How do compound verbs develop?

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There's a very interesting (to me at least) example of compound verbs, in this wiki page on Serial Verbs:

सत्तू खा लिया
sattū khā liyā
parched.grain eat take.pfv
"ate up the sattu"

vs.

बच्चे को खा डाला
bacce ko khā ḍālā
child.OBL DAT eat throw.pfv
"devoured the child"

How do these compound verbs develop?

asked Dec 30, 2020 at 15:08

AncientSwordRage

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Are you asking about compound verbs in this language (what is it, by the way?), or serial verbs of this type, or serial verbs in general? There are many different kinds and they arise in many different ways.
– jlawler
Dec 31, 2020 at 17:20
@jlawler compound words in general. The wiki page explains more about it (stating that they're not serial verbs, as far as I can tell).
– AncientSwordRage
Dec 31, 2020 at 17:40
In English there's not much of either, so the distinction hardly matters. Elsewhere, it depends on the language(s) and the construction(s).
– jlawler
Dec 31, 2020 at 17:52
@jlawler, I just reread the article and there is a distinction. Compound verbs one of the verbs conveys the content, the other modifies it slightly. In serial verbs, each verb is required for the meaning. Take a look at the examples.
– AncientSwordRage
Dec 31, 2020 at 18:32
That's a distinction that may be useful for some constructions in some languages, if conveying content and being required for the meaning can be adequately measured.
– jlawler
Dec 31, 2020 at 18:36

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