Datapoint Berbice Dutch/‘Want’ complement subjects

Suku 'want' subcategorizes for nonfinite complement clauses, as seen by the inability of the complement clause to take tense marking or be independently negated. The clause may contain an overt subject, not coreferential with the matrix subject, showing that suku is an ECM (exceptional case-marking) verb - the only such verb in Berbice Dutch (see discussion in Kouwenberg's 1994 grammar, pp. 347–353).

Values

The complement subject is left implicit

Example 28-164:
o wa sukwa bif mɛt bɛri beki
o
3sg
wa
pst
suku-a
want-ipfv
bifi
talk
mɛtɛ
with
bɛri
Berry
beki
little
She wanted to talk with Berry a little.

Source: Kouwenberg 1994: 348

Example 28-165:
gavna ma suka fi nimi hosa ju kriktɛkɛ
gavna
Governor
ma
irr
suku-a
want-ipfv
fi
for
nimi
know
hoso
how
so
foc
ju
2sg
kriki-tɛ
get-pfv
ɛkɛ
1sg
Governor will want to know how you got me.

Source: Kouwenberg 1994: 348

Confidence:
Certain