K4 –  A Constructed Language

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K4 Syntax

Phrases

The order of phrase components is

Case  Determiner  Quantifier  Noun  Attributives  RelativeClause

• The noun is the only required component of the phrase.
• If no determiner or quantifier appears, the phrase is indefinite.
• Case is proclitic, as are certain determiners and quantifiers.
• The cases are absolutive (unmarked), ergative (Erg), dative (Dat), genitive (Gen), and partitive (Par).
• The determiners include the definite article (Def), the specific article (Spc), the demonstrative determiners, and the content question determiner (CQ).
• The quantifiers include the universal quantifier (Uni), the existential quantifier (Exi), the nullar quantifier (Nul), and the singular marker (S).
• Attributives are headed by attributive verb forms.

Usage of the Cases

The absolutive, ergative, and dative cases are used for arguments of the verb. The genitive case is obsolete; possessed nouns are either bivalent or made so, with the unmarked possessor noun phrase following the possessum. The partitive case is used in the partitive construction.

Clauses

Sentence-Initial Components

The initial complex must appear first in the clause (if non-zero), but after any conjunction. Any content question phrase appears immediately after the initial complex. The rhetorical question termination particle (RQT) falls into the conjunction category, as do Ior, Sel, and the temporal conjunctions.

Order of Other Clause Components

The order of the verb, its arguments, and any adjuncts is free except that a certain position (to be determined) marks the phrase for subsequent SS reference.

Identity, Definition, and Existence

A clause of identity consists of 2 non-indefinite noun phrases or a single non-indefinite noun phrase to which a subject pronominal is prefixed.

A clause of definition consists of an indefinite noun phrase and a non-indefinite one or an indefinite noun phrase to which a subject pronominal is prefixed.

A clause of existence consists of just an indefinite noun phrase or a disjunct pronoun.

All the above phrases take the absolutive (unmarked) case.

Other Verbless Clauses

A dative-case noun phrase or dative-case pronoun can be used as a predicate without a verb. Also, an ergative-case noun phrase or ergative-case pronoun can be used as a predicate without a verb. The former is typically translated as "is at" and the latter as "does".

Adjuncts

There are 3 kinds of adjuncts: adverbs, secondary predicates, and adverbial clauses, the last including temporal clauses.

There are 2 kinds of secondary predicates: depictive and resultative. The forms marked by Rsl- are resultative; those marked by HA- or HP- are depictive with HA- coreferencing the host verb's agent argument and HP- coreferencing the host verb's patient.

Usage

Usage of the Tenses

The experiential past (Exp) and eventual future (Eve) are used for situations taking place at an indefinite time, while definite past or future (DT) is used for situations taking place at a definite time. The present (Prs) is used conventionally and the sequential (Seq) is used when the situation follows that of the previous clause.

Tense and Initializer Combinations

Initializer	unmarked	Defin.	Present	Exper.	Event.	Sequen.
Imp	immediate	future	#	#	yes	yes
PQ	definite	#	yes	yes	yes	yes
RQT	definite	#	yes	yes	yes	yes
(none)	definite	#	yes	yes	yes	yes
Ior	definite	#	yes	yes	yes	#
Sel	definite	#	yes	yes	yes	#
Temporal	definite	#	#	yes	yes	#
Sub	contextual	#	#	#	#	#

page started: 2012.Jun.28 Thu
current date: 2012.Jul.01 Sun
content and form originated by qiihoskeh

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