Verbal inflection
There is a range of TAM suffixes, as well as one third person prefix.
The third person prefix ta-
The only inflectional morphology is a third person prefix ta-. It only occurs on transitive verbs, and seems to be restricted to 3>3 scenarios, i.e. when a third person referent is acting on another third person referent . However, it is not obligatory . Also, it can cooccur with free noun phrases referencing either the A or the P . The conditioning factors for its (non-)occurrence in 3>3 scenarios are unknown. Note that the free pronouns wïrë, mërë and ejnë (Pronouns) can occur in the same location as ta-, but also on intransitive verbs (see Simple verbal clauses). to do: small study: length/prominence of first and second person?
Main clause tense‑aspect‑mood‑polarity suffixes
Verbs in main clauses are inflected for TAMP with a set of suffixes, shown in ref. They are discussed in ref; for a detailed overview of past markers see Cáceres & Gildea (2022) to do: add to bibliography.
| Suffix | Function |
|---|---|
| -ri | imperfective |
| -jpë | past |
| -se | past perfective |
| -sapë | perfect |
| -sarë | imminent future |
| -nëpëkë | progressive (intr) |
| pëkë | progressive (tr) |
| ‑tojpano | future |
| (-tojpe) | future |
| -ja | negation |
| -se-mï | obligation |
| -në | impersonal S |
| -topo | ? |
| Suffix | Function |
|---|---|
| ‑jrama | prohibitive |
| -i | jussive |
| -kë | imperative |
| -ta | motion imperative |
to do: discuss =pano 'conclusion'
The imperfective -ri
- allomorphy:
- most conservative form: -rï ‘ipfv’
- /ï/ > /i/ (Vowels): -ri ‘ipfv’
- phonetic loss: -∅ ‘ipfv’ (Syllable Reduction)
- assimilation: -ru ‘ipfv’ (Vowel harmony)
- diachrony: from -ri ‘acnnmlz’ (The action nominalizer -ri)
- plural: kontomo ‘pl’
- negation: jra ‘neg’ , but potentially two distinct etymologies to do: -ri with postverbal [possessed?] arguments?
- semantics:
-jpë
- allomorphy: none?
- semantics: unclear to do: investigate semantics of -jpë
- diachrony: from -jpë ‘pst.acnnmlz’ (The past nominalizer -jpë)
- negated with jra
- plural: kontomo
-se
- allomorphy: -se/-che ‘ptcp, sup’ (Palatalization)
- diachrony: from -se ‘ptcp, sup’ to do: where is the participle discussed?
- negation: replaced with -ja ‘neg’ (see also crossref#cldf:negation))
- plural: kontomo ‘pl’ and jne ‘pl’
- semantics: unclear to do: semantics of se?
-sapë
- diachrony: from -sapë ‘abs.nmlz’ (The absolutive nominalizer -sapë)
- allomorphy: -sapë and -saj (Syllable Reduction)
- negation: with -ja ‘neg’ on lexical verb
- plural: kontomo ‘pl’
to do: semantics?
-sarë
- once a converb, now 'imminent future'
- allomorphy: -charë (Palatalization)
- negation: ?
- semantics: ?
- plural: ?
Subordinate Clause markers
to do: decide if these should be moved to another section
- Nominalizations
- Adverbial Clauses (S/A)
- Nominalization + postposition (S/P)
- not attested:
- se 'des'
- -ajtawï 'if when'
Number
The main number marking strategy for verbs uses the particle kontomo ‘pl’, which usually encliticizes to the verb. It occurs with all major TAM suffixes .
- verbal plural patterns:
Copula / Auxiliary
- there is (synchronically suppletive) stem allomorphy: chi and wej
TBD:
- add a paradigm of the copula
- find potential particles developed from inflected forms: man, wai, manai, etc
- are there irregular past/perfect participles? nahkë, etc?
- ejnë may come from an inflected form of the copula