Serial verb construction
[4] Serial verbs normally denote actions that are closely connected and can be considered to be part of the same event.However, in the following example from the Baré, in the Upper Amazon, the first person singular subject ("I") is marked twice:[1] nu-takasãdeceived(1SG)nu-dúmaka.sleep(1SG)nu-takasã nu-dúmaka.deceived(1SG) sleep(1SG)"I pretended (that) I was asleep."As a rule, serial verbs cannot be marked independently for categories such as tense, aspect and mood.In the case of negation, only one negator can be applied to the whole serial construction, as in the following Baré example:[1] henaNEGnihiwawakago(1SG)nu-tšerekaspeak(1SG)nu-yaka-umother(1SG)abiwithhena nihiwawaka nu-tšereka nu-yaka-u abiNEG go(1SG) speak(1SG) mother(1SG) with"I am not going to talk with my mother.In the following example from Maonan, a language spoken in southwestern China, up to ten verbs co-occur in a sentence coding a single event without any linking words, coordinating conjunctions or any other markings:[6] ɦe21SGsə:ŋ3wantlət8walkpa:i1godzau4takevan6returnma1comeɕa5tryvɛ4dokau5lookfin1accomplishkam5PCL:Qɦe2 sə:ŋ3 lət8 pa:i1 dzau4 van6 ma1 ɕa5 vɛ4 kau5 fin1 kam51SG want walk go take return come try do look accomplish PCL:Q"Could I walk there to bring (it) back and try (it)?"In Japanese also, strings of verb phrases can be created, often denoting events that are related causally or in time.Such strings may be translated into English by using "and", "while", "(in order) to" or other connectives, but some may have a more compact translation, as in the following example (from Hayao Miyazaki's Mononoke Hime) in which the actions of "following" and "coming" are simultaneous[citation needed]: 足跡ashi-atofootprintをoOBJたどってtadottefollowing来たkitacame足跡 を たどって 来たashi-ato o tadotte kitafootprint OBJ following came"I followed him here.उसनेusnehe/she.ERGआमāmmango.NOM.Mखाkhāeat.NFनाnāNEG.SUBJलियाliyātake.PFVहोhobe.3S.SUBJ.PRSउसने आम खा ना लिया होusne ām khā nā liyā hohe/she.ERG mango.NOM.M eat.NF NEG.SUBJ take.PFV be.3S.SUBJ.PRS"(I hope that) he/she hasn't eaten the mango"उसनेusnehe/she.ERGआमāmmango.NOM.Mखाkhāeat.NFनाnāNEG.SUBJडालाḍālāput.PFVहोhobe.3S.SUBJ.PRSउसने आम खा ना डाला होusne ām khā nā ḍālā hohe/she.ERG mango.NOM.M eat.NF NEG.SUBJ put.PFV be.3S.SUBJ.PRS"(I hope that) he/she hasn't devoured the mango"