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Grammar of Yungchangese
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This private article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 6 Jun 2019, 09:07.

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Menu 1. Syntax 2. Morphology

[edit] [top]Syntax


Word order
- Basic word order: VSO/SVO
- adpositions are prepositions

Negation

Negation is formed by using the negative prefix ak- on verbs.

Some verbs have specific forms for negations. The negative form of vie "to be, to exist" is mie.

Possession

Yungchangese has no verb equivalent to English "to have", predicative possession is formed by using the structure -vie "to be" + -am "with", which literally means "to be with someone/something". For example:

- mivie tzam i naam - m-vie tz-am i naam - 2.SG-be 3.SG-with INDEF house - you have a house.(literally "you are with a house")
- tzivie tzam i naam ti patxaam txen - tz-vie tz-am i naam ti patxaam txen - 3.SG-be 3.SG-with INDEF house DEF person there - that man has a house.(literally "the man is with a house")

Adjectives

Predicative adjectives use the structure for predicative possessions. For example:

- tzivie tzam tzaan ti naam - tz-vie tz-am tzaan ti naam - 3.SG-be 3.SG-with bigness DEF house - the house is big(literally "the house is with bigness/the house has bigness")
- tzivie tzam tzaan - tz-vie tz-am tzaan - 3.SG-be 3.SG-with bigness - it's big.(literally "it is with bigness/it has bigness")

Definiteness

There is a definite article and an indefinite article.

The definite article is ti, which does not vary, but it might be contracted to t' when the following word starts with a vowel.

The indefinite articles are i and in, i is used when the following word starts with a consonant, and in is used when the following word starts with a vowel.

Relative Clauses

Relative clauses are formed by using the invariant relativizer tzi, which starts a relative clause.

For example:

- ti patxaam tzi tzaksimer tzaxajaal i baan tzak ti mitz - ti patxaam tzi tz-ak-si-mer tz-ax-atz-jaal i baan tz-ak ti mitz - DEF male REL 3.SG-NEG-be.able-swim 3.SG-PST-3.SG-throw INDEF stone 3.SG-to DEF lake - the man who can't swim threw a stone into the lake

[edit] [top]Morphology


Nouns

Nouns decline according to number.

Nouns ending in p in the singular form change the ending to tx in their plural forms

Nouns ending in t in the singular form change the ending to s in their plural forms

Nouns ending in k in the singular form drop the final k in their plural forms

Nouns ending in tx in the singular form change the ending to tz in their plural forms

Nouns ending in m and n in the singular form change the ending to p and t respectively in their plural forms

Nouns ending in r and l in the singular form change the stem vowel in their plural forms

Nouns ending in vowels in the singular form take the -x suffix in their plural forms

Nouns also decline according to possessions, below are the possessive affixes for nouns:

Nouns inflect according to possessions, below are the possessive affixes for nouns:

- 1st sg: ni-/n-(我-)
- 2nd sg: mi-/m-(爾-)
- 3rd sg: tzi-/tz-(其-)
- 1st excl pl: ni-/n- ... -x(我-)
- 1st incl pl: ri-/r- ... -x(-)
- 2nd pl: mi-/m- ... -x(爾-)
- 3rd pl: tzi-/tz- ... -x(其-)
- 3rd unspecified: aj-/a-(或-)
- reflexive: vi-(自-)

Except for nouns with possessive prefixes indicating an unspecified possessor, the articles are not used with nouns taking the possessive affixes. So while it is grammatical to say ninaam "my house", it is ungrammatical to say *ti ninaam, but it is grammatical to say t'angraam(t'angraam is an contracted form of ti angraam) "the child(of someone)"

Nouns indicating body arts and kinship terms are obliged to take a possessive prefix. So while it is grammatical to say tzingraam "his/her child", it is ungrammatical to say *ngraam, and to indicate the meaning "child" in general, one must use the unspecific person prefix and say angraam "(someone's) child" instead.

Nouns with possessive prefixes indicating an unspecified possessor can be used to form alienable possessions. For example:
- tzipex - her milk(from her own breasts)
- apex - someone's milk
- tzapex - her (store-bought) milk

Adpositions

Adpositions agree with person, below are affixes for adpositions:

- 1st sg: ni-/n-(我-)
- 2nd sg: mi-/m-(爾-)
- 3rd sg: tzi-/tz-(其-)
- 1st excl pl: ni-/n- ... -x(我-)
- 1st incl pl: ri-/r- ... -x(-)
- 2nd pl: mi-/m- ... -x(爾-)
- 3rd pl: tzi-/tz- ... -x(其-)
- 3rd unspecified: aj-/a-(或-)
- reflexive: vi-(自-)

Adjectives

Adjectives behave like nouns and can be used to indicate the meaning "ADJ-ness" directly"

There are several ways for an adjective to modify a noun:

1. Directly putting the adjective before the noun. For example:

- i mu naam - INDEF empty house - an empty house

2. Using the adposition am "with". For example:

- i naam tzam mu - i naam tz-am mu - INDEF house 3.SG-with emptiness - an empty house

3. Using the possessive structure. For example:

- mu tzinaam - mu tzi-naam - emptiness 3.SG-house - an empty house

Verb

Person:

Subject:

- 1st sg: ni-/n-(我-)
- 2nd sg: mi-/m-(爾-)
- 3rd sg: tzi-/tz-(其-)
- 1st excl pl: ni-/n- ... -x(我-)
- 1st incl pl: ri-/r- ... -x(-)
- 2nd pl: mi-/m- ... -x(爾-)
- 3rd pl: tzi-/tz- ... -x(其-)
- 3rd unspecified: aj-/a-(或-)

Object/Causee:
- 1st sg: an-(我-)
- 2nd sg: am-(爾-)
- 3rd sg: atz-/a-(before coronal obstruents)(所-)
- 1st excl pl: ana-/anaj-(我等-)
- 1st incl pl: ara-/araj-
- 2nd pl: ama-/amaj-(爾等-)
- 3rd pl: ax-
- 3rd unspecified: at-(或-)
- reflexive: av-(自-)

Negation prefix: ak-(不-)

TAM and Aux prefix:
- potential("can, be able"): si-(能-)
- jussive("should"): aj-(當-)
- necessitative("must"): ab-(必-)
- desiderative("want"): txi-(欲-)
- Past : ax-
- Subjunctive(used only for counterfactual circumstances): ar-
- Imperative: ix-(used with 2nd singular and plural)
- Prohibitive: ang-

Causative Prefix: ar-

Voice suffix:
- Passive: -in
- Applicative Dative-Benefactive: -sa
- Applicative Instrumental: -ja
- Applicative Comitative: -ma
- Applicative Locative: -tza
- Applicative Ablative: -ta

Question: -m/-im

affix order: S-NEG-TAM/Aux-CAUS-CAUSEE-IO-DO-root-VOI-Q

Example:

- 我サ゚爾所與ㇱ(naxamatzkierix) - n-ax-am-atz-kier-x - 1.PL-PST-2.SG.DAT-3.SG-give-PL - we gave it to you.
- 我欲爾所與(nitxamatzkier) - n-txi-am-atz-kier - 1.SG-want-2.SG.DAT-3.SG-give - I want to give it to you
- 我サ゚ラ爾或作サ(naxaramatzatkaasa) - n-ax-ar-am-atz-at-kaa-sa - 1.SG-PST-CAUS-2.SG-3.SG-3.INDEF-make-BEN - I made you make something for him.
- 我サ゚ラ爾所贈イ禮物(naxaramatzatxier i leimut) - n-ax-ar-am-atz-atz-txier i leimut - 1.SG-PST-CAUS-2.SG-3.SG-3.SG-send INDEF gift - I made you send him a gift.

Noun Incorporation
In Yungchangese, Noun Incorporation is productive and common. Incorporated nouns are always indefinite, and they often indicate the object or instrument of the action.

For example:

- 其所殺イ人(tzaxatznex i txaam) - tz-ax-atz-nex i txaam - 3.SG-PST-3.SG-kill INDEF person - he killed a person.
- 其ㇱ殺人(tzaxnextxaam) - tz-ax-nex-txaam - 3.SG-PST-kill-person - he committed murder.

Infinitives and gerund may also take the verbal prefixes. For example:

- atzjilit - atz-jil-it - 3.SG.P-get-GER - to get it/getting it.
- atzjilit aak - atz-jil-it aak - 3.SG.P-get-GER food - to get food/getting food.
- tzivie tzam bin atzjilit aak san - tzi-vie tz-am bin atz-jil-it aak san - 3.SG-be 3.SG-with hardness 3.SG.P-get-GER food here - getting food here is hard/it's hard to get food here.

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