P2 –  A Constructed Language

P2 Morphology

P2 lacks typical morphosyntactical parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, although they do exist semantically.

Word Classes

P2 has only two kinds of words: composites and particles. Particles are subdivided according to the syntactical function they perform. They aren't inflected, but may be proclitic. Each composite has a stem composed of two parts: a noun or pronoun part (stator) followed by a verb or case part (motor), cases and pronouns providing semantic linkage and noun roots and verb roots providing content. Composites are inflected for number, pluractionality, volition, and effect and may also be modified by additional roots.

Some noun roots are independent and denote sets of entities while others are dependent and denote functions (in the mathematical sense; they select subsets of the stem's referent, but usually not by simple intersection). A composite's basic noun root is always independent and any dependent noun roots precede it.

It should be mentioned that many dependent noun roots correspond to verb roots with similar meanings and that some of these are actually stems derived from the verb roots. However, they denote inherent characteristics, unlike the verb roots.

Composite Morphology

The morphology of a composite is show by the outline and graph below:

  1. proclitic = sentence type or Clause Type
  2. the syntactical Word
    1. prefix = fusion of Number+Pluraction
    2. the Stem
      1. prefix = DNoun*: 0 or more dependent nouns
      2. root = INoun/Pronoun: independent noun or pronoun
      3. interfix = Associative
      4. interfix = Collective
      5. root = Verb/Case
    3. suffix = Aspect
    4. suffix = Polarity
    5. suffix = Final: fusion of volition and affectedness
  3. enclitic = Other TAM: fusion of
    1. Tense
    2. Evidential/Epistemic

diagram of P2 word structure

Closed-Class Designations

Basic Quantifiers

P2 quantifiers behave as verbs rather than as nouns.

Basic Quantifiers
Key Description Glosses
-e, -E = existential (indefinite) "some", "any"
-z, -Z = negative existential "none"
-u, -U = universal "all", "every"
-v, -V = negative universal  

Stem Components

The word components are grouped this way due to morphonotactic interaction. They will be grouped by semantics in the Syntax chapter.

Pronominal Roots and Association

Pronominal roots use the designations given in the following table; where two are given, the upper case is for kinds and the lower case for entities; this is paralleled in the forms column. The personal pronominals can be modified for association instead; the latter forms are in parentheses. The tag for kinds is -Kin and the tag for association is -Asc.

Basic Pronominal Roots
Key Forms Description Class
k- ki (kya:) k-person (singular) personal
l- li (lya:) l-person (singular)
m- me (mya:) = k + l (inclusive)
o- de (dya:) anaphoric (obviative).
p- ci (ca:) anaphoric (proximative).
s-, S- to, te: preceding proposition subordinating
t-, T- za, ze: following proposition
r-, R- go, ge: restrictive relative relative
n-, N- no, ne: indefinite relative
q-, Q- fi, fye: interrogative (content question) other
w-, W- wa, we: generic noun
x- xa reflexive coreference
y- o pivot (conjunctive)

Case Roots and Collective

The 2nd column under Forms shows the case roots combined with the collective entity marker (-Col) and the 1st shows them without. A collective form can't be used with either the non-associative form of a personal pronominal, the reflexive, or the pivot.

Case Roots
Forms Tag Role Name Role Description Finals Implied
ny, ni nni Don Donor entity providing theme all Vol Una
ty nty Agt Agent entity performing action all Vol Una
r, ro mro Beh Beholder entity perceiving situation all Inv Una
k nk Sub Subject ? entity located all Inv Una
k nk Def Defined ? entity identified or defined none -
vo, va nva Rcp Recipient entity receiving theme -IU, -VU Inv -
pi mpi, mpye Pat Patient entity undergoing process -IU, -IA - Aff

Noun and Verb Roots

Affixes

Number and Pluraction

Number Suffixes
Tag Description Notes
 -S 1 entity 1 occasion  
 -P 2+ entities 1 occasion  
 -HabS 1 entity 2+ occasion  
 -Dia 2+ entities 2+ occasion but 1 entity per occasion and vice versa
 -HabP 2+ entities 2+ occasion unlimited combination

Aspect

Polarity

Final: Volition and Affectedness

Final Suffixes
Tag ??? ??? Notes
-IU Inv Una unmarked
-IA Inv Aff  
-VU Vol Una  
-VA Vol Aff  

Clitics

Tense, Epistemic Modals, and Evidentials

Tense Prefixes
Tag Description Glosses
Now- absolute present "now"
Pst- definite past "then"

Sentence and Clause Type

Sentence-type and clause type marking are accomplished using proclitic particles. These are:

Proclitic Particles
Key Forms Description Glosses Class
. po= declarative (statements) sentence-type particle
! sa= imperative (commands)
? je= interogative (polar questions)
& do= logical conjunction "and" conjunctive clause-type
| bi= logical disjunction "and/or"
# he= logical exclusion "or"

page started: 2010.Jun.17 Thu
current date: 2010.Jun.26 Sat
 content and form originated by qiihoskeh

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