Verb–Argument Composition in Nuuchahnulth: A Special Case of Denominal Verb Formation

Nuuchahnulth, a Southern Wakashan language spoken on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada, frequently forms complex, composite predicates. Previous accounts of this phenomenon have described it as either a type of (noun) incorporation or as denominal verb formation, in both cases due to the fact that it involves the combining with the verb of an external element originating in the object. The focus of this article is to present the facts of Nuuchahnulth verb-object interactions and an alternative characterization of the interaction that treats it as a special case of denominal verb formation, referred to here as Verb-Argument Composition (VAC).