Dec23 –  A Constructed Language

Dec23 Usage

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


Tense and Action Type

The past, present, and future tenses are basically relative to some temporal point of reference. When this is the moment of utterence, such as in a final clause, the tense is effectively absolute.

Event verbs are interpreted as being progressive at the moment of utterence and usually as aoristic elsewhere. Process verbs are typically progressive, but can be aoristic when the tense isn't absolute. State verbs are stative (or perfect if a prior change of state is implied by the presence of an agent or instrument).

Evidentials

The evidentials include the evidentially indirect epistemic modals.


Determiner Usage

The demonstrative verbs and pronouns are generally used in contrast to each other:

The indefinite verb is used to make sure the phrase is specific but not definite. The non-referential verb is used when the phrase is not specific.

Grammatical Voice and Argument Structure Classes

The argument structure class of a verb determines the semantic roles of the arguments. The following table the set of argument roles and genders for each class, along with some additional information:

Argument Structure Classes
Class Examples 1st Role 2nd Role Group
Gender Semantics Gender Semantics
R Relational in either Locatee either Location C
A Actional run Inan. Route Anim. Actor A
I Agentive eat, see either Patient Anim. Agent
E Experiential angry either Stimulus Anim. Experiencer
D Ditransitive give Inan. Theme Anim. Donor
T Patientive break Anim.* Agent* either Patient B
S Descriptive hot Anim.* Agent* either Descriptee
Q Quantity many - - either Descriptee
* Might allow Inanimate Instrument instead.

The ditransitive class also has a 3rd argument: an animate recipient. Note that for some verbs, the donor and recipient semantics are reversed.

The following table shows how the roles are assigned to the arguments of the verb groups in various morphosyntactical situations. The groups are given in the table above; the C Group is not included here. The Impl. columns specify the role type of the implicit argument and the Expl. columns specify the role type of the explicit argument.

Argument Role Inversions
Situation Argument Marked Unmarked
A Group B Group A Group B Group
Impl. Expl. Impl. Expl. Impl. Expl. Impl. Expl.
1 Non-coreferential 0 2nd 0 2nd impersonal
2 Direct 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 2nd 0 2nd 0
3 Inverse 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 1st 0 1st 0
4 Modal 2nd 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 0 1st 0

page started: 2017.Dec.26 Tue
current date: 2017.Dec.29 Fri
content and form originated by qiihoskeh

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