subject and non-verbal predicates but also verbal predicates that normally form predicates on their own. Not all of these copulas can freely carry verbal features to copular clauses. We also illustrate that Thai copular constructions can be best accounted for in terms of pragmatic interpretations. While the copulas pen and jùː are predicational, kʰɨː and dâːjkὲː convey non-predicational readings. The copula dâːjkὲː is a variation of kʰɨː in specificational readings. In contexts other than declarative statements, the copula tɕʰâj is preferable to the others available in COP-NP constructions. In addition, copular omission is allowed in either some clausal structures subject to verbal features or certain pragmatic environments.