Although the semantic and syntactic properties of verbs are not always easy to distinguish from each other, this chapter discusses properties of verbs generally considered to be syntactic, such as selectional, raising, control and Caseassigning properties. Verbs' syntactic properties are specified in their lexical entries. The relexification hypothesis predicts that the syntactic properties of verbal lexical entries in the substratum language will be reproduced in the equivalent lexical entries in the creole. The comparison of the syntactic properties of Haitian, French and Fongbe verbs shows that, to a great extent, this prediction is borne out. The selectional properties of body-state verbs, weather verbs and reflexive verbs are discussed in sections 9.2 to 9.4. The syntactic properties of verbs that select expletive subjects, verbs that allow for argument raising and existential verbs are discussed in sections 9.5 to 9.7. Section 9.8 deals with the syntactic properties of control verbs. Sections 9.9 and 9.10 review light verbs and inherent object verbs. Section 9.11 discusses the Case-assigning properties of verbs. The properties of double-object verbs are addressed in section 9.12.

The syntactic properties of most of these verb classes in Haitian contrast with those of French and are parallel to Fongbe. There are four exceptions to this generalisation, each attesting to the other processes that play a role in creole genesis. First, the data pertaining to the selectional properties of reflexive verbs (and possibly of verbs selecting expletive subjects) show that dialect levelling has played a role in this case. Second, the properties of the Haitian existential verb appear to constitute a case of innovation from within the creole.