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Maltcégj: Difference between revisions
→Correlatives and Pro-Forms
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Maltcégj is a head-initial language, like modern Japanese, but the language family from which it is descended, Baraqesh, was head-final, like most modern Indo-European languages. That is to say that forms like ‘who’ (‘which person’) were originally in the order in which we use them in English today, but eventually reversed in the grammar (‘person which’). However, before this reversal occurred, many forms were contracted, particularly those with ''mlau'' ‘what’, so there is a duality of some seemingly unrelated forms. For example, ‘when’ (‘what’ + ‘time’) can be both ''ðláimlau'' (literally ‘time-what’) and ''mlai'', a contraction of an earlier ''*mlauðlai''. | Maltcégj is a head-initial language, like modern Japanese, but the language family from which it is descended, Baraqesh, was head-final, like most modern Indo-European languages. That is to say that forms like ‘who’ (‘which person’) were originally in the order in which we use them in English today, but eventually reversed in the grammar (‘person which’). However, before this reversal occurred, many forms were contracted, particularly those with ''mlau'' ‘what’, so there is a duality of some seemingly unrelated forms. For example, ‘when’ (‘what’ + ‘time’) can be both ''ðláimlau'' (literally ‘time-what’) and ''mlai'', a contraction of an earlier ''*mlauðlai''. | ||
The deixes ''ja'', ''la'', and ''þa'' always | The deixes ''ja'', ''la'', and ''þa'' always precede the noun they modify, even when they are used independently. (For more information on these, see Measurement of Time.) | ||
Still other forms have no relation to the base form, but are listed here for convenience. | Still other forms have no relation to the base form, but are listed here for convenience. | ||
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| '''''ðrax''''' ('thing') || ''ðrax mlau, mlax'' ('what') || ''klax, kalk'' ('which') || ''ðrax bleg, blax'' ('nothing') || ''ðrax úli, jlax'' ('this') || ''ðrax úla, ðrax'' ('that') || ''ðrax ulót, þlax'' ('that (other)') | | '''''ðrax''''' ('thing') || ''ðrax mlau, mlax'' ('what') || ''klax, kalk'' ('which') || ''ðrax bleg, blax'' ('nothing') || ''ðrax úli, jlax'' ('this') || ''ðrax úla, ðrax'' ('that') || ''ðrax ulót, þlax'' ('that (other)') | ||
|- | |- | ||
| '''''arán''''' ('place') || ''arán mlau, mlarán'' ('where') || ''klarán'' ('where') || ''arán bleg, bláran'' ('nowhere') || ''jarán, jlarán'' ('here') || ''larán, ðrarán'' ('there') || ''þarán'' ('up there, ahead'), '' þrarán'' ('elsewhere') | | '''''arán''''' ('place') || ''arán mlau, mlarán'' ('where') || ''klarán'' ('where') || ''arán bleg, bláran'' ('nowhere') || ''jarán, jlarán<sup>3</sup>'' ('here') || ''larán, ðrarán'' ('there') || ''þarán'' ('up there, ahead'), '' þrarán'' ('elsewhere') | ||
|- | |- | ||
| '''''ðlai''''' ('time') || ''ðlai mlau, mlai'' ('when') || ''klai'' ('when') || ''ðlai bleg, blai'' ('never') || ''jaðlai, jlai, nak'' ('now') || ''laðlai, ðraðlai, nos'' ('then') || ''þaðlai'' ('in the future'), ''þraðlái'' ('some other time') | | '''''ðlai''''' ('time') || ''ðlai mlau, mlai'' ('when') || ''klai'' ('when') || ''ðlai bleg, blai<sup>2</sup>'' ('never') || ''jaðlai, jlai, nak'' ('now') || ''laðlai, ðraðlai, nos'' ('then') || ''þaðlai'' ('in the future'), ''þraðlái'' ('some other time') | ||
|- | |- | ||
| '''''kþið''''' ('manner') || ''kþið mlau, mlið'' ('how') || ''klið'' ('how') || ''kþið bleg, blið'' ('no way') || ''kþið úli, jlið'' ('like this') || ''kþið úla, ðrið'' ('like that') || ''þkíð'' ('some other way') | | '''''kþið''''' ('manner') || ''kþið mlau, mlið'' ('how') || ''klið'' ('how') || ''kþið bleg, blið'' ('no way') || ''kþið úli, jlið'' ('like this') || ''kþið úla, ðrið'' ('like that') || ''þkíð'' ('some other way') | ||
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| '''''mára''''' ('quantity') || ''mára mlau, mlára'' ('how much/many') || ''klára'' ('how much/many') || ''mára bleg, blára'' ('none') || ''mára úli, márað'' ('this much') || ''mára úla, márað'' ('that much') || ''mára ulót'' ('that other amount') | | '''''mára''''' ('quantity') || ''mára mlau, mlára'' ('how much/many') || ''klára'' ('how much/many') || ''mára bleg, blára'' ('none') || ''mára úli, márað'' ('this much') || ''mára úla, márað'' ('that much') || ''mára ulót'' ('that other amount') | ||
|- | |- | ||
| '''''hímiem<sup>1</sup>''''' ('reason') || ''mlímiem'' ('why') || ''klímiem'' ('why') || ''blímiem'' ('for no reason') |colspan="2" | | '''''hímiem<sup>1</sup>''''' ('reason') || ''mlímiem'' ('why') || ''klímiem'' ('why') || ''blímiem'' ('for no reason') ||colspan="2"| ''ðrímiem'' ('because') || ''þrímiem'' ('for that reason') | ||
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
<sup>1</sup> The word ''hímiem'' ('reason') is no longer used, but lives on in the pro-form contractions, where it is used exclusively over its nominal replacement, ''frulúþ''. | <sup>1</sup> The word ''hímiem'' ('reason') is no longer used, but lives on in the pro-form contractions, where it is used exclusively over its nominal replacement, ''frulúþ''. | ||
<sup>2</sup> While ''blai'' may still be found in some texts, it is not generally used due to its homophonous relationship with the progressive particle (see Verbs). | |||
<sup>3</sup> ''jláran'' is gradually becoming obsolete and has been broadly replaced by ''járan''. | |||
== Nouns == | == Nouns == | ||