Inchoative verb

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An inchoative verb, sometimes called an "inceptive" verb, shows a process of beginning or becoming. Productive inchoative infixes exist in several languages, including Latin and Ancient Greek, and consequently some Romance languages. Not all verbs with inchoative infixes have retained their inceptive meaning. In Italian, for example, present indicative finisco 'I finish' contains the form of the infix, while present indicative finiamo 'we finish' does not, yet the only difference in meaning is that of person subject; the infix is now semantically inert.

[edit] Latin

The Latin language uses the infix -sc- to show inchoative force. The infix is normally seen in the present tense stem, and is not present in the third and fourth principal parts.

• apiscor, apisci, aptus sum reach
• cresco, crescere, crevi, cretus come into being, spring up, grow up
• convalesco, convalescere, convalui recover, get better, grow strong
• disco, discere, didici learn
• irascor, irasci, iratus sum be in a rage
• lapidesco, lapidescere become stone
• misceo, miscere, miscui, mixtus mix
• nanciscor, nancisci, nactus/nanctus sum get
• nosco, noscere, novi, notus get to know
• obdormisco, obdormiscere, obdormivi, obdormitus fall asleep
• posco, poscere, poposci demand
• proficiscor, proficisci, profectus sum set out
• rubesco, rubescere, rubui (<rubeo) to grow red, redden

[edit] Ancient Greek

Greek also uses -sk- to show inchoative force in the present stem. -σκ- is added to verb-stems ending in vowels, --ισκ- is added to consonant stems.

• αρεσκω to please
• φασκω to feed

[edit] See also

• Frequentative
• Inchoative