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Nankôre: Difference between revisions
→The Copula Paradigm
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In terms of morphological complexity, the copula performs more functions than the verb. The copula, in addition to redundantly mark the Inverse voice, also encodes tense, number, mood, and causation through a complex series of affixation. Note the irregular Indicative Hodiernal tense form; the Inverse marker does ''not'' lengthen as it does for the rest of the paradigm. | In terms of morphological complexity, the copula performs more functions than the verb. The copula, in addition to redundantly mark the Inverse voice, also encodes tense, number, mood, and causation through a complex series of affixation. Note the irregular Indicative Hodiernal tense form; the Inverse marker does ''not'' lengthen as it does for the rest of the paradigm. | ||
===== Copula Affixes ===== | |||
The Inverse marker ''ta-'' indicates lower animate NP is the Agent acting on a higher animate NP whose role is that of Patient. The marker occurs in two locations: as a clitic to the first verb of the VP, and as a bound prefix to the copula ''itá'''. In conjunction with the infix ''-n-'', the bound form of the Inverse mnarker encodes plurality of the LA Agent as well via vowel lengthening in open syllables, or compensatory stress in closed syllables. The Hodiernal tense is an exception: the vowel of the Inverse marker neither undergoes vowel lengthening, nor does it receive compensatory stress. This is presumably because the tense marker ''-ô-'' suppresses lengthening of a preceding vowel according to Nankôre phonological rules, thus moving the stress rightward. | |||
The Irrealis ''-hi'' is suffixed to the copula. It is obligatory for all Future tenses. It also surfaces in imperatives, yes-no questions which are marked with the ''-yo'' marker cliticizing to the first or second word of a sentence, as in ''Cire-yo tā'itá'-hi?'' "Did he die?", and in WH-questions when the event actually happening has not yet been established as having occurred; for example, ''Enket cire tā'itá'?'', "Where did he die?" implies that the person's death is a fact, and it is only the location that is being inquired, versus ''Enket cire tā'itá'-hi?'' implies that not only is the location unknown, but the person's actual death happening still remains to be established. An interesting structure, called the "double interrogative", is a combination of a WH-word followed by a word bearing the ''-yo'' clitic, which also turns the question into yes-no question: ''Enket cire-yo tā'itá'-hi?'', "Did he die, and if so, where?" The ''-hi'' suffix is believed to be cognate with the Minhast Irrealis clitic ''=š''. | |||
=====The Copula Paradigm ===== | =====The Copula Paradigm ===== | ||
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| style="width:64.01pt; " | tápsipnitahán | | style="width:64.01pt; " | tápsipnitahán | ||
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===== Copula Affixes ===== | ===== Copula Affixes ===== | ||