Verse:Irta/Music: Difference between revisions

From Linguifex
Jump to navigation Jump to search
IlL (talk | contribs)
IlL (talk | contribs)
mNo edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
'''Witcanese''' is a mainly agglutinative, head-final language.
'''Witcanese'''
===Phonology===
===Phonology===
Witcanese has a simple syllable structure relative to most European languages. Permissible syllable shapes are V, CV, VC, CVC, CGV, and CGVC where G is a glide.


===Grammar===
===Grammar===
Line 22: Line 21:
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Dative
!scope="row"|Dative
|colspan="2"|''-af''
|colspan="2"|''-ap''
|colspan="2"|''-yaf''
|colspan="2"|''-yap''
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Locative
!scope="row"|Locative

Revision as of 04:16, 19 June 2016

Witcanese

Phonology

Grammar

Nouns

Noun Declension
Number→
Case↓
Singular Plural
Absolutive -0 -y, -i
Ergative -ih -yih
Dative -ap -yap
Locative -him -ihim, -yhim
Ablative -chay -ichay, -ychay
Comitative -yã -iyã, -yã
Instrumental -run -irun, -yrun
Essive -hòg -ihòg, -yhòg
Genitive -t- (see Genitive declension)

Adjectives and Genitives

Adjectives (including genitives) agree with the noun in case and number. Adjectives take the same endings as nouns. However, many adjectives are genitive adjectives formed form nouns, corresponding to the adjectival suffix in other languages.


Genitive Declension
Number→
Case↓
Singular Plural
Absolutive -t -tèy
Ergative -tih -tyih
Dative -taf -tyaf
Locative -thim -tihim
Ablative -tchay -tichay
Comitative -tyã -tiyã
Instrumental -tèrun -tirun
Essive -thòg -tihòg
Genitive -tèt-

Verbs

Verbs in Witcanese have no tense or aspect inflection; instead, there is evidentiality and mood which can do double duty as certain tenses The irrealis is the default, unmarked mood/evidentiality, serving the role of the infinitive or the future in other languages.

Witcanese mood/evidentiality affixes
irrealis
witness -chè
emphatic -kòd
jurative -tèmuh
quotative -sha
mirative -quh
hearsay -ot
inferential -eq
assumptive -rwè
optative -mes
imperative -wõ
potential -hiw
desiderative -pãs
admonitive -ay
permissive -hyè
Phátu nukuchè...
When did I last see it... (lit. When it was_located-I saw...)

The mirative marks new information that the speaker is witnessing. It often corresponds to present tense. In narratives it is used to exhort the listener for attention.

Qayòlih milám hugaquh.
Hey, the demon's chasing the dog!/Behold, the demon chased the dog.

The quotative is used for information from third-party sources deemed to be authoritative. As such it is the evidential most often encountered in narratives.

Qayòlih milám hugasha.
The demon chased the dog. (narrative)

The admonitive is used in prohibitions and warnings, and for negative purpose clauses.

Phi qhashãsay
Do not wander around
ha ãpè mòsipay
lest this be forgotten

Witcanese makes use of verbal affixes, instead of intonation (like English) or word order (as in some European languages and Celtic/Hebrew/Talsmic), in order to focus a constituent.

Focus prefixes
absolutive ne-
ergative hin-
beneficiary mac-
instrument qo-
location ya-
source hòt-
goal up-
time al-

Verbs can also have a pluractional form (suffix -itcu), which is mandatory with the antipassive voice.