User:Ceige/Proto-Kamut
Grammar
Nouns
Early Proto-Kamut Abstract Cases
| Case | Singular | Dual | Plural | Semantic Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolutive | -ə | -ikə | -itə | [nom/abs] |
| Objective | -əm | -ikəm | -itəm | [acc/dat] |
| Genitive | -ən | -ikən | -itən | [gen/nom] |
| Nominative | -əp | -ikəp | -itəp | [nom/erg] |
| Partitive | -ət | -ikət | -itət | [abl/par/gen/top] |
| Instrumental | -ək | -ikək | -itək | [ins/loc] |
| Locative | -əi | -ikəi | -itəi | [loc/ins] |
| Dative | -əu | -ikəu | -itəu | [dat/all] |
Late Proto-Kamut Abstract Cases
| Case | Singular | Dual | Plural | Semantic Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolutive | -ə | -ik | -it | [nom/abs] |
| Objective | -əm | -ikəm | -itəm | [acc/dat/ben] |
| Genitive | -ən | -ikən | -itən | [gen/nom/ben] |
| Topic | -ət | -ikət | -itət | [nom/erg] |
| Nominative | -əpə | -ikəpə | -itəpə | [nom/erg] |
| Ablative | -ətə | -ikətə | -itətə | [abl/par/gen/ben] |
Late Proto-Kamut Spacial Cases
This case system arose through the agglutination of case markers; this specific set survives in the core Kamut branch. There existed more beyond these, like those in the Ayut branch (-əməiənəu and -əməiənət; -minu and -minta). These are just examples.
| Case | Singular | Dual | Plural | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locative | -əməi | -ikəməi | -itəməi | at |
| Ablative | -əmət | -ikəmət | -itəmət | from |
| Inessive | -əməiən | -ikəməiən | -itəməiən | in |
| Illative | -əməiənən | -ikəməiənən | -itəməiənən | into |
| Instrumental | -əməiək | -ikəməiək | -itəməiək | by means of |
| Dative | -əməu | -ikəməu | -itəməu | to, for, at |
| Allative | -əməuət | -ikəməuət | -itəməuət | to, towards |
| Exessive | -əməuən | -ikəməuən | -itəməuən | out, outside of |
| Elative | -əməuənən | -ikəməuənən | -itəməuənən | outwards |
| Prosecutive | -əməuək | -ikəməuək | -itəməuək | by way of |
Additional Cases
These cases do not follow symmetry or fit in a traditional paradigm.
| Case | Singular | Dual | Plural | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locative-Genitive | -mien | -ngien | -nien | of a place, hailing from |
The additional cases are more derivational than inflectional. While they can be used inflectionally, cases like the LOG/GEN -mien are lessed used in inflection where the genitive or locative would be better, and are instead used in things like adjectives and nouns more often (-mien in particular might translate to -ian or -ese).
Combined Cases
| Case | Singular | Dual | Plural | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolutive | -V | -(i)k | -(i)t | [nom/abs] |
| Objective | -(e)m | -(i)k(em) | -(i)t(em) | [acc/dat/ben] |
| Genitive | -(e)n | -(i)ken | -(i)ten | [gen/nom/ben] |
| Nominative | -(e)p | -(i)kep | -(i)tep | [nom/erg] |
| Dialectal Nominative | -(e)pa | -(i)ppa/kka | -(i)ppa | [nom/erg] |
| Ablative | -(e)ta | -(i)kka | -(i)tta | [abl/par/gen/ben] |
| Locative | -mi | -ngi | -ni | at, with |
| Ablative | -mit | -ngit | -nit | from |
| Inessive | -min | -ngin | -nin | in |
| Illative | -minen | -nginen | -ninen | into |
| Instrumental | -mik | -ngik | -nik | by means of |
| Dative | -mu | -ngu | -nu | to, for, at |
| Allative | -mut | -ngut | -nut | to, towards |
| Exessive | -mun | -ngun | -nun | out, outside of |
| Elative | -munen | -ngunen | -nunen | outwards |
| Prosecutive | -muk | -nguk | -nuk | by way of |
| Locative-Genitive | -mien | -ngien | -nien | of a place, hailing from |
In total, there are approximately 15-17 cases (45-51 declension items), depending on who is describing the language.
Nominalisation of Phrases
An entire phrase in Kamut can be nominalised using -(a)no. This has been noted as a similarity between Kamut and Japanese (-no), although others have explained it as being an ablauted emphatic form of the Genitive ending.
Thus, kamungunen ano (bear-du-obl-ela nmz) = "the thing about exiting the two bears".
Alternatively, -(u)va exists, although this is used as a quotation and question marker amongst other uses. This can be clarified by prosody (questions have a change in pitch) or by context and judgement calls by the listener.
Kamunienami va... = "as for that thing you said about being with the Kamut people...".
Verbs
The default form of the verb is tyically given an aorist-indicative TAM assignment.
Personal Endings
| Person | Singular | Dual | Plural | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Person Strong | -mi | -miik | -miit | |
| First Person Weak | -mi | -viik | -viit | |
| First Person Proximal | -kə | -kəik | -kəit | |
| Non-First Person Person Strong | -tə | -təik | -təit | |
| Non-First Person Person Medial | -sə | -səik | -səit | |
| Fourth Person Traditioanl | -nə | -nəik | -nəit | |
| Third Person Distal | -ənə | -ənəik | -ənəit |