Subsidiary verbs /Pay/ 'Go' and /Maa/ 'Come' in Thai

Abstract

This thesis aims at analyzing the meaning of payl and maal as subsidiary verbs in serial verb constructions in Thai and used them as criteria in classifying verbs in Thai. It is found that subsidiary verbs payl 'go' and maal 'come' in serial verb constructions denote spatial and temporal meanings. Spatially, payl denotes a motion away from the speaker's point of reference; maal denotes a motion toward the speaker's point of reference. Temporally, payl is used to denote that the speaker views that a situation proceeds away from the utterance time; maal is used to denote that the speaker views that a situation proceeds up to the point of the utterance time. It is also found that the main verbs which can be spatially modified by payl and maal are verbs of displacements, verbs of possession, verbs if communication, verbs of direct bodily action and verbs of vision. Payl can also be used to modify evaluation verbs to denote that the speaker views the qualities or quantities denoted by evaluation verbs as being excessive. Temporally, payl and maal can be used to modify process verbs and stative verbs. Moreover, maal is found to modify the main verb payl to denote the temporal extension of the past event 'going' to the utterance time.