On the Syntax of the Infinitive in the Bosnian Epic Song “The Wedding of Smailagić Meho” and in Colloquial Bosnian Language (With a Focus on the General Syntax of the Infinitive in the Bosnian Language)

Abstract

The article provides the use of the infinitive in different syntactic functions through the analysis of representative examples from the corpus of oral literary expression in the case of the Bosniak epic song “The Wedding of Smailagić Meho”, and through the similar examples from colloquial Bosnian language. In particular, atypical infinitive constructions were presented, with special reference to their status in contemporary Bosnian. The theoretical descriptions of the infinitival syntactic potential as a complement to the different types of verbs are presented too, with special reference to the differences in the use of certain atypical infinitive constructions through the whole Shtokavian area.