Almost every word is a combination of a noun or pronoun (the noun part) with a verb or case marker (the verb part), with the noun part first and the verb part last.
The basic morpheme in the noun part of a word is either a noun or a gender marker.
| Tag | Form | Description |
|---|---|---|
| -L= | -èl= | place |
| -T= | -os= | time when |
| -H= | -a= | person |
| -A= | -e= | other animate |
| -I= | -i= | inanimate |
| -X= | -au= | abstract |
A determiner prefix must be followed by a noun or gender marker. There are two groups. Those of the 1st group fuse with number marking (singular S or plural P):
| Singular | Plural | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tag | Form | Tag | Form | |
| US- | m(o)- | UP- | mis- | specific indefinite |
| DS- | p(o)- | DP- | pis- | demonstrative |
| 3S- | (')- | 3P- | s(o)- | definite |
The definite prefixes combined with the gender markers effectively form the 3rd person pronouns. Examples:
| 3P-H= | sa= | 3rd person, plural, person |
|---|---|---|
| US-I= | mi= | indefinite, singular, inanimate |
| UP-dog= | misxaufa= | some dogs |
Determiners of the 2nd group lack number marking:
| Tag | Form | Description |
|---|---|---|
| NR- | k(o)- | non-referential |
| CQ- | x(o)- | content question |
| Exi- | môk- | existential quantifier |
| Uni- | jâk- | universal quantifier |
| Nul- | ñæk- | nullar quantifier |
The non-referential determiner applies only to nouns.
| NR-dog= | koxaufa= | dogs, in general |
|---|---|---|
| Nul-T= | ñækos= | never |
A pronoun replaces the noun or determiner-gender marker combination. The kinds of pronouns are personal and special.
| Singular | Plural | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tag | Form | Tag | Form | |
| 1S= | fè= | 1P= | fô= | 1st person (exclusive) |
| = | = | NP= | jô= | 1st person (inclusive) |
| 2S= | ci= | 2P= | cû= | 2nd person |
| Tag | Form | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rel= | li= | relative pronoun |
| Cor= | wè= | verb's argument coreference |
| Rfx= | na= | agent (=Agt) coreference |
| Sub= | ta= | begins subordinate clause |
| Adv= | ti= | dummy pronoun for adverbs of manner |
| Deg= | ha= | dummy pronoun for adverbs of degree |
| Tag | Form | Description |
|---|---|---|
| =Abl | =mi | origin or source |
| =Agt | =n | agent |
| =All | =se | destination |
| =Ben | =pèc | beneficiary |
| =Cau | =tko | causer |
| =CLT | =lif | less than |
| =Cmp | =raf | more than |
| =Equ | =hê | as much as |
| =Gen | =r | possessor or whole |
| =Img | =k | what's perceived |
| =Ins | =ne | instrument |
| =Loc | =lo | location |
| =Mal | =ñol | maleficiary |
| =Rsl | =s | resultative |
| =Sat | =mpa | satisfactive |
| =Tar | =ka | target |
| =Tmp | =e | time when |
| =Via | =toq | route |
A copular suffix is appended to a noun root to make it act as a verb. As the aspect vowel is always the same, it will be omitted from interlinears.
| Tag | Form | Description |
|---|---|---|
| -Def | -me | copula of definition |
| -Id | -te | copula of identity |
The modals and aspectuals are verb part suffixes that appear only when needed and are appended to verbs but not case markers. The potential modal is always coreferential, though the content situation is irrealis. The aspectuals are coreferential cotemporal auxiliaries such as the process phases. The epistemic modals implicitly reference the speaker (or the addressee in questions). The order of suffixes is
-Potential-Aspectual-Aspect-Epistemic
| Tag | Suffix | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| -Pot | -upt | physical possibility | modal |
| -Beg | -uxl | begin | aspectual |
| -Pau | -u'm | pause | |
| -Res | -unt | resume | |
| -Fin | -us' | finish | |
| -Con | -onat | continue | |
| -Rep | -oxal | repeat | |
| -EP | -q | epistemic possibility | modal |
| -EN | -s | epistemic necessity |
The aspect suffixes are required on verbs, but are not appended to case-markers.
| Tag | Final | + EN | + EP | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -Aor | -i | -is | -uq | aoristic |
| -Hab | -e | -ès | -oq | habitual |
| -Dur | -a | -as | -aq | durative |
The suffix -ic (-V) is appended to a determiner of the 2nd group (in place of the gender marker) to derive a locational verb.
| Tag | Form | Gloss |
|---|---|---|
| =CQ-V | =xic | "where?" |
| =Exi-V | =môkic | "somewhere" |
| =Uni-V | =jâkic | "everywhere" |
| =Nul-V | =ñækic | "nowhere" |
page started: 2013.Feb.02 Sat
current date: 2013.Feb.06 Wed
content and form originated by qiihoskeh
table of contents