Syntax and Sentences
▲
1▲ 1 ▼ 0
How to create sentences in Cathilean
This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 27 Jun 2016, 09:32.
[comments] ctl
?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.
[top]Basic Sentences
Cathilean has a topic-comment word order. This means that the topic of the discussion comes first, and the comment about the topic comes last. In most cases, the topic is just a regular argument of the verb, so generally, this distinction is just used for emphasizing. There doesn't have to be a topic in every sentence. This means that the topic either has been mentined before, or that it's a part of the verb. Compare these sentences which all mean "I see you":
Ìghar fùllaigh & Fùllea èr
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.AFFCAffective (case)
experiencer see-2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).PRESPresent tense (tense)
current & see-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.PRESPresent tense (tense)
current 2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).OBLOblique (argument)
indirect or demoted object
I see you; It is I that see you
Èr fùllea & Fùllaigh ìghar
2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).OBLOblique (argument)
indirect or demoted object see-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.PRESPresent tense (tense)
current & see-2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).PRESPresent tense (tense)
current 1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.AFFCAffective (case)
experiencer
I see you; It is you that I see
Every sentence has to have a verb, and that verb has to be the first part of the comment section in the sentence. There can also be a conjunction or an adverb at the start of the sentence to show connection to the sentence before. The basic sentence structure is therefore like this:
[Conjunction/adverb] [Topic] Verb [arguments]
[top]Relative clauses
Relative clauses are most of the time adjectivized. This means that you use the participle form of the verb to create an adjective that can be attached to nouns. Patients and themes (PTVPartitive (number)
'some of' or for mass nouns and OBLOblique (argument)
indirect or demoted object) arguments are incorporated before the verb, and other arguments are put after the clause with their respective cases. When plural objects are incorporated, use the plural prefix li- (some) instead of their regular plural ending. If there is a vary complicated relative, it is common to just create a new sentence.
liArtindrgàluadunncentrea.
PLPlural (number)
more than one/few-mountain-walk-NMZNominaliser
makes other word a noun-like-AGEAgent (role)
cause or initiator of event/action.PTCPParticiple
adjectival form of a verb-person-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.PRESPresent tense (tense)
current
I am a person that likes to walk on mountains.
Pàða ndightiðlùna mmìrinn.
this-3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee.PRESPresent tense (tense)
current DEFDefinite
"the"-bite-PATPatient (role)
recipient or target of event/action.PTCPParticiple
adjectival form of a verb-dog DEFDefinite
"the"-cat-AGNAgentive (case)
active or volitional case.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity
This is the dog that was bitten by the cat.
lLèo fùllea. Fòllyto llòghleànas urasanca.
DEFDefinite
"the"-man see-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.PRESPresent tense (tense)
current | see-can-3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee.FUTFuture (tense)
action occurring after the moment of speech DEFDefinite
"the"-wife-3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee.POSSPossessive (case)
owns, has only-tomorrow
I see the man who will only be able to see his wife tomorrow.
[top]Complementizer clauses
As opposed to relative clauses, complementizer clauses are nominalized instead of adjectivalized. To nominalize a sentence, you firstly have to nominalize the verb, and create a compound noun of the object (PTNPatientive (case)
passive or nonvolitional case or OBLOblique (argument)
indirect or demoted object) and the nominalized verb. Then you have to put it in possession of the subject (anything else) by using either the genitive or a determiner affix. If there are other arguments as well, for instance time or location etc., put these as separate words at the end. Complementizers are often found with the temporal case to indicate that the action occurs when the event in the complementizer takes place.
Yleo nnæ̀drædàrteuvommyþ.
go-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.FUTFuture (tense)
action occurring after the moment of speech DEFDefinite
"the"-bread-eat-begin-NMZNominaliser
makes other word a noun-TEMPTemporal (case)
specifying time (at one, on Monday, etc.)-2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).POSSPossessive (case)
owns, has
I will go when you begin to eat bread, lit. I will go at the time of the bread-eat-beginning of yours.
lLiùnar fòlli nggheovrceòvo llèðe.
DEFDefinite
"the"-man-AFFCAffective (case)
experiencer.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity see-3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee.PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech DEFDefinite
"the"-deer-hit-NMZNominaliser
makes other word a noun DEFDefinite
"the"-car-GENGenitive (case)
possessive.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity
The man saw that the deer was hit by the car, lit. The man saw the dear-hit of the car.
Comments
