Argument Structure of Cebuano Psychological Verbs

This paper investigates the Cebuano psychological verbs, a distinct verb type that expresses emotional or mental state experienced by a participant (Levin, 1993), particularly their argument structure. Data were elicited through discussion and consultation with two native speakers and analyzed using the Theta Theory. It is revealed that the inflectional affixation to the verb distinguishes the mood and aspectual properties, with the prefix na- signifying realis as mood and perfective or imperfective as aspect and the prefix ma- denoting irrealis and contemplative as mood and aspect, respectively. In Cebuano psych verbs, the experiencer is obligatorily expressed, while the theme may be elided. Aside from the psych verb, the argument and adjunct can also move, licensed by topicalization and focalization. This study hopes to add to the deepening of the theoretical understanding and description of Cebuano language.