On the category of causative verbs in Tibeto-Burman languages

Abstract

The category of causation exists in the majority of Tibeto-Burman (TB) languages, but its importance is not the same in each language. In some languages, the causative category occupies an important position in its grammatical system, with its causative verb-forms still active in usage and in function. In other languages, although the causative forms may still exist, they have a low functional load. In still other languages there only survive the incomplete traces of causative verb forms, or none at all.