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Tnaaq relative clauses
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This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 17 Aug 2020, 03:22.

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Menu 1. Relative clause properties 2. Subject and object 3. Indirect and obliques 4. Genitives 5. Locatives
Tnaaq forms relative clauses with the relativizer n.

Tnaaq can make relatives out of subject, direct object, indirect object and locatives, besides several oblique antecedents.

[edit] [top]Relative clause properties

Relative clauses can't be formed with an auxiliar. Perfective is marked by the suffix -t for every verb, and future reference only uses irrealis i-. Imperfective is used instead of progressive.

[edit] [top]Subject and object

For subject relativizations of intransitive verbs no person clitic is needed, as in patient relativizations of transitive verbs.

Tys kaiuta n naratr.
Tys
3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
.DISTDistal (proximity)
far from speaker (and addressee)
.SWind element (gender/class)
k-a-iuta
DEFDefinite
"the"
-HUMHuman (gender/class)
human or belonging to human
-man
n
RELRelative
nar-at-t
run-TRASUnknown code-PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action

That's the man who ran away

For transitive verbs the ergative clitic is used for the agent and the verb agrees with the patient.

Tys kaiuta nt quqaat sysant.
Tys
3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
.DISTDistal (proximity)
far from speaker (and addressee)
.SINGUnknown code.NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument
k-a-iuta
REFReferential (case)
about, regarding, on the topic of
-HUMHuman (gender/class)
human or belonging to human
-man
n=t
RELRelative
quqaat
yesterday
s-san-t
1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I
-see-PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action


That's the man who saw me yesterday

Tys kaiuta nt quqaat sant.
Tys
3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
.DISTDistal (proximity)
far from speaker (and addressee)
.SINGUnknown code.NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument
k-a-iuta
REFReferential (case)
about, regarding, on the topic of
-HUMHuman (gender/class)
human or belonging to human
-man
n=t
RELRelative=3MThird person masculine (person)
he/they
quqaat
yesterday
san-t
see-PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action


That's the man who saw him/her yesterday

Tys kaiuta ns quqaat sant.
Tys
3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
.DISTDistal (proximity)
far from speaker (and addressee)
.SINGUnknown code.NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument
k-a-iuta
REFReferential (case)
about, regarding, on the topic of
-HUMHuman (gender/class)
human or belonging to human
-man
n=s
RELRelative=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I
.ERGErgative (case)
TRANS subject; agent
quqaat
yesterday
san-t
see-PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action


That's the man whom I saw yesterday

Tys kaiuta nn quqaat sant.
Tys
3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
.DISTDistal (proximity)
far from speaker (and addressee)
.SINGUnknown code.NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument
k-a-iuta
REFReferential (case)
about, regarding, on the topic of
-HUMHuman (gender/class)
human or belonging to human
-man
n=n
RELRelative=3FThird person feminine (person)
she/they
quqaat
yesterday
san-t
see-PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action


That's the man whom she saw yesterday

[edit] [top]Indirect and obliques

When a verb is ditransitive both object arguments can be relativized with the same form, without clitics. Disambiguation occurs through context.
Tys kaiuta ns ruut kansarau
Tys
3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
.DISTDistal (proximity)
far from speaker (and addressee)
.SWind element (gender/class)
k-a-iuta
REFReferential (case)
about, regarding, on the topic of
-HUMHuman (gender/class)
human or belonging to human
-man
n=s
RELRelative=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I
ruu-t
3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
-give-PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action
k-a-n-sarau
DEFDefinite
"the"
-NMZNominaliser
makes other word a noun
-PASPast
action occurred before moment of speech
-write

That’s the man who I gave the letter to.

Uu kansarau ns ruut kaiuta
Tys
3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
.DISTDistal (proximity)
far from speaker (and addressee)
.SWind element (gender/class)
k-a-iuta
REFReferential (case)
about, regarding, on the topic of
-HUMHuman (gender/class)
human or belonging to human
-man
n=s
RELRelative=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I
ruu-t
give-PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action
k-a-n-sarau
DEFDefinite
"the"
-NMZNominaliser
makes other word a noun
-PASPast
action occurred before moment of speech
-write

That’s the letter that I gave to the man.

Another way to disambiguate is to use an applicative to relativize the indirect object.

Tys kaiuta ns nuhtuut kasaraut
Tys
3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
.DISTDistal (proximity)
far from speaker (and addressee)
.SWind element (gender/class)
k-a-iuta
REFReferential (case)
about, regarding, on the topic of
-HUMHuman (gender/class)
human or belonging to human
-man
n=s
RELRelative=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I
nuh-ruu-t
3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
-APLUnknown code-give-PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action
k-a-n-sarau
DEFDefinite
"the"
-NMZNominaliser
makes other word a noun
-PASPast
action occurred before moment of speech
-write

That’s the man who I gave the letter to.

Tys kansarau ns anqruut (s kaiuta)
Tys
3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
.DISTDistal (proximity)
far from speaker (and addressee)
.SWind element (gender/class)
k-a-iuta
REFReferential (case)
about, regarding, on the topic of
-HUMHuman (gender/class)
human or belonging to human
-man
n=s
RELRelative=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I
anq-ruu-t
3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
-ANTIPAntipassive voice (valency)
valency is decreased by one
-give-PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action
s
PREPPrepositional (case/POS)
general prep phrs/POS marker
k-a-n-sarau
DEFDefinite
"the"
-NMZNominaliser
makes other word a noun
-PASPast
action occurred before moment of speech
-write

That’s the letter that I gave (to the man).

Other arguments may be relativized with a locative verb if the verb requires so.

Tys kaiuta nrk snyyhq
Tys
3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
.DISTDistal (proximity)
far from speaker (and addressee)
.SINGUnknown code.NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument
k-a-iuta
REFReferential (case)
about, regarding, on the topic of
-HUMHuman (gender/class)
human or belonging to human
-man
n=rk
RELRelative=3MThird person masculine (person)
he/they
.LOCLocative (case)
'in, on, at' etc
snyyhq
talk

That’s the man who I was talking about (lit. in).

[edit] [top]Genitives

Genitives are relativized as if the posessor were an oblique. The verb usually takes the applicative nur-/nuh-

Tys kaiuta nrts nustah naisak.
Tys
DISTDistal (proximity)
far from speaker (and addressee)
.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity
iuuta
HUMHuman (gender/class)
human or belonging to human
-man
n=rt=s
RELRelative=3MThird person masculine (person)
he/they
.OBLOblique (argument)
indirect or demoted object
=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I
nuh-stah
APLUnknown code-know
na-isak
FFeminine gender (gender)
feminine or female
-sister

That’s the man whose sister I know.

[edit] [top]Locatives

Locatives require locative clitics :D Locations often are gendered with masculine or feminine gender, triggering agreement.

Niik hkaqurt nnks sant kaiuta
Niik
DISTDistal (proximity)
far from speaker (and addressee)
.FFeminine gender (gender)
feminine or female
.LOCLocative (case)
'in, on, at' etc
q-kaqurt
DEFDefinite
"the"
-beach
n=nk=s
RELRelative=3FThird person feminine (person)
she/they
.LOCLocative (case)
'in, on, at' etc
=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I
.NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument
san-t
see-PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action
k-a-iuta
DEFDefinite
"the"
-HUMHuman (gender/class)
human or belonging to human
-man

That’s the beach where I saw the man.

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