Some myths about serial verbs

Abstract

Serial verbs are constructions attested in several language families, including Benue-Kwa languages (West Africa) and Creole languages spoken on both sides of the Atlantic. The peculiarity of a serial verb construction is that a single noun functions as the subject of two or more finite verbs. The present paper examines ideas that have been put forward about serial verbs in Benue-Kwa and Creole languages. Each idea is presented and examined. Arguments are then given to show why the idea in question is a myth.