Is Burunking: Difference between revisions

Burungian verbs are conjugated, by means of agglutination, for aspect, tense, mood and valency by suffixes added to the verb stem. Person, gender and number are not marked on verbs.

Only a handful of verbs (called the '''true verbs''') actually allow conjugation in this way and the majority of these are used to describe basic actions or states, including a wide range of verbs associated with motion along a specific path, a number associated with basic human functions and a handful of others. These true verbs are a closed class and there is no recorded instance of a new true verb coming into existence. The majority of other verbs exist only in non-finite forms and are conjugated by compounding with the true verbs as auxiliary; each auxiliary offering a different meaning. Other parts of speech, including nouns, adjectives and adverbs, can also be compounded with auxiliaries, offering relatively free reign for creating new verbs.  

====Verb Stems====

The basic part of a verb, which conveys its primary meaning, is the root, e.g. ''-ang-'' "eat", ''-toz-'' "move up to". Burungian verbal roots cannot occur independently; they must be accompanied by at least one prefix or be the second element in a compound. The most common prefix, which effectively makes a verbal noun from the root, occurs as ''e-, i-'' or ''y-'', e.g. ''yang'' "eat", ''etoz'' "move up to". This prefix occurs in both true verbs and in non-conjugable verbal nouns, e.g. ''yosh'' "sew", ''enoros'' "bury, plant".

 

* the infix ''-ra-'', placed between the prefix and the stem, creates a '''causative''' verb, e.g. ''erakash'' "teach" < ''ekash'' "learn", ''erayeki'' "build, erect" < ''eyeki'' "stand".

* the infix ''-na-'' creates a '''pejorative''' verb, specifically denoting  perversity, ill intent or action resulting in unfortunate circumstances and does not suggest that the action of the verb was performed badly. E.g. ''enaro'' "molest" < ''ero'' "touch", ''enaus'' "flee, escape" < ''yus'' "move away".

* the root may be reduplicated to show intensive or frequentative meaning, e.g. ''ewaiwash'' "collapse, drop" < ''ewash'' "go down", ''inuanua'' "babble, chatter" < ''inua'' "speak".

 

The verbal stem may be formed into a perfective by the addition of the suffix ''-i'', e.g. ''yangi'' "eaten", '''erayekii''' "built". This functions as part of the conjugation system described below, but also occurs independently as a perfect participle, e.g. ''yangi ugi'' "eaten bread".