Sceptrian: Difference between revisions
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===Word order=== | ===Word order=== | ||
*VAO usually, VOA also very common, SV(O) in antipassive | * VAO usually, VOA also very common, SV(O) in antipassive | ||
* often a comment precedes the topic | |||
* numerals precede nouns | |||
* possessives follow nouns | * possessives follow nouns | ||
* predicative adjectives precede and attributive ones come after nouns | * predicative adjectives precede and attributive ones come after nouns | ||
* demonstratives come last | |||
===Emphasizing clitics=== | ===Emphasizing clitics=== | ||
Suffixes ''ma'' (for ABS) and ''noh'' (for ERG) are used to emphasize either the object or the agent: ''Ónzaiton dothee'''noh''' | Suffixes ''ma'' (for ABS) and ''noh'' (for ERG) are used to emphasize either the object or the agent: ''Ónzaiton pof dothee'''noh'''.'' (It is the man who's lifting the feather) vs. ''Ónzaiton dothee pof'''ma'''.'' (It is the feather that the man is lifting.). They are also used in nominalized relative clauses and with verbs in antipassive constructions. | ||
When both are used, information conveyed by the verb becomes veritable: ''Józaitoi dotheenoh pofma.'' (I can swear that the man lifted the feather.) | When both are used, information conveyed by the verb becomes veritable: ''Józaitoi dotheenoh pofma.'' (I can swear that the man lifted the feather.) | ||
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====Independent==== | ====Independent==== | ||
Independent clauses make sense by themselves so that they may form their own sentence. | |||
In Sceptrian, the subject is not necessarily a separate word since the verb can convey both the agent and the object. Thus a single verb can be a complete sentence: ''Ainamoi.'' (It was eaten by me.) However, a full clause may a verbless one as well when the gnomic-static aspect is used or because the languages lacks the verbs "to be" and "to have": ''Ksaru lutu(ma).'' (The woman is a guard.), ''Lutugu ksarushos.'' (Lady has their own guards.) | |||
Traditional Sceptrian language theorists have used the term ''qópó'' (act) when referring to the verb phrase: the main verb, its auxiliaries and particles which wouldn't appear without the verb. It may also refer to the predicative determiners of a verbless clause subject (possibly bearing the emphasizing clitic): e.g. ''ksaru'' (guard) is ''qópó hetson'' ("still" act) of the above example ''Ksaru lutu.''. This may be called predicate in Westlang grammar. | |||
''Betsloi'ó'' (affectee), that is, the absolutive subject-object may be: | |||
*Noun: ''Lehkotón '''kuth'''.'' ('''A dog''' is running.) | |||
*Pronoun: ''Aiteshóji '''slo'''.'' ('''They''' were seen by me.) | |||
*Gerund: ''Apekingvó '''lateppi'''.'' (I enjoy '''dancing'''.) | |||
*Another clause: ''Aitésoutóji, '''skugu rorøtóji'''.'' (I couldn't see, '''where he went'''.) | |||
*Note that the main verb conjugation is for the abstract subject. In the indirect question, the verb is in subjunctive. | |||
''Betslaató'' (affecter) refers to the agent which is declined into the ergative case. | |||
*A gerung will be declined if necessary, but an entire clause remains the same. | |||
Interrogative clauses begin with either the verb or the interrogative. Interrogative mood is indicated by the moving the primary stress onto the first syllable and adding a rising or dipping pitch. Questions are placed between question marks "¿" and "?". See below in the [[Sceptrian#Noun_clauses|noun clauses]] for more of indirect questions. | |||
*In written language, requests often use only the final question mark: ''Tsemaakor nai?'' (Will you give it to me?) | |||
====Conjunction==== | ====Conjunction==== | ||
coordinating, correlative (and subordinate?) | coordinating, correlative (and subordinate?) | ||
*and, but, for, so, or | |||
*... | |||
Demonstratives will take the case ending, if the entire | |||
====Noun clauses==== | ====Noun clauses==== | ||