User:IlL/Sketchbook

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Diachronics lab

Pluractionality ≈ antipassive!

Demonstrative/definite affix > construct state: PL-clam-those [of the] man > PL-clam-CONST man

Classifiers are in onstruct state

this CL NOUN > the.GENDER NOUN

apposition NOUN-1SG NOUN > CL-1SG NOUN > of_i-1SG NOUN_i

PREP-3SG NOUN > CASE.SG-NOUN

CONJ VERB NOUN > PREP NOUN

evidential-marking "because"

Witcanese

Wetcanese is a mainly agglutinative, head-final language.

Kòtih wanaih kèpwanchè.
1SG.GEN-ERG mother-ERG 1SG.ABS-hate-WIT
My mother used to hate me.

Phonology

Wetcanese has a simple syllable structure relative to most European languages. Permissible syllable shapes are V, CV, VC, CVC, CGV, and CGVC where G is a glide.

Grammar

Nouns

Noun Declension
Number→
Case↓
Singular Plural
Absolutive -0 -w, -u
Ergative -ih -wih
Dative -af -waf
Locative -him -uhim, -whim
Ablative -chay -uchay, -wchay
Comitative -yã -uyã, -wyã
Instrumental -run -urun, -wrun
Essive -hòg -uhòg, -whòg
Genitive -t- (see Genitive declension)

Adjectives and Genitives

Adjectives (including genitives) agree with the noun in case and number. Adjectives take the same endings as nouns. However, many adjectives are genitive adjectives formed form nouns, corresponding to the adjectival suffix in other languages.


Genitive Declension
Number→
Case↓
Singular Plural
Absolutive -t -tèw
Ergative -tih -twih
Dative -taf -twaf
Locative -thim -tuhim
Ablative -tchay -tuchay
Comitative -tyã -tuyã
Instrumental -tèrun -turun
Essive -thòg -tuhòg
Genitive -tèt-

Verbs

Verbs in Wetcanese have no tense or aspect inflection; instead, there is evidentiality and mood which can do double duty as certain tenses The irrealis is the default, unmarked mood/evidentiality, serving the role of the infinitive or the future in other languages.

Wetcanese mood/evidentiality affixes
irrealis
witness -chè
emphatic -kòd
jurative -tèmuh
quotative -sha
mirative -quh
hearsay -ot
inferential -eq
assumptive -rwè
optative -mes
imperative -wõ
potential -hiw
desiderative -pãs
admonitive -ay
permissive -hyè
Phátu nukuchè...
When did I last see it... (lit. When it was_located-I saw...)

The mirative marks new information that the speaker is witnessing. It often corresponds to present tense. In narratives it is used to exhort the listener for attention.

Qayòlih milám hugaquh.
Hey, the demon's chasing the dog!/Behold, the demon chased the dog.

The quotative is used for information from third-party sources deemed to be authoritative. As such it is the evidential most often encountered in narratives.

Qayòlih milám hugasha.
The demon chased the dog. (narrative)

The admonitive is used in prohibitions and warnings, and for negative purpose clauses.

Phi qhashãsay
Do not wander around
ha ãbè mòsipay
lest this be forgotten

Wetcanese makes use of verbal affixes, instead of intonation (like English) or word order (as in some European languages and Celtic/Hebrew), in order to focus a constituent.

Focus prefixes
absolutive ne-
ergative hin-
beneficiary mac-
instrument qo-
location ya-
source hòt-
goal up-
time al-

TAM session

Aspect-mood clitics
*d- aorist
prospective
inceptive
continuative
pausative
resumptive
cessative
retrospective


Person-tense clitics
Number→
Person↓
Singulative Generic/Partitive Plurative
Present
1 *na- *xa- (exclusive); *ŋe- (inclusive)
2 *sa-
3 *zə- *cə- *za-
Past
1
2
3
Future
1
2
3
Jussive
1
2
3
Person enclitics
Number→
Person↓
Singulative Generic/Partitive Plurative
1
2
3

Nominal declension

Declension
Number→ Generic Partitive Singulative Plurative
Definiteness→ Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Unpossessed
1sg
2sg
3sg.animate
3sg.inanimate
1ex
1in
2pl
3pl.animate
3pl.inanimate
Impersonal
Partitive

No idea if this will work

Conjugation
Infinitive
Active participle
Antipassive participle
Number→
Person↓
Singulative Collective/Partitive Plurative
Aorist
Active voice
1
2
3
Passive voice
1
2
Antipassive voice
3
Imperfect
Active voice
1
2
3
Passive voice
1
2
Antipassive voice
3
Imperative
Active voice
1
2
3


plân tròung or tròung plân
/pˤán ʈʉ̌u̯ŋ/ or /ʈʉ̌u̯ŋ pˤán/
plân tròung/tròung plân
teacher house/house teacher

The teacher's house
plân tròung or tròung plân
/pˤán ma̤ ʈʉ̌u̯ŋ/ or /ʈʉ̌u̯ŋ ma̤ pˤán/
plân tròung/tròung plân
teacher INV house/house INV teacher

The teacher of the house
plân mā srâlk tròung
/pˤán ma̤ kˤī ʂákˤ ʈʉ̌u̯ŋ/
plân mā srâkl tròung
teacher INV pure house

The house of the teacher of purity
plân mā kli srâlk tròung
/pˤán ma̤ kˤī ʂákˤ ʈʉ̌u̯ŋ/
plân mā kli srâkl tròung
teacher INV DELIM pure house

The teacher of the house of purity