Jun04 –
A Constructed Language
Jun04 Usage
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Definitions, Terms, <Text>, [IPA], -Tags-, and "Glosses".
Role Inflection Usage
Usage of the Voices
The argument role mapping is presented in the following table.
Voice Suffix Usage
Tag | Name | Agent | Patient |
-Dir | Direct |
proximate | obviative |
-Inv | Inverse |
obviative | proximate |
-Ant | Antipassive |
proximate | - |
-Pas | Passive |
- | proximate |
-Rfx | Reflexive |
proximate |
For non-local participles, the proximate argument is relativized, but
for unilocal participles, the obviative argument is relativized.
This is in accord with the agreement hierarchy, which is:
2 > 1 > rel > 3
Usage of the Cases
- The absolutive case's role is that of the verb's 1st core argument, which
depends on the verb's voice.
- The obviative case's role is that of the verb's 2nd core argument, which
also depends on the verb's voice.
- The dative case has 3 uses:
- It's used for the 3rd argument of certain verbs.
- It marks the destination (allative usage).
- It marks a beneficiary or maleficiary.
- The ablative case either specifies the source or material or marks the
origin.
- The instrumental case has 3 uses:
- It specifies the instrument or means.
- It marks the place by which motion occurs (perlative usage).
- It's used for a passive agent.
- The locative case specifies the location of the situation, which may be
that of some person(s) (comitative usage).
- The vocative case identifies the addressee(s).
- The genitive case is adnominal and has 2 uses:
- It represents the possessor of the modified noun phrase (possessive).
- It represents the whole entity from which a part is selected (partitive).
- In a phrase constructed by conjoining with aggregate suffixes, the
referent for the phrase will be the union of those of the conjoined phrases.
- In a phrase constructed by conjoining with alternate suffixes, the
referent for the phrase will be that of one of the conjoined phrases.
Temporal Inflection Usage
The verb's temporal type corresponds to the type of clause it appears in.
Action Type
Each verb is either static, primarily denoting a state, or dynamic, primarily denoting an action.
However, a static verb form may also represent a transition into the state and a dynamic verb form may also represent a state resulting from the action.
Usage of the Final Tenses
The situation denoted by a final verb is of the primary type for that verb, except that imperatives are dynamic.
Since they appear only on final verbs, the tenses are absolute.
The 1st 4 given here comprise the indicative mood.
- The present tense indicates that the situation is current at the time of
utterance.
- The future tense indicates that the situation is yet to occur at the time
of utterance.
- There are 2 past tenses, both indicating that the situation has already
occurred at the time of utterance. When the speaker expects the addressee(s) to
recognize the time of the situation, the definite past tense is used.
Otherwise, the indefinite past tense is used.
- The contrafactual present tense indicates that a hypothetical situation
would be current at the time of utterance.
- The contrafactual past tense indicates that a hypothetical situation would
have been current at a time the speaker expects the addressee(s) to recognize.
- The time of the imperative mood is immediate future.
- The time of the jussive mood may be immediate future if the agent is 2nd
person; otherwise, the time is deferred future.
Usage of the Coordinate Temporals
The coordinate temporals specify logical conjunction or disjunction and, if the former, whether the situation denoted by the clause occurs before or at the same time as that of the next final or coordinate clause.
Usage of the Subordinate Aspects
The aspects specify the stage that the situation is at with respect to a temporal point of reference determined by the following host clause.
- The aoristic aspect indicates that the action denoted by the verb occurs
at the temporal point of reference.
- When the aspect is progressive, the action denoted by the verb is in
progress at the temporal point of reference.
- The perfect aspect indicates that
the state denoted by the verb is current at the temporal point of reference,
or that the action denoted by the verb is complete at that time.
- When the aspect is prospective, the action denoted by the verb is not yet
started at the temporal point of reference.
Usage of the Participial Aspects
The aspects specify the stage that the situation is at with respect to a temporal point of reference determined by matrix clause.
- When the aspect is progressive, the action denoted by the verb is in
progress at the temporal point of reference.
- When the aspect is perfect, the (resulting) state denoted by the verb is
in effect at the temporal point of reference.
Other Temporal Usage
The frequentive derivation indicates that the situation is habitual (occurring on multiple occasions) or inherent; this depends on the referentiality of the arguments.
This may be applied to frequentive stems as well as to roots.
Determining the Temporal Point of Reference
The temporal point of reference for a coordinate clause is a modification of that of the next clause in the sequence.
The temporal point of reference for a subordinate clause is the same as the effective time of the host clause.
The temporal point of reference for a participle is the same as the effective time of the matrix clause.
- The effective time of a main clause with present tense is the time of utterance.
- The effective time of a main clause with future tense is subsequent to the time of
utterance.
- The effective time of a main clause with either of the past tenses is prior to the
time of utterance.
- The effective time of a simultaneous coordinate clause is the temporal point of
reference.
- The effective time of a sequential coordinate clause is prior to the temporal point
of reference. However, a future time remains future.
- The effective time of an indeterminate coordinate clause remains present if the
temporal point of reference is present, future if future, and past if past.
- See the following section for the effective time of a subordinate matrix.
Adjunct Clauses
The aspect of a the subordinate verb in a temporal adjunct clause determines the temporal relationship between the subordinate clause and its host clause.
One use of temporal adjuncts is to translate depictive secondary predicates (using perfect aspect).
The following table shows the relations between the time of the adjunct situation and the time of the host situation.
Temporal Adjunct Relations
Tag | Aspect | Relation |
Aor | Aoristic |
adjunct during host |
Prg | Progressive |
host during adjunct |
Prf | Perfect |
host after adjunct |
Pro | Prospective |
host before adjunct |
Other Usage
Demonstrative Usage
The demonstratives are used both spatially and metaphorically.
There are 2 ways that the demonstratives can constrast; which one applies depends on the context.
Demonstrative Contrasts
Tag | Name | Contrast 1 | Contrast 2 |
Prox | Proximal |
1st person |
Inclusive person |
Medi | Medial |
2nd person |
3rd person (non-remote) |
Dist | Distal |
3rd person |
3rd person remote |
page started: 2016.Jun.12 Sun
current date: 2016.Jun.26 Sun
content and form originated by qiihoskeh
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