Abstract

Negation in Burmese can take various forms, depending on the element that is negated and the scope of the negation. Syntactically, only the verbal predicates are negated, but the negation can also apply to non-verbal elements. The ability to attract direct negation is a diagnostic feature of verbs in Burmese. Negated predicates can occur in statements or questions, and in independent as well as dependent clauses. For negated imperatives (prohibitives), the prohibitive status marker is used (see section 8.3.2).