Saturday, 21 December 2024

End particles and question words

 End particles are one of Neramese’s peculiarities. They always come at the end of a clause, and convey specific pieces of information. They are portmanteau morphemes. For a phrase to be valid, it must contain a verb and an end particle. Otherwise, it is an interjection, a vocative, or something similar.


There are 10 simple end particles in Nerám. C represents a consonant that is replaced with a number/person marker.

- CaC - objective non-factive

- CuìC - factive (I saw/heard that...)

- CeC - subjective (expresses belief, doubt with negation)

- soC, śoC - imperative

- CìC? - binary question

- lhaC? - what (subject argument)

- Calh? - what (object argument)

- haiC? - who? (subject argument)

- Caih - who? (object argument)

- piCuC? - when?, if (hypothetical)

- zeCuC? - where?

- śaCuC? - why? 

-  śaCaC? - because

- laCuC? - how?

- CiCiz - completive 'that' particle

- CiCemh - completive 'if' particle (of in Dutch, jestli in Czech)

- CiCom - relative particle



3 of them are base end particles whereas 7 of them are question particles.


How does C work?

C is replaced with information regarding the nominative and accusative arguments. For motion verbs with non-accusative y arguments, they are treated like verbs without a second argument.

- Completives are treated like 3rd person singular (I think that X = X ...iz pradun na)


Morphological information :

1st person singular : 'n'

2nd person singular : 's'

3rd person singular : 't' for nominative or atmospheric arguments and Null for accusative arguments (or 't' in 2nd argument of recursive and relative particles)

1st person plural : 'm'

2nd person plural : 'ś'

3rd person plural : 'tl'

Anaphoric second argument : '-r'


The nominative argument (x) is the first C. The accusative argument (y) is the second C.

- Passive constructions are built as though there was only an accusative argument.

- Atmospheric verbs take a glottal stop like 3rd person singular nominative

- The copula does not take a second argument. 


EXAMPLES :

I eat you : mhã nas.

I eat : mhã na.

It rains : tl'a ta

He sees her : he ta

He sees you : he tas

You see him : hes sa

They see themselves : hetl tlar

He sees himself : he tar

The school sees the woman : he imhadras ibhera ta

The school sees the women : he imhadras ibhera tatl

The schools see the woman : hetl imhadras ibhera tla

The schools see the women : hetl imhadras ibhera tlatl

The women see themselves : hetl ibhera tlar


The woman is seen : he ibhera a

Versus

The woman sees : he ibhera ta


I am seen : he an.

I see : hen na


I am a woman : is (en) bera na

The woman is me : "is ibhera en 'a" and not "*is ibhera (en) 'an" (second arguments are not permitted)


I am Armand and this is my story : is n-Armã na be is ço içruì men ta


The woman ate (and I saw it) or I saw the woman eat : mhu ibhera tuì

The woman ate : Mhu ibhera ta

I think the woman ate : Mhu ibhera te

Eat! : Mhas so!

Did the woman eat? : Mhu ibhera tì?

What did the woman eat? : Mhu ibhera talh?

What ate the woman? : Mhu ibhera lha?

Who did the woman eat? : Mhu ibhera taih?

Who ate the woman? : Mhu ibhera hai?

When did the woman eat me? : Mhu ibhera pitun?

When did I eat the woman? : Mhun ibhera pinu?

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