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Chlouvānem/Syntax: Difference between revisions
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Chlouvānem as spoken in the area around the mid-course of the Nīmbaṇḍhāra river (the central Plain: roughly the whole of the diocese of Raharjātia, most of Jolenītra, Daikatorāma, Vādhātorama, and Namapleta, and parts of Mūrajātana, Perelkaša, Ryogiñjātia and far northern Sendakārva) does have a definite article used with non-topicalized arguments, which is actually the repurposed archaic demonstrative ''ami'' (still used as "this" in Archaic Chlouvānem). It declines for case, but not number, mostly following the pronoun declension (that is, exactly as ''tami'' without the initial ''t-'' except for the accusative (''amu'') and ergative (''amye'')). | Chlouvānem as spoken in the area around the mid-course of the Nīmbaṇḍhāra river (the central Plain: roughly the whole of the diocese of Raharjātia, most of Jolenītra, Daikatorāma, Vādhātorama, and Namapleta, and parts of Mūrajātana, Perelkaša, Ryogiñjātia and far northern Sendakārva) does have a definite article used with non-topicalized arguments, which is actually the repurposed archaic demonstrative ''ami'' (still used as "this" in Archaic Chlouvānem). It declines for case, but not number, mostly following the pronoun declension (that is, exactly as ''tami'' without the initial ''t-'' except for the accusative (''amu'') and ergative (''amye'')). | ||
===Anaphora=== | |||
Multiple anaphora in Chlouvānem is mainly handled by a combination of the use of pronouns and of voice triggers, with the lack of distinct third person pronouns meaning that the pragmatic meaning of the sentence is driven by context nearly as much as by the semantic content. | |||
{{Gloss | |||
| phrase = klætsplyan naviṣyu muṣekte lę męligbi no. | |||
| gloss = Klætsplyan.<small>DIR</small>. book-<small>ACC.SG</small>. ask.<small>IND.PAST-EXP-3SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. <small>1SG.ERG</small>. give.<small>IND.PAST-EXP-3SG.EXTERIOR-DATIVE</small>. and. | |||
| translation = Klætsplyan asked for the book, and I gave it to him. | |||
}} | |||
In this example, the pronoun "it" is not stated as context adds it to the pragmatic meaning, as the given thing is the book; a redundant "that" (''nanau'', in accusative case, here) may be added as an explanation but would sound odd to native speakers. Both verbs refer to a single direct case argument, which is the agent in the first clause and the dative argument (receiver) in the second one. | |||
{{Gloss | |||
| phrase = klætsplyan naviṣyu muṣekte męligbi no. | |||
| gloss = Klætsplyan.<small>DIR</small>. book-<small>ACC.SG</small>. ask.<small>IND.PAST-EXP-3SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. give.<small>IND.PAST-EXP-3SG.EXTERIOR-DATIVE</small>. and. | |||
| translation = Klætsplyan asked for the book, and [s]he gave it to him. | |||
}} | |||
A sentence where the agent is a third person is semantically ambiguous as the last clause is limited to a single verb (here "he was given"). Again, the direct argument of that clause is the same as that of the first one, with the same roles as in the sentence above, while it is context which makes clear what the given thing (patient argument) is. A sentence like this one does, however, give no clue about the identity of the latter clause's agent, apart from the actual semantic meaning of the verb "to give" implying there must be an agent, but, anyway, neither does the pronoun in English. This Chlouvānem example sentence therefore would need an explicit agent only when it needs to be specified (see first sentence below) or introduced (see the second one below). Otherwise, it is either clear by the general context (see third example below), or, as in the example given above, it is not an important information included in the pragmatic meaning given by the speaker. | |||
{{Gloss | |||
| phrase = hūrtalgān mæmimausa no talša pa naltekuldat sama klætsplyan naviṣyu muṣekte mæmimausei męligbi no. | |||
| gloss = Hūrtalgān.<small>DIR</small>. Mæmimausa.<small>DIR</small>. and. novel.<small>DIR.SG</small>. about. talk_concerning.<small>IND.PAST-EXP-3DU.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. and. Klætsplyan.<small>DIR</small>. book-<small>ACC.SG</small>. ask.<small>IND.PAST-EXP-3SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. Mæmimausa-<small>ERG</small>. give.<small>IND.PAST-EXP-3SG.EXTERIOR-DATIVE</small>. and. | |||
| translation = Hūrtalgān and Mæmimausa were talking about the/a novel; Klætsplyan asked for the book, and Mæmimausa gave it to him. | |||
}} | |||
{{Gloss | |||
| phrase = klætsplyan naviṣyu muṣekte lilemāvyei męligbi no. | |||
| gloss = Klætsplyan.<small>DIR</small>. book-<small>ACC.SG</small>. ask.<small>IND.PAST-EXP-3SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. Lilemāvya-<small>ERG</small>. give.<small>IND.PAST-EXP-3SG.EXTERIOR-DATIVE</small>. and. | |||
| translation = Klætsplyan asked for the book, and Lilemāvya gave it to him. | |||
}} | |||
{{Gloss | |||
| phrase = lilemāvya umṝpe āmmirtek sama klætsplyan naviṣyu muṣekte męligbi no. | |||
| gloss = Lilemāvya.<small>DIR</small>. bench-<small>LOC.SG</small>. sit_on.<small>IND.PAST-EXP-3SG.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>. and. Klætsplyan.<small>DIR</small>. book-<small>ACC.SG</small>. ask.<small>IND.PAST-EXP-3SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. give.<small>IND.PAST-EXP-3SG.EXTERIOR-DATIVE</small>. and. | |||
| translation = Lilemāvya was sitting on the bench; Klætsplyan asked for the book, and she gave it to him. | |||
}} | |||
==Comparative sentences== | ==Comparative sentences== | ||