Minhast: Difference between revisions

A few derivational affixes do exist; these occur as affixes attached directly to both verb and noun roots.  The most commonly occuring ones are two Telicity affixes, the Durative ''-ħtaš'' and the Semelfective ''-minn-''.  Technically telicity is a type of aspect, but unlike other aspect markers, which can be spontaneously employed in a single utterance, these affixes serve a more derivational purpose; their function is chiefly semantic as opposed to syntactic.  For example, the verb root ''-dāwap-'' (to drip), when prefixed with the Durative, creates the derived verb ''-ħtaštāwap-'', which means "to trickle", and the verb root ''-sar-'' (to see) becomes ''-ħtassar-'' (to watch).

One suffix originating from the Gull Speaker dialect, ''-ru'', derives locative nouns from verbs.  This suffix is the hallmark of the dialect, although the suffix has appeared in the City Speaker dialect, and its use appears to be increasing.  (See earlier discussion on Type I verb-noun derivational compounding).

One major derivational affix that is associated with nouns is the suffix ''-ast'', which forms demonyms.  Ironically, the word ''Minhast'' was not derived from this affix; it was derived from Proto-Minhast ''Nēn u θyatsə'' or ''Nēn u θyats'', which means "The True People Who Use the Spear" (c.f. Nankôre ''nan'' "human", Nahónda ''non, nahón'' "the People").

   

A few non-productive derivational suffixes occur occasionally in the standard language, with increasing frequency in the Upper Minhast dialects.  These affixes are considered fossilized, but Classical Minhast texts indicate they could be generated spontaneously.  The most common ones found in the standard language are:

* ''-(u)mbāt'': found mostly in collective nouns, and some abstract nouns.  These nouns come from  Salmonic dialects and Classical Minhast sources;