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Kistaninya Verbconstructions

Revision as of 09:51, 30 March 2011 by Bedilu Debela (Talk | contribs)

User:Bedilu Debela


This page is motivated by the intention to enumerate examples which represent typical verbal constructions of Kistaniniya. Hence, a number of representative examples are taken from construction headed by simple intransitive, transitive and ditransitive verbs, derivational verbs (causatives, passive), impersonals, copula, and converbs .

1. Constructions headed by intransitive verbs.


Intransitive verbs are characterized by not selecting an NP complement. On the basis of their semantic expression and their syntactic properties.


bəšš-o
“He cried”
bəššo
bəššo
cry3PMASCSGSM
V
zəl:əl-o
“He jumped”
zəl:əlo
zəl:əlo
jump3PMASCSGSM
V
mət’:-at:i
“She came”
mət’:at:i
mət’:at:i
come3PFEMSGSM
V
bay:-i wəd:ək’-o
“The baby fell down”
bay:i
bay:i
babyDEF
N
wəd:ək’o
wəd:ək’o
fell3PMASCSGSM
V
kassa ab:əd-o
“Kassa got crazy”
kassa
kassa
Kassa
N
ab:ədo
ab:ədo
get.crazy3PMASCSGSM
V
kassa tədəs:ət-o
“Kassa got happy”
kassa
kassa
Kassa
N
tədəs:əto
tədəs:əto
get.happy3PMASCSGSM
V


In the language, core-arguments and obliques are marked by different morpho-syntactic means. Unlike core-arguments which are optionally marked by bare object personal pronoun suffix on the verb, oblique arguments are referred to by applicative plus object personal pronoun suffix. Oblique arguments are adpositional phrases in Kistaniniya with a property of assigning thematic roles such as locative, instrumental, source, goal, beneficiary and maleficiary.


In addition to the subject, Kistaniniya allows only one further core or oblique argument to be marked on the verb. When an oblique is overtly realized in a construction, it is always the oblique that is marked on the verb. In idiomatic expressions headed by an intransitive verb, the oblique argument is referred by the applicative formative.

bəšš-ətt-b-o-t
“She blamed him”
bəššəttbot
bəššəttbot
cry3PFEMSGSMAPPL3PMASCSGOMMAVM
V


Intransitive verbs expressing motion take adpositional oblique object to mark their goal or source of movement. Consider the following examples headed by intransitive motion verbs.

zən:u tə-sod:o-y:ən al:əf-ət:-i
“Zennu went to Soddo”
zən:u
zən:u
Zennu
N
 
 
 
 
təsod:oy:ən
sod:oy:ən
tosoddoDIR
CIRCP
al:əfət:i
al:əfət:i
go3PFEMSGSMMAVM
V
zən:u bə-dngət tə-sod:o-y:ən al:əf-ət:-i
“Zennu went to Soddo by accident”
zən:u
zən:u
Zennu
N
bədngət
dngət
byaccident
ADVm
təsod:oy:ən
sod:oy:ən
tosoddoDIR
CIRCP
al:əfət:i
al:əfət:i
go3PFEMSGSMMAVM
V


2. Constructions headed by transitive verbs


Syntactically, transitive verbs are characterized by having a direct object complement. The complement they select can be phrasal or clausal.

bəd:ər-ətt-ew
“She advanced me”
bəd:ərəttew
bəd:ərətte-w
advance3PFEMSGSM1PSGOMMAVM
V
zen:u kwas wɨrəw:ər-ett-i


In Kistaniniya, there is a type of verbs which have both transitive and intransitive valency specifications. Consider the following examples.

t’ɨbuyə at’ob-ku-n:a-t
“‘I breast feed her’ ”
t’ɨbuyə
t’ɨbuyə
breast
N
 
 
 
 
at’obkun:at
at’obkun:at
feed1SGSM3SGFEMOMMAVM
V
at’ob-ku-n:a-t
“‘I breast feed her’ ”
at’obkun:at
at’obkun:at
feed1SGSM3SGFEMOMMAVM
V


Notice that in the above examples, the verbal head optionally selects its cognate noun as its complement.

There are transitive verbs which select for clausal complements. The clausal complement can be declarative, interrogative, or infinitival.

yə-zəm:i-hi womut yə-zən:u godd-a-n:a-t
“‘The death of her brother hearted Zennu’”
yəzəm:ihi
zəm:ihi
GENbrother2SGPOSS
N
womut
womut
death
N
yəzən:u
zən:u
ACCzennu
N
goddan:at
goddan:at
heart3SGFEMSM3SGFEMOMMAVM
V
ma yɨ-mət’a hom šal-ətt-i
“‘She knew who came’”
ma
ma
who
Wh
yɨmət’a
mət’a
3SGMASCOMcome
V
hom
hom
COMPL
 
šalətti
šalətti
know3SGFEMOMMAVM
V
kas:a bə-fətəna mɨnkom yə-wəd:ək’-ə hom gər:əm-ə-n:a-t
“ ‘How Kassa failed an exam surprised Zennu’”
kas:a
kas:a
Kassa
N
bəfətəna
fətəna
byexam
PREP
mɨnkom
mɨnkom
how
Wh
yəwəd:ək’ə
wəd:ək’ə
 fail 
V
hom
hom
COMPL
 
gər:əmən:at
gər:əmən:at
surprise3SGMASCSM3SGFEMOMMAVM
V


3. Constructions headed by ditransitive verbs