Legend: Definitions, Terms, <Text>, [IPA], -Tags-, and "Glosses".
The word classes are verbs, which are inflected, and various kinds of particles. Verbs are subdivided into univalent, bivalent, and trivalent verbs and are also classified according to action type. Some verbs are also scalar or quantity words.
Verbs are inflected for polarity, aspect, role, voice, and person and number of up to 2 arguments. There are also proclitic particles either marking tense or introducing clauses.
The proclitic particles are show in the following table:
| Word | Tag | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ni | Prs | absolute present | tense |
| do | Pst | absolute past | |
| fa | Fut | absolute future | |
| relative present | |||
| le | Cpl | complementizer | other |
Morphological polarity is either positive (unmarked) or negative marked by pen- Neg- in the 1st prefix slot. Polar questions are handled by syntax.
Aspect may be marked by in the 2nd prefix slot; the aspects are shown in the following table:
| Prefix | Tag | Aspect |
|---|---|---|
| sa-, s- | Sta- | Stative-perfect |
| mi-, N- | Pro- | Progressive-prospective |
| ko-, k- | Aor- | Aoristic |
| fi- | Hab- | Habitual |
Each verb stem has an implicit action type which determines what aspect is in effect when no aspect prefix appears.
| Name | Unmarked Aspect |
|---|---|
| Static | Stative-perfect |
| Dynamic | Progressive-prospective |
| Telic | Aoristic |
| Habitual | Habitual |
Applicatives are optional suffixes which replace the patient's role, making univalent stems bivalent. They appear in the 1st suffix slot and are shown in the following table:
| Suffix | Tag | Name |
|---|---|---|
| -hen | -Ben | Benefactive |
| -'ox | -Mal | Malefactive |
| -wih | -Com | Comitative |
| -nak | -Loc | Locative |
A verb stem is either bivalent or univalent. The 2nd suffix slot determines the direction of action of a bivalent verb and may also make it univalent. The suffixes are shown in the following table:
| Suffix | Tag | Name | Agent | Patient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .Dir | Direct | proximate | obviative | |
| -t, -id | -Inv | Inverse | obviative | proximate |
| -l, -il | -Ant | Antipassive | proximate | none |
| -s, -is | -Pas | Passive | none | proximate |
| -m, -im | -Rfx | Reflexive | proximate | |
Agreement is marked in the 3rd suffix slot, as shown by the following table:
| Suffix | Transit | Intrans | Proximate | Obviative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -yo, -io | -2/1S | - | 2nd person | 1st person singular |
| -au | -2/1P | - | 2nd person | 1st person plural |
| -o | -2/3 | -2 | 2nd person | 3rd person or none |
| -or | -Incl/3 | -Incl | Inclusive person | 3rd person or none |
| -i | -1S/3 | -1S | 1st person singular | 3rd person or none |
| -en | -1P/3 | -1P | 1st person plural | 3rd person or none |
| -a | -3/3 | -3 | 3rd person | 3rd person or none |
| nibentoktyo. |
|---|
| ni=pen-tok-t-yo |
| Prs=Neg-see-Inv-2/1S |
| "I don't see you." |
| dokprinhenau. |
|---|
| do=ko-prin-hen-au |
| Pst=Aor-dance-Ben-2/1P |
| "You danced for us." |
Derivation is accomplished by prefixing and compounding. Compounding uses a head-modifier order. There are no distinct comparative and superlative forms.
Collective verb stems are derived from verb roots using the prefix Coll-.
There are other prefixes that derive verbs from verbs, such as the causative Caus- which applies to univalent roots and the autocausative Auto- which applies to bivalent roots.
The ablative prefix i- Abl- may appear between the aspect (which is required here) and the stem of univalent locational verbs. Compare dogoidyaaba "whence" (do=ko-i-tyaab-a) with doktyaaba "whither" (do=ko-tyaab-a).
The thematic prefix tle- applies directly to a root, incorporating it as the theme of a bivalent verb such that the agent's referent applies its referent to the patient's referent.
Cardinal numbers are quantity verbs:
| Value | Initial | Value | Initial | Value | Initial | Value | Initial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | syin·a | 10 | tay·a | 100 | nesy·a | 1000 | ·a |
| 2 | hor·a | 20 | taihor·a | 200 | nesyhor·a | 2000 | ·a |
| 3 | xam·a | 30 | taixam·a | 300 | nesyxam·a | 3000 | ·a |
| 4 | pes·a | 40 | taibes·a | 400 | nesypes·a | 4000 | ·a |
| 5 | tal·a | 50 | taidal·a | 500 | nesytal·a | 5000 | ·a |
| 6 | xand·a | 60 | taixand·a | 600 | nesyxand·a | 6000 | ·a |
| 7 | kooy·a | 70 | taigooy·a | 700 | nesykooy·a | 7000 | ·a |
| 8 | perr·a | 80 | taiberr·a | 800 | nesyperr·a | 8000 | ·a |
| 9 | serm·a | 90 | taiserm·a | 900 | nesyserm·a | 9000 | ·a |
Compound numbers are formed largest value to smallest value with all but the last number taking the suffix -e instead of the agreement suffix, e.g. nesyxande-taibese-hor·a "642". Zero is puux·a.
Fractional numbers represent denominators formed from cardinal numbers. They're formed by ... the derivational ... - - to the stem of the last part of the number, e.g. - "-%".
The ordinal prefix yok- Ord- derives ordinal number verbs from cardinal number verbs.
page started: 2017.Apr.29 Sat
current date: 2017.May.09 Tue
content and form originated by qiihoskeh
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