Is the “BE compound tense” in Xhosa (Nguni) a Serial Verb Construction, or not?

Developed within the dynamic, cognitive approach to categorization, the present article analyzes the taxonomical status of the BE gram in Xhosa (Nguni, Bantu) within the category of Serial Verb Constructions (SVC). By testing the BE gram for the features associated with the SVC prototype, the author concludes the following: the full type of the BE gram can be viewed as a minimally less canonical member of the SVC category, whereas the contracted type constitutes its non-canonical instantiation. The categorial difference between the two types stems from their dissimilar advancement on the grammaticalization path leading from less cohesive to more cohesive schemas. The study furthermore indicates that the typological category of SVCs has another diachronic input apart from coordination – namely, syntactic dependency.