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Kirtumur: Difference between revisions
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There are only five interrogative pronouns: ''khar'' "who" and ''war'' "what", ''khim'' "when", ''kei'' "where" and ''khōn'' "how", all, except ''kei'', likely are composites, based on the way they were written in Old Kērsal inscriptions, with two syllabic symbols rather than having their own separate symbols, like most other monosyllabic Kērsalur words. They behave like nouns: they make up noun phrases in their own right, having the case markers appropriate for the grammatical function they perform: ''War laxēwamti?'' "What have I learnt from you?" There is also an interrogative clitic ''kh(e)-'' which is usually attached to the main verb in a sentence and indicates a question, when no other interrogative pronoun is used: ''Khax Ilitmi kōlšu?'' "Is your name Ilitmi?" | There are only five interrogative pronouns: ''khar'' "who" and ''war'' "what", ''khim'' "when", ''kei'' "where" and ''khōn'' "how", all, except ''kei'', likely are composites, based on the way they were written in Old Kērsal inscriptions, with two syllabic symbols rather than having their own separate symbols, like most other monosyllabic Kērsalur words. They behave like nouns: they make up noun phrases in their own right, having the case markers appropriate for the grammatical function they perform: ''War laxēwamti?'' "What have I learnt from you?" There is also an interrogative clitic ''kh(e)-'' which is usually attached to the main verb in a sentence and indicates a question, when no other interrogative pronoun is used: ''Khax Ilitmi kōlšu?'' "Is your name Ilitmi?" | ||
====Indefinite==== | ====Indefinite==== | ||
Because Kirtumur lacks an article, only the context can make clear whether a given noun is definite or indefinite. Depending on the context, a word such as ''eraŋi'' "woman" means either "the woman" or "a woman". A few nouns that refer to ontological categories have usages similar to indefinite pronouns. Thus, with an indefinite meaning, ''taŋiri'' "that person" can also express "someone" and ''tanik'' " that thing" can also stand for "something": ''namšarkat '''taŋires''' ezikap'' "someone robbed me". In addition to these words, there is a prefix ''na-'' with the meaning "any" that creates various pronouns, for instance ''nam'' "anywhere" (although the Kērsalur word ''eyei'' is more widespread than ''nam'': '''''eyei''' ōkua nilua ōma'' "you can walk anywhere you want here"). Negative pronouns do not exist in Kirtumur, instead a particle ''ma'' "not" is used with the existing pronoun, for example: ''Ma '''na''nik akuakha'' ("I do not want anything"); ''Ma '''ne'''ilur inihatat kal lepamnu'' ("Nobody alive enters the realm of the dead"). The prefix ''na-'' can also form verb clauses: ''nanexa'' "whatever it is". | Because Kirtumur lacks an article, only the context can make clear whether a given noun is definite or indefinite. Depending on the context, a word such as ''eraŋi'' "woman" means either "the woman" or "a woman". A few nouns that refer to ontological categories have usages similar to indefinite pronouns. Thus, with an indefinite meaning, ''taŋiri'' "that person" can also express "someone" and ''tanik'' " that thing" can also stand for "something": ''namšarkat '''taŋires''' ezikap'' "someone robbed me". In addition to these words, there is a prefix ''na-'' with the meaning "any" that creates various pronouns, for instance ''nam'' "anywhere" (although the Kērsalur word ''eyei'' is more widespread than ''nam'': '''''eyei''' ōkua nilua ōma'' "you can walk anywhere you want here"). Negative pronouns do not exist in Kirtumur, instead a particle ''ma'' "not" is used with the existing pronoun, for example: ''Ma '''na'''nik akuakha'' ("I do not want anything"); ''Ma '''ne'''ilur inihatat kal lepamnu'' ("Nobody alive enters the realm of the dead"). The prefix ''na-'' can also form verb clauses: ''nanexa'' "whatever it is". | ||
===Numerals=== | ===Numerals=== | ||
As to their syntax, numerals behave very much like nouns. Like a noun, a numeral can make up a noun phrase, having the case marker appropriate for the grammatical function. In their morphology, however, numerals differ from nouns slightly, as they have two forms: cardinal and ordinal, they can also form specific compounds that nouns can not form, which do not necessarily indicate a number (for example, when introducing a person: ''Y'''ik''' Rinki'' "this is Rinki", where ''ik'' is the word for "one"). | As to their syntax, numerals behave very much like nouns. Like a noun, a numeral can make up a noun phrase, having the case marker appropriate for the grammatical function. In their morphology, however, numerals differ from nouns slightly, as they have two forms: cardinal and ordinal, they can also form specific compounds that nouns can not form, which do not necessarily indicate a number (for example, when introducing a person: ''Y'''ik''' Rinki'' "this is Rinki", where ''ik'' is the word for "one"). | ||