Verb Morphology
Verbs can have over 100 different aspect, tense, voice, mood and number forms. Verb agreement is with the object (i.e. 'ergative') in transitive clauses, and with the subject in intransitive clauses. Imperatives, on the other hand, agree with both subject and object in transitive clauses.
There are three aspects (perfective, imperfective, habitual), two voices (active and attainative ), two moods (non-imperative and imperative, 6 tenses (remote future, today future, present, today past, recent past, remote past) and four numbers (singular, dual, specific plural, animate active plural - in form the animate active plural is the same as the singular, and is only found on certain verbs).
In most descriptions of the language the active and attainative voices have been mistakenly termed transitive and intransitive respectively. Ttransitive, intransitive, passive, antipassive and 'antipassive passive' in the language are syntactic categories, and are formed by the interplay of nominal and verbal morphology, clause/sentence-level characteristics such as word-order, and semantic considerations.
Verb morphology consists of prefixes (aspect, positioning, etc.), suffixes (voice, number, and two fossilised multiplicative/causative suffixes) and endings (tense, aspect and mood). The structural matrix of a verb is :
(prefix)+(prefix)+stem(+FOSSILISED SUFFIX)+(VOICE)+(number)+ending(+ending).
Example:
pabalkabuthamadhin two were laid down across something
pabalkabuthemadhin two lay down (laid themselves down) across something '
prefix: pa- completive
prefix: bal- positional - across
stem: kabutha- place, lay
voice suffix: -Ø attainative, -i active
number suffix: -ma dual
tense-aspect ending: -dhin remote past perfective
Sample verb declension : íma- see, observe, supervise, examine, try, test
Tensed forms
| Case/Suffix | Perfective Attainative | Imperfective Attainative | Perfective Active | Imperfective Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| remote future singular | imane | imaipu (imaiparui) | imedhe | imepu (imeparui) |
| dual | imamane | imampu (imamparui) | imemadhe | imempu (imemparui) |
| plural | imamœine | imamœipu (imamœiparui) | imemœidhe | imemœipu (imemœiparui) |
| near future singular | imaipa | imaipu (imaiparui) | imepa | imepu (imeparui) |
| dual | imampa | imampu (imamparui) | imempa | imempu (imemparui) |
| plural | imamœipa | imamœipu (imamœiparui) | imemœipa | imemœipu (imemœiparui) |
| present singular | iman | imaipa | imiz | imepa |
| dual | imaman | imampa | imeman | imempa |
| plural | imamœin | imamœipa | imemœin | imemœipa |
| today past singular | imanu | imadha | imema | imedha |
| dual | imamanu | imamadha | imemanu | imemadha |
| plural | imamœinu | imamœidha | imemœinu | imemœidha |
| recent past singular | imangu | imarngu | imaingu | imairngu |
| dual | imamangu | imamarngu | imemangu | imemarngu |
| plural | imamœingu | imamœirngu | imemœingu | imemœirngu |
| recent past singular | imadhin | imar | imaidhin | imai |
| dual | imamadhin | imamar | imemadhin | imemar |
| plural | imamœidhin | imamœi (imamir) | imemœidhin | imemœi (imemir) |
Non-tensed forms
| Case/Suffix | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainative Habitual | imaipu (imaiparui) | imampu (imamparui) | imamœipu (imamœiparui) |
| Active Habitual | imepu (imeparui) | imempu (imemparui) | imemœipu (imemœiparui) |
| Perfective Attainative Imperative (Singular Subject) | imar | imamar | imamœi (imamir) |
| (Non-Plural Subject) | imau (imaziu) | imamariu | imamœi (imamœiziu, imamiu) |
| Active Imperative | imi | imemariu | imemœi (imemœiziu, imemiu) |
| Imperfective Attainative Imperative | imadha | imamadha | imamœidha |
| Imperfective Active Imperative | imedha | imemadha | imemœidha |
Nominalised forms
| Case/Suffix | Verbal Noun | Have-Form | Privative | Resultative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| base form | imai | imail | imaigi | imaizi |
| independent impersonal form (nom-acc) | imai | imailnga | imaiginga | imaizinga |
| stem | imai- | imailmai- | imaigimai- | imaizimai- |
| independent personal form (nom-acc) | ---- | imailaig | imaigig | imaizig |
| stem | ---- | imailga- | imaigiga- | imaiziga- |
Read more about this topic: Kalaw Lagaw Ya
Famous quotes containing the words verb and/or morphology:
“The word is the Verb, and the Verb is God.”
—Victor Hugo (1802–1885)
“I ascribe a basic importance to the phenomenon of language.... To speak means to be in a position to use a certain syntax, to grasp the morphology of this or that language, but it means above all to assume a culture, to support the weight of a civilization.”
—Frantz Fanon (1925–1961)