A diachronic account of converbal constructions in Old Rajasthani

This paper presents the results of a multilayered diachronic analysis of one of the most important subordinating devices in IA, i.e. converbs. This is a corpus-oriented study based on an early variety of New Indo-Aryan, namely Old Rajasthani. We discuss: (a) the morphology of the converb and the possible pathways of its evolution through the centuries; (b) the syntactic properties of converbal chains, with a special focus on main argument marking and the 'same-subject constraint'; and (c) the semantics of converbal constructions and the adverbial and clause-chaining properties of converbs. Our research has interesting implications for the aspectual status of the converb: aspect seems to be the most important factor determining the main argument marking in converbal chains