Clause Structure and Verb Series

This article argues that in V₁-XP-V₂ and V₁-V₂-XP series, V₁ merges in the functional domain of the lexical verb (V₂). V₂ introduces the (internal) argument and is embedded under an AspP whose head is endowed with an EPP feature. Surface word order variations in Kwa (and Khoisan) result from the EPP licensing that triggers V₂-object inversion, sometimes followed by V₂ movement past the shifted object.