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Statement of Context/ Background of the topic under discussion.

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Consider the following two sentences: “Hunt ran down the road in a rush.” and “Rudy is downstairs.” Can you identify the verb in each aforementioned sentence? The first one was easy right? What about the second one? I bet you only saw verbs as “action words!” Is the verb “Rudy,” “is,” or “downstairs?”

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This presentation will follow the word class of verbs and how they are used in conjunction with location. This is called the locative copula.

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Too often we are told that verbs are “action” words and not “states of being” as well. Students therefore repeat this inaccurate definition of a verb and so they do not realize that without action, a verb can still stand in a sentence.

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The aim of  this presentation is to  briefly examine linking verbs which show location (locative copula) and to explain its usage to a non-technical audience . This will be explained using the aid of examples.

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Locative Copula Locative Copula exists in many different languages; such as: English, Spanish, Irish and Breton. McWhorter (2005) contends that in Atlantic English –based creoles, the locative copula “de” results from the grammaticalization (a process by which grammar is created)   of there.

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For example, ‘Him deh pon de block” He is on the block.  Kita (2006) posits that the Japanese language has more than one locative copula. That is, the language includes two locative verbs, iru (animate figure) and aru (inanimate figure) 1.  	The best example of a copula verb is the verb “to be.”

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Let’s break down this heavy word! Locative copula?  Copula  refers to a  linking verb.  What is a  linking verb  and how is it different from a “regular verb?” A linking verb connects a subject to a  complement .

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Don’t worry: a complement is information about the subject of a sentence.   Examples of copulas are: “to be,” “to become,” “to seem,” “to look,” and “to feel.”

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For example: “I am in the car.” The linking verb is “am” as it links the subject “I” to the complement “in the car.” Let’s go back to our introductory example: Rudy is the subject and “is” is the verb. The term “downstairs” is the complement and also shows location! Hence, locative (location)!

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So, let us put the terms locative and copula in more context: The boats seem to be distant.  The linking verb or copula is “seem” and the locative or location is “distant.” Here are two examples of the locative copula being used in Spanish and French respectively:

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I am under the water. Estoy bajo el agua.  ( “estoy” is the copula and “bajo” is the locative).   She is beside the wall. Elle est à côté du mur.  (“est” is the copula and “côté” is the locative).

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The aim of this presentation was to remove the traditional notion of a verb being simply an action word but also a state of being. Furthermore, it was used with locatives to show location. We have never thought of a verb in conjunction with locatives.

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However, after much research and examples, we were able to understand the connection between a copula and its complement and their relevance to sentence structure.

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As a result, we grasped the concept of what was meant by the term “locative copula” and were able to explain it in our presentation. We were able to pull the phrase apart (locative=location) and (copula=linking verbs). A linking verb connects a subject to a complement which could be an adjective or a noun.

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Another word for locative is: locus  location cative  Another word for copula is: verb corpus linking verb Identify the copula and locative in the following sentence:  Yesterday I saw the mountains nearby.

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Kita (2006). Jean-Michel Fortis - Space in Language - Leipzig Summer School 2010 –PART II.  Mc Worther (2005). Jean-Michel Fortis - Space in Language - Leipzig Summer School 2010 –PART II.

The Locative Copula

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