Societas Linguistica Europaea Vilnius 43 rd annual meeting September 3, 2010 1 Complement clauses in Nakh-Daghestanian Diana Forker forker@eva.mpg.de 1. Introduction In this talk I will analyze complement clauses in a number of Nakh-Daghestanian languages from different subbranches of the family (Chechen, Avar, Godoberi, Hinuq, Lezgian, and Tsakhur). I will concentrate on the six most frequent types of complement taking predicates (must, can/be able, begin, want, see and know). Complement clauses in Nakh-Daghestanian languages typically employ verb forms whose occurrence is restricted to subordinate clauses such as the infinitive, participles, converbs or masdars (deverbal nouns). The use of complementizers is not very widespread. 2. Complement strategies (excluding verbs of speech) The following strategies occur in complement clauses of the six languages: Chechen • Infinitive • simultaneous converb • -ni suffix (unclear whether a kind of subjunctive, identical with the interrogative form) • -ila suffix (unclear whether a nominalizer or something else) (1) Chechen (Zarina Molochieva, p.c.) see that EX translation Avar • juxtaposition (zero strategy) • Infinitive • stem (Ancuq dialect) • masdar (eventually with case suffix) • finite / participle + -:i • participle (+ -ali) • converb Godoberi • Infinitive • participle + -:i • masdar • present and past converb