[An-lang] Question: Event nominalization (gerunds) in Formosan / Philippine

[Mayumi Oiwa]

I have come across this pattern of what seems to be event nominalization (
*not *argument nominalization) in Truku Seediq (Formosan), and was
wondering if anybody working on other languages (especially Formosan or
Philippine languages) were aware of constructions similar to these in their
*morphosyntax*.

These “gerunds” have both nominal and verbal features, and appear in
various argument positions. The morphological marking on the verb resembles
Patient Voice marking (either *n- / -n-, -an*, or combination of both, or
just *–un*). The Actor or Undergoer is marked genitive while the Patient is
marked oblique. What is crucially different from “voice marking” or
“thematic nominalizers,” though, is the fact that both transitive and
intransitive verbs (including stative verbs) take the same apparently-PV
morphology. Although it is clear that they do not function as Patient Voice
markers here, I glossed them as such for the sake of convenience.

   1.

   P-qaras bubu=mu ka d<*n*>hq-*an*=mu

   CAUS-happy mother=1SG.GEN NOM arrive<PRF>-PV=1SG.GEN

   ‘My arrival (lit. arriving) made my mother happy’
   2.

   Pk-naqih kuxul bubu=mu ka k-nrx-*an*=mu

   CAUS-bad feeling mother=1SG.GEN NOM STAT-sick-PV=1SG.GEN

   ‘My being sick made my mother worry’

I am interested to see if any other languages have the same pattern
(specifically gerundive markers that are homophonous with the PV
marker(s)), and if so, how wide-spead it is. Thanks for your help!
Mayumi Oiwa
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