Kalmyk Participle Forms Revisited (a case study of the Jangar Epic)

Abstract

The article deals with the use patterns of participles as revealed by a case study of varying versions of the Kalmyk heroic epic of Jangar recorded in different periods. Participles play a special role in grammatical structures of Mongolic languages. In different positions they denote either processes, or a corresponding attribute, or a performer of the action. This is what actually distinguishes participles from other verb forms. The examined texts of the Jangar Epic vividly illustrate the structural variety of Kalmyk participles. Being efficient expressive means, attributive verb forms facilitate more comprehensive descriptions of events/situations and attach special dynamics to the latter.

Keywords

• jangar epic
• verb
• non-finite verb forms
• participles