Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 April 2026
In this chapter, we will analyze a Basque morphological causative construction involving a causative morpheme and the verbal root or a verbal participle. As will be demonstrated, in these morphological causative constructions, the verb and the causative behave as a complex predicate, heading a monoclausal construction. Various diagnostics will be provided in the chapter to support this hypothesis, including case and agreement arrangements, PCC effects, and the behavior of temporal adjuncts, among others. Additionally, we will explore the nature of the causee. On the one hand, we will show that, despite its dative marking, the causee is, in fact, a subject and not an indirect object. In this regard, Basque morphological causatives behave similarly to the faire-infinitif causative type found in languages such as French. On the other hand, we will show that the causee must be animate, as observed in other languages such as Italian. Furthermore, we will analyze causee-less causatives, constructions in which there is no overt causee. In these constructions, there is an implicit causee that is both semantically and syntactically active. In this chapter, we will also explore impersonal causee-less causatives and another causative construction where the causer is implicit but the causee is morphologically overt.
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