Jaguar 3 –  A Constructed Language

Jaguar 3 Syntax

Legend: Definitions, Terms, <Text>, [IPA], -Tags-, and "Glosses".

Phrases

A phrase is either a pronoun or consists of a phrasal noun form preceded by any number of attributive constructions. A complement consists of a copular noun form preceded by any number of attributive constructions. An attributive construction consists of an attributive verb form possibly preceded by a phrasal noun form, which is required if the obviative argument of the attributive verb is 3rd person and omitted if not.

A phrase will be taken as the possessor of the following phrase if the noun of the 2nd phrase is marked as having a 3rd person posessor. This applies even when the 1st phrase is a 1st or 2nd person pronoun. The 2nd (possessum) phrase noun must lack a determiner.

Clauses

The types of clauses are finite, copular, and imperative. A finite clause consists of a finite verb form possibly preceded by an object and/or a subject, in that order. An imperative clause consists of a imperative verb form possibly preceded by an object. Both subject and object are argument phrases. Finite and imperative clauses may also contain adverbial phrases. In an adverbial phrase, the noun is adverbial while in an argument phrase the noun is non-adverbial. A copular clause consists of a complement possibly preceded by a subject.

The object is required if the obviative argument of the verb is 3rd person and omitted if not. The subject is required if the proximative argument of the verb is 3rd person and omitted if not.

'etintúu 'emixi 'íixeexaíneso?
'- e- t- intúu   '- e- m- ixi   '- íi- x- ee- x- aí- n- eso
Nul- Nom- 2- house   Nul- Nom- 1- cat   Nul- Dur- 3- Wit- 3- PQ- Sg- in
"Is my cat in your house?"

Clauses with certain verbs are trivalent instead of bivalent, having an additional 3rd person object (called the secondary object, with the marked object being the primary object). The secondary object precedes the primary object and can't be omitted (the unspecified personal pronoun 'en U-Abs may be used) except when the jaguar has the absolutive role, in which case the secondary object must be omitted. The trivalent verbs include "tell" and "give".

The object(s) and subject are the core arguments of the clause. A clause may also have oblique arguments preceding any core arguments. Each of these consists of either a non-absolutive pronoun or a postposition preceded by a phrase.

The 1st and 2nd person absolutive pronouns normally agree with the verb's person marking, being used to specify number and/or polarity. However, the verb is marked 3rd person when the 1st or 2nd person is focused.

Clause Pairing

Some clauses appear in asymmetric pairs, as shown in the following table:

Clause Pairing
1st Clause 2nd Clause
Relative Correlative
Adjunct Host
Complement Auxiliary

Relative-Correlative

Relative-correlative constructions are used rather than embedded relative clauses to modify nouns. The modified noun appears within the relative clause and takes the relative determiner suffix -Rel. Its place within the following correlative clause is taken by a definite pronoun 3-PR used as a correlate.

Adjunct-Host Constructions

A temporal adjunct specifies an event to which the time of the host situation is relative, using the aspect of the adjunct verb. Cause-effect and means-purpose are also adjunct-host pairs. The conjunction suffix determines the kind of adjunct-host construction.

Complement-Auxiliary

The auxiliary verb is inflected for a 3rd person object but instead of an embedded object in the auxiliary clause, the preposed complement clause appears. If the auxiliary verb is trivalent, the secondary object is the one replaced by the complement clause. When the subject of the auxiliary clause also appears in the complement clause, it's replaced by the definite pronoun 3-PR in the auxiliary clause and appears in the complement clause with the relative determiner suffix -Rel.

Verb Classes

There are 6 verb classes; 3 are dynamic and 3 are static. Some static verbs, especially in class 1a, are also scalar.

Verb Class Properties
# Example Role Usage Obv% Pro% DIR Action Type
ErgR DatR AbsR LocR
1 hot *cause* (perceiver) S *location* Abs Dat Inv Static
2a angry *cause* S (trigger) *location* Abs Dat Dir Static
2b see *cause* perceiver image *location*
3 give donor recipient theme *location* Dat Erg Dir Dynamic
4 kick agent *beneficiary* patient *location* Abs Erg Dir Dynamic
5 run *cause* *beneficiary* actor (location) Loc Abs Dir Dynamic
6 near *cause* *beneficiary* locatee location Loc Abs Dir Static

When the jaguar takes a core role (other than class 3 absolutive), the role is precluded from person marking and the obviative person must be marked as unspecified. If the precluded role is the subject role rather than the object role, the grammatical voice must be inverted. When the obviative person is unspecified and the aspect/mood is the default for the verb's class, the prefix is omitted.

'o'teemóona.
'- o'- t- ee- m- óona
Nul- Prf- 2- Wit- 1- see
"I saw you."

no''eemóona.
n- o'- '- ee- m- óona
AR- Prf- U- Wit- 1- see
"I saw the jaguar."

so''eetaápóona.
s- o'- '- ee- t- aá- p- óona
DR- Prf- U- Wit- 2- Inv- Act- see
"The jaguar saw you."

'ixi 'o'xeemipi'poó.
'- ixi   '- o'- x- ee- m- i- p- i'poó
Nul- cat   Nul- Prf- 3- Wit- 1- Dir- Act- small
"To me, the cat was small."

'ixi so''eexi'poó.
'- ixi   s- o'- '- ee- x- i'poó
Nul- cat   DR- Prf- U- Wit- 3- small
"To the jaguar, the cat was small."

no''eemipi'poó.
n- o'- '- ee- m- i- p- i'poó
AR- Prf- U- Wit- 1- Dir- Act- small
"To me, the jaguar was small."

'intúu 'ara 'o'xeexeso.
'- intúu   '- ara   '- o'- x- ee- x- eso
Nul- house   Nul- dog   Nul- Prf- 3- Wit- 3- in
"The dog was in the house."

'intúu no''eexaápeso.
'- intúu   n- o'- x- ee- x- aá- p- eso
Nul- house   AR- Prf- U- Wit- 3- Inv- Act- in
"The jaguar was in the house."

'ara ko''isxeso.
'- ara   k- o'- '- is- x- eso
Nul- dog   LR- Prf- U- EN- 3- in
"The dog was in the jaguar."

page started: 2016.Jan.07 Thu
current date: 2016.Jan.10 Sun
 content and form originated by qiihoskeh

Table of Contents