Nankôre: Difference between revisions

Line 225:

Number is usually determined by context, but plurality can be indicated by either joining a cardinal number, a quantifier, or the plural marker ''no'' before the noun. The noun is always linked to these modifiers by the ''si-'' connective, as in ''no si-kurashno'' "the girls".

===== The Nominal ~~Heirarchy~~ =====

===== The Nominal hierarchy =====

Nankôre nouns, at first glance, appears very simple. They are not inflected for case, gender, nor do adpositions indicate their directional or positional relationships. Number is distinguished only in pronouns. Nevertheless, the nominal system has a complex ~~heirarchy~~ of animacy, which although unmarked, is a semantic feature of the noun and pronoun. Where a given NP falls within the animacy ~~heirarchy~~ must be memorized in order to use the verbal inverse prefix ''tā(h)-'' correctly (see section on [[Nankôre#Verbs|Verbs]] regarding inverse marking).

Nankôre nouns, at first glance, appears very simple. They are not inflected for case, gender, nor do adpositions indicate their directional or positional relationships. Number is distinguished only in pronouns. Nevertheless, the nominal system has a complex hierarchy of animacy, which although unmarked, is a semantic feature of the noun and pronoun. Where a given NP falls within the animacy hierarchy must be memorized in order to use the verbal inverse prefix ''tā(h)-'' correctly (see section on [[Nankôre#Verbs|Verbs]] regarding inverse marking).

The Nankôre nominal ~~heirarchy~~ has been traditionally classified along two axes, the first marking category, and the second marking levels of ~~heirarchy~~ within a given category. Animacy along categories decrease as one traverses from Supernatural/Phenomonological onwards towards the Ephemeral. Animacy decreases as one goes down the Level axis. The ~~heirarchy~~ is arranged according to the following table:

The Nankôre nominal hierarchy has been traditionally classified along two axes, the first marking category, and the second marking levels of hierarchy within a given category. Animacy along categories decrease as one traverses from Supernatural/Phenomonological onwards towards the Ephemeral. Animacy decreases as one goes down the Level axis. The hierarchy is arranged according to the following table:

{| class="bluetable lightbluebg"

|+ '''Table of Nominal Animacy ~~Heirarchy~~'''

|+ '''Table of Nominal Animacy hierarchy'''

|-

! rowspan="2" | Level

Line 339:

===== Pronouns =====

The first group of pronouns are the simple independent pronouns. The animacy of each pronoun is arranged in the following ~~heirarchy~~:

The first group of pronouns are the simple independent pronouns. The animacy of each pronoun is arranged in the following hierarchy:

{| class="bluetable lightbluebg"

|-

! Pronominal ~~Heirarchy~~

! Pronominal hierarchy

|-

| style="text-align:center"|1st >> 2nd >> 3rd

Line 439:

|}

As earlier stated, nouns in Nankôre are not inflected, nor are case clitics attached to them to indicate case relations. Transitive verbs take two NPs as core arguments. The case relations of the two arguments are determined by the position of the noun in the animacy ~~heirarchy~~; the core argument that is higher in the animacy ~~heirarchy~~ is assigned the Agent role, and the other argument is assigned the Patient role. However, an inverse affix ''tā-/tāh-'' is prefixed to the verb or its auxiliary to alter the argument structure by marking the lower-animacy argument as Agent.

As earlier stated, nouns in Nankôre are not inflected, nor are case clitics attached to them to indicate case relations. Transitive verbs take two NPs as core arguments. The case relations of the two arguments are determined by the position of the noun in the animacy hierarchy; the core argument that is higher in the animacy hierarchy is assigned the Agent role, and the other argument is assigned the Patient role. However, an inverse affix ''tā-/tāh-'' is prefixed to the verb or its auxiliary to alter the argument structure by marking the lower-animacy argument as Agent.

Oblique arguments on the other hand are treated as adjuncts, and are thus bound to their clause with the connective clitic ''si='' or ''=si''. Context alone determines the semantic role of the oblique. Because obliques are considered adjuncts, they may not come between the core arguments and the verb, and therefore must appear either before or after the clause nucleus. To illustrate, the sentence ''Maska=si ohipna koykare ekán itá'' (anthill=CONN twig boy twist PST), i.e. "The boy inserted the twig into the anthill", the noun ''maska'' (anthill) is the oblique argument and is marked with the clitic ''si='' to join it to the rest of the sentence. Oblique arguments use the form ''=si'' preceding the clause nucleus, or ''si='' following the clause nucleus, e.g. ''Ohipna koykare ekán itá si=maska''.

Line 618:

'''Comparatives and Superlatives'''

Degrees of comparison are formed by placing the auxiliary verb ''soyka'' (to be big, i.e. to be more) or ''hatka'' (to be small, i.e. to be less) before a stative verb. Since two arguments are involved, namely the comparer NP and the compared NP, the phrase is structurally equivalent to a transitive clause, requiring an Agent and a Patient, and follows the rules governing the nominal animacy ~~heirarchy~~. In the sentence ''Joe Sara soyka inupe tā itá'' (Joe is stronger than Sarah; lit. "Joe bigs strongs Sara"), ''soyka'' precedes the stative verb ''inupe'' (to be strong). Joe, being male, is higher in the animacy scale and so is assigned Agent status. If Sara were stronger, the Inverse affix ''tā-/tāh-'' surfaces, as in ''Joe Sara '''tā'''-soyka inupe tā itá'' (Sara is stronger than Joe). Other examples:

Degrees of comparison are formed by placing the auxiliary verb ''soyka'' (to be big, i.e. to be more) or ''hatka'' (to be small, i.e. to be less) before a stative verb. Since two arguments are involved, namely the comparer NP and the compared NP, the phrase is structurally equivalent to a transitive clause, requiring an Agent and a Patient, and follows the rules governing the nominal animacy hierarchy. In the sentence ''Joe Sara soyka inupe tā itá'' (Joe is stronger than Sarah; lit. "Joe bigs strongs Sara"), ''soyka'' precedes the stative verb ''inupe'' (to be strong). Joe, being male, is higher in the animacy scale and so is assigned Agent status. If Sara were stronger, the Inverse affix ''tā-/tāh-'' surfaces, as in ''Joe Sara '''tā'''-soyka inupe tā itá'' (Sara is stronger than Joe). Other examples:

1) ''Joe Sara soyka soyka tā itá'' (Joe is taller than Sara; lit. "Joe bigs bigs Sara").

@@ Line 225: / Line 225: @@
 Number is usually determined by context, but plurality can be indicated by either joining a cardinal number, a quantifier, or the plural marker ''no'' before the noun.  The noun is always linked to these modifiers by the ''si-'' connective, as in ''no si-kurashno'' "the girls".
-===== The Nominal Heirarchy =====
+===== The Nominal hierarchy =====
-Nankôre nouns, at first glance, appears very simple. They are not inflected for case, gender, nor do adpositions indicate their directional or positional relationships.  Number is distinguished only in pronouns. Nevertheless, the nominal system has a complex heirarchy of animacy, which although unmarked, is a semantic feature of the noun and pronoun. Where a given NP falls within the animacy heirarchy must be memorized in order to use the verbal inverse prefix ''tā(h)-'' correctly (see section on [[Nankôre#Verbs|Verbs]] regarding inverse marking).
+Nankôre nouns, at first glance, appears very simple. They are not inflected for case, gender, nor do adpositions indicate their directional or positional relationships.  Number is distinguished only in pronouns. Nevertheless, the nominal system has a complex hierarchy of animacy, which although unmarked, is a semantic feature of the noun and pronoun. Where a given NP falls within the animacy hierarchy must be memorized in order to use the verbal inverse prefix ''tā(h)-'' correctly (see section on [[Nankôre#Verbs|Verbs]] regarding inverse marking).
-The Nankôre nominal heirarchy has been traditionally classified along two axes, the first marking category, and the second marking levels of heirarchy within a given category.  Animacy along categories decrease as one traverses from Supernatural/Phenomonological onwards towards the Ephemeral.  Animacy decreases as one goes down the Level axis.  The heirarchy is arranged according to the following table:
+The Nankôre nominal hierarchy has been traditionally classified along two axes, the first marking category, and the second marking levels of hierarchy within a given category.  Animacy along categories decrease as one traverses from Supernatural/Phenomonological onwards towards the Ephemeral.  Animacy decreases as one goes down the Level axis.  The hierarchy is arranged according to the following table:
 {| class="bluetable lightbluebg"
-|+ '''Table of Nominal Animacy Heirarchy'''
+|+ '''Table of Nominal Animacy hierarchy'''
 |-
 !  rowspan="2" | Level
@@ Line 339: / Line 339: @@
 ===== Pronouns =====
-The first group of pronouns are the simple independent pronouns.  The animacy of each pronoun is arranged in the following heirarchy:
+The first group of pronouns are the simple independent pronouns.  The animacy of each pronoun is arranged in the following hierarchy:
 {| class="bluetable lightbluebg"
 |-
-! Pronominal Heirarchy
+! Pronominal hierarchy
 |-
 | style="text-align:center"|1st >> 2nd >> 3rd
@@ Line 439: / Line 439: @@
 |}
-As earlier stated, nouns in Nankôre are not inflected, nor are case clitics attached to them to indicate case relations.  Transitive verbs take two NPs as core arguments. The case relations of the two arguments are determined by the position of the noun in the animacy heirarchy; the core argument that is higher in the animacy heirarchy is assigned the Agent role, and the other argument is assigned the Patient role.  However, an inverse affix ''tā-/tāh-'' is prefixed to the verb or its auxiliary to alter the argument structure by marking the lower-animacy argument as Agent.
+As earlier stated, nouns in Nankôre are not inflected, nor are case clitics attached to them to indicate case relations.  Transitive verbs take two NPs as core arguments. The case relations of the two arguments are determined by the position of the noun in the animacy hierarchy; the core argument that is higher in the animacy hierarchy is assigned the Agent role, and the other argument is assigned the Patient role.  However, an inverse affix ''tā-/tāh-'' is prefixed to the verb or its auxiliary to alter the argument structure by marking the lower-animacy argument as Agent.
 Oblique arguments on the other hand are treated as adjuncts, and are thus bound to their clause with the connective clitic ''si='' or ''=si''.  Context alone determines the semantic role of the oblique.  Because obliques are considered adjuncts, they may not come between the core arguments and the verb, and therefore must appear either before or after the clause nucleus.  To illustrate, the sentence ''Maska=si ohipna koykare ekán itá'' (anthill=CONN twig boy twist PST), i.e. "The boy inserted the twig into the anthill", the noun ''maska'' (anthill) is the oblique argument and is marked with the clitic ''si='' to join it to the rest of the sentence.  Oblique arguments use the form ''=si'' preceding the clause nucleus, or ''si='' following the clause nucleus, e.g. ''Ohipna koykare ekán itá si=maska''.
@@ Line 618: / Line 618: @@
 '''Comparatives and Superlatives'''
-Degrees of comparison are formed by placing the auxiliary verb ''soyka'' (to be big, i.e. to be more) or ''hatka'' (to be small, i.e. to be less) before a stative verb.  Since two arguments are involved, namely the comparer NP and the compared NP, the phrase is structurally equivalent to a transitive clause, requiring an Agent and a Patient, and follows the rules governing the nominal animacy heirarchy.  In the sentence ''Joe Sara soyka inupe tā itá'' (Joe is stronger than Sarah; lit. "Joe bigs strongs Sara"), ''soyka'' precedes the stative verb ''inupe'' (to be strong).  Joe, being male, is higher in the animacy scale and so is assigned Agent status.  If Sara were stronger, the Inverse affix ''tā-/tāh-'' surfaces, as in ''Joe Sara '''tā'''-soyka inupe  tā itá'' (Sara is stronger than Joe).  Other examples:
+Degrees of comparison are formed by placing the auxiliary verb ''soyka'' (to be big, i.e. to be more) or ''hatka'' (to be small, i.e. to be less) before a stative verb.  Since two arguments are involved, namely the comparer NP and the compared NP, the phrase is structurally equivalent to a transitive clause, requiring an Agent and a Patient, and follows the rules governing the nominal animacy hierarchy.  In the sentence ''Joe Sara soyka inupe tā itá'' (Joe is stronger than Sarah; lit. "Joe bigs strongs Sara"), ''soyka'' precedes the stative verb ''inupe'' (to be strong).  Joe, being male, is higher in the animacy scale and so is assigned Agent status.  If Sara were stronger, the Inverse affix ''tā-/tāh-'' surfaces, as in ''Joe Sara '''tā'''-soyka inupe  tā itá'' (Sara is stronger than Joe).  Other examples:
 ) ''Joe Sara soyka soyka tā itá'' (Joe is taller than Sara; lit. "Joe bigs bigs Sara").