Roots and Stems
▲
0▲ 0 ▼ 0
Some notes on roots and stems
This private article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 6 May 2024, 20:20.
[comments] untagged
1. Determiners
?
?
2. Noun Declension
?
?
5. Roots and Stems
?
?
6. Verb Conjugation
?
?
7. Word Formation
?
?
?FYI...
This article is a work in progress! Check back later in case any changes have occurred.
This article is a work in progress! Check back later in case any changes have occurred.
Stems
The purpose of this article is to describe every possible stem and its inflections, conjugations and derivation in
Tsunem.The root has only fortis consonants, some of which must be lenited while others may be enclipsed in the formation of the stem.
When two consonants follow each other, one of three things can happen:
- If the preceding syllable is stressed, the first consonant remains the coda of the preceding syllable, the second remains the onset of the syllable; or else
- if both consonants have the same secondary articulation, the consonants merge to form the syllable onset of the syllable; or else
- an epenthetic vowel is inserted.
On the one hand noun stems can be derived directly from the root, or from other noun stems, on the other hand they can be derived from verb stems. This variety of derivation results in many different forms of noun stems.
The following general rules apply to the inflection of nouns:
- Absolutive: natural stem with a stressed vowel
- Genitive: deletion of stress or stressed vowel
- Ergative: genitive with prefix hi-
- Instrumentative I: genitive with prefix ho-
- Instrumentative II: dative with prefix ho- (also locative case)
- Dative: stem with stressed vowel and prefix hi-
- Locative: stem with stressed vowel and prefix ho- (also instrumentative II)
- Ablative: genitive with a vowel suffix: -u, -o, -i or -e.
NOTE: ho- becomes ha- when unstressed.
The most basic noun stem, then, consists of one CV element, which is declined as follows:
- Absolutive CV e.g. cú
- Genitive C e.g. uch
- Ergative hi-C e.g. hiuch
- Instrumentative (II) ho-CV e.g. hacú
- Dative hi-CV e.g. hiucú
- Locative ho-CV e.g. hacú
- Ablative V1CV e.g. ucú
A stem that is one step more complicated is the CVC stem, found in certain primary nouns. In the genitive, ergative and instrumentative cases it will be necessary to add an echo vowel to comply with the require syllable structure.
- Absolutive CVC e.g. cúh /kʷusʷ/ → [kʷu:]<
- Genitive CC e.g. chu /kʷsʷ/ → [xʷu]
- Ergative hi-CC e.g. hiuchu [juxʷu]
- Instrumentative (II) ho-CVC e.g. hacúh [ɒkʷu]
- Dative hi-CVC e.g. hiucúh [jukʷu:]
- Locative ho-CVC e.g. hacúh[jɒkʷu:]
- Ablative V1CCV e.g. uchú [ukʷu]
One of the more typical forms for noun stems is CVCG. These nouns are derived from the primary CVC noun/verb stem with a -G (glide) suffix. The glide is elided but determines the secondary articulation of the final consonant: cus-y /kʷusʷ-ɰ/ → cusy /kʷusˠ/ → cuos [kʷɔsˠ]
- Absolutive CVGC cuoth [kʷɔθˠ]
- Genitive CGC coth [kˠʌθˠ]
- Ergative hi-CGC hiocoth [jʌˈkˠʌθˠ]
- Instrumentative (I) ho-CGC hacoth [ɑˈkˠʌθˠ]
- Dative hi-CVGC hiucuoth [juˈkʷɔθˠ]
- Locative ho-CVGC hacuoth [ɑˈkʷɔθˠ]
- Ablative G-CGC (h)ocoth [ɑkˠˈʌθˠ]
Some CVCV stems are derived from a CV stem with a CV- prefix, which does not change through inflection.
- Absolutive tucu
- Genitive tuch
- Ergative tiuch
- Instrumentative (II) tacu
- Dative tiucu
- Locative tacu
- Ablative tucú
Triconsonantal stems are either derived from primary (mono- or biconsonantal) noun stems or from triconsonantal verb stems.
The triconsonantal stem can be CCVC when derived from a CVC stem with a C- prefix. Such stems are derived from nouns and verbs.
- Absolutive C-CVC e.g. sceth
- Genitive C-CC e.g. séth
- Ergative C-(h)i-CC e.g. síeth
- Instrumentative (I) C-(h)o-CC e.g. sóeth
- Dative C-i-CVC e.g. sicéth
- Locative C-o-CVC e.g. soacéth
- Ablative C-CCV e.g. sathé
Another form is the CCVCCV from the conjunctive of the verb or the genitive of a noun. It is re-analized and declined as a CV stem with a CVC- prefix which changes to CC, when the vowel is redundant. The middle to consonants can be soft-strong or strong-soft, depending on the origin of the word. The accent in soft-strong will generally fall on the final syllable, and in strong-soft on the penultimate.
- Absolutive CCV-CVC e.g. ntiopónd [ɟiɑ̯ˈpˠʌnˠ]
- Genitive CCV-CC e.g. ntiodh [ɟjʌl]
- Ergative CCV-(h)i-CC e.g. ntihiodh [ɟiˈjʌl]
- Instrumentative (I) CCV-(h)o-CC e.g. ntiohodh [ɟiɑ̯ˈɰʌl]
- Dative CCV-(h)i-CVC e.g.ntiuhupond [ˌɟiwuˈpˠʌnˠ]
- Locative CCV-(h)o-CVC e.g. ntiohapond [ˌɟiɑ̯ɰɑˈpˠʌnˠ]
- Ablative CCV-CCV e.g. ntiodho [ɟjɑ̯ˈlʌ]
Although the verb stems are simple in their composition, their forms are all the more complicated. The basic principles are:
- Indicative: stem with one accented stem vowel.
- Conjunctive: accented stem vowel placed to the end of the stem.
- Transitive active: stem with infix -e-
- Transitive mediopassive: stem with -i-
- Intransitive: stem without prefix, but echo vowel may be present.
NOTE: the verb stem is not a full form. The infinitive will have prefix h- if the verb starts with a vowel. In the other forms, the -e- or -i- will color the prefix: shi-e- > she, tlo-i > tli etc,
The smallest verb stem nucleus is CVC
- Transitive active indicative: -e-CVC, e.g. –aceh
- Transitive active conjunctive: -e-CCV, e.g. –ache
- Transitive medio-passive indicative: -i-CVC, e.g. –iceh
- Transitive medio-passive conjunctive: -i-CCV, e.g. –iche
- Intransitive indicative: CVC, e.g. –ceh
- Intransitive conjunctive: CCV, e.g. –che
The other verb stem is the CCVCVC stem, which can analyzed as an inflected CVC stem with a CCV- prefix
- Transitive active indicative: e-CCVCVC, e.g. –eochoahuch [ˌɛɑxˠɑˈwuxʷ] -é-tco-húc > éochoa(u)húch
- Transitive active conjunctive: e-CCVCCV, e.g. –eaochohcu [æɑˌxˠɔ:ˈkʷu] -e-tcóhcú > eachóhcú
- Transitive medio-passive indicative: i-CCVCVC, e.g. –iochoahuch [ˌiɑxˠɑˈwuxʷ]
- Transitive medio-passive conjunctive: i-CCVCCV, e.g. –iochohcu[iɑˌxˠɔ:ˈkʷu]
- Intransitive indicative: CCVCVC, e.g. choahuch
- Intransitive conjunctive: CCVCCV, e.g. chohcu
To change the class of the verb (-u-, -o-, -e-, -i-), the CCV- prefix is changed to the corresponding secondary articulation.
nibilh → ni-l-bilh → ne-bilh → nebilh
✎ Edit Article ✖ Delete Article
Comments
