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==== Adjectival Suffixes ==== | ==== Adjectival Suffixes ==== | ||
Nankôre lacks a separate word class for adjectives. They may be expressed as attributive verbs, e.g. ''Aryak neshkak itá'', "Aryak is smart", ''Kanko shoykar sip'itá''', "Kanko (an indigenous vegetable) makes good" (for your health), or a suffix may be attached to the noun it modifies. These suffixes are called adjectival suffixes. Some of these suffixes are etymologically derived from an attributive verb, e.g. ''-kerek'' > '' | Nankôre lacks a separate word class for adjectives. They may be expressed as attributive verbs, e.g. ''Aryak neshkak itá'', "Aryak is smart", ''Kanko shoykar sip'itá''', "Kanko (an indigenous vegetable) makes good" (for your health), or a suffix may be attached to the noun it modifies. These suffixes are called adjectival suffixes. Some of these suffixes are etymologically derived from an attributive verb, e.g. ''karyak itá'' > ''-kerek'' >, as in ''Kurasnokerek '' "the girl is red" (i.e. the girl is blushing). Others appear to be derived from separate roots, c.f. "''Aryak-arku''", ("clever Aryak") vs ''"Aryak neshkak itá"'' ("Aryak is clever"). Theoretically an unlimited number of suffixes may be appended to the noun, but in practice the number of adjectival suffixes seldom exceeds three. The suffixes may appear in any order, so long as the meaning is comprehensible. Nevertheless it appears that scope determines the ordering of the suffixes: suffixes with wider scope tend to appear towards the end e.g. "''Kenenkor-pita-shune-une itá''" (bed plush-red-soft-very 3S.COP ) "It is a very soft, red and plush bed." | ||
While the number of adjectival suffixes are considerable, they remain for the most part a closed class. Moreover, with a few exceptions, each adjectival suffix may be expressed by a corresponding stative verb. | While the number of adjectival suffixes are considerable, they remain for the most part a closed class. Moreover, with a few exceptions, each adjectival suffix may be expressed by a corresponding stative verb. |
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