Syntax of Verbal Nouns in Marquesan

Verbal nominalization is a productive process in Marquesan and in other Polynesian languages. The markers are predominantly suffixal in nature. The transient character of the verbal nominalizations is underscored by their partial compatibility with both nominal and verbal particles. Their frequency of occurrence varies from text to text, as can be seen when the two main types of data used in this study are compared: folkloristic material, and a translation of St. John's gospel. Attention is given to the syntactic functions of verbal nominalizations and to the ways in which their logical subjects are marked.