Or, In which we witness a grown man destroy - and then (hopefully) rebuild - a perfectly serviceable conlang ... on a whim.
I'm posting my notes for the redesign here, mainly as a way of keeping a backup copy of them. Just in case my puter crashes and dies (again) and I lose all my notes (again)
... cuz it's not pretty to watch a middle-aged bloke cry!
Aims of the redesign
1. rewrite everything to use more (linguistically) acceptable terminology to describe the language
2. rid the conlang of plurals. I no longer like them; they need to go!
3. redesign the verb system, in particular for aspects
4. attempt to make sense of the chaos currently masquerading under the name of 'conjunctions'.
5. ... other stuff that I don't yet know needs redesigning, but will be redesigned when I get to it.
redesigning Gevey ...
Re: redesigning Gevey ...
'kay. Let's get the disappointing news out of the way.
I've no plans to change Gevey's phonology, nor its orthography.
I know that some (maybe many) people do not appreciate my phonological or orthographical choices, but this redesign is squarely aimed at the morphological and syntactical stuff underpinning the language. Maybe I'll redo the orthography next year, or the year after. But not for this exercise.
I'll not apologise for this decision.
Anyway, here be the obligatory phonology post:
I've no plans to change Gevey's phonology, nor its orthography.
I know that some (maybe many) people do not appreciate my phonological or orthographical choices, but this redesign is squarely aimed at the morphological and syntactical stuff underpinning the language. Maybe I'll redo the orthography next year, or the year after. But not for this exercise.
I'll not apologise for this decision.
Anyway, here be the obligatory phonology post:
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Vowels
-------------------------------------------
11 monophthongs [ æ ɑ e i: ɜ ɪ ɒ ɔ ʌ u ʊ ] < a aa e ee ei i o ao ue uu u >
3 of which distinguish between short and long forms [ ɑ ɑ: ɔ ɔ: u u: ] < aa ua ao au uu oo >
and a further 8 diphthongs [ eɪ eə aɪ ɪə əʊ ʊə aʊ ɔɪ ] < ae ai ie ii oe ui ou oi >.
Consonants
-------------------------------------------
4 voiced plosives [ b d d̪ g ] < b d dj g > (contrasts between dental and alveolar d)
5 voiceless plosives [ p t t̪ k q ] < p t tj k q > (contrasts between dental and alveolar t)
4 voiced fricative [ v z ʒ h ] < v z x h >
5 voiceless fricatives [ f s ʃ x χ ] < f s c gj qj >
2 rhotics [ r̥ r ] < r rj > (contrasts between voiceless and voiced r)
4 nasals [ m n ɲ ] < m n nj >
1 approximant [ j ] < y >
2 lateral approximants [ l ɫ ] < l lj >
and 2 glides [ ʍ w ] < w wj > (contrasts between voiceless and voiced w)
Syllable structure
-------------------------------------------
(C)(C)(C)V(C)(C)(C)
permitted onsets:
stops: <p t tj k q b d dj g>
stop-fricatives (affricates): <tf ts tc ks kc dv dz dx gz gx>
stop-liquids: <pl pw py tl tr tw twj tjl tjw kl kr ky ql qr bl blj bwj by dl dlj drj dwj djlj djwj
gl glj grj gy>
fricatives: <f s c gj qj v z x h>
fricative-stops: <st ct zd xd>
fricative-nasals: <fm sm sn snj cn cnj vm zm zn znj xn xnj qjnj>
fricative-liquids: <fl fr fy sr sw sy cl cr cw vlj vrj vy zrj zwj zy xlj xrj xwj qjlj qjrj hr hrj hy>
nasals: <m n nj>
nasal-liquids: <ml mrj mwj my nwj>
glides and liquids: <l lj rj r wj w y>
additional combinations: <str stw ctr ctw tsm tsn tsr tsw tsy tcm tcn tcl tcr tcw zdrj zdwj xdrj xdwj
dzm dzn dzrj dzwj dzy dxm dxn dxlj dxrj dxwj>
permitted codas:
liquids: <l lj rj r wj y>
liquid-nasals: <rjm rjn>
liquid-fricatives: <ls lz ljs ljz>
liquid-stops: <lp lt lb ld rp rt wk wg ljt ljd rjb rjd wjk wjg>
nasals: <m n>
nasal-stops: <mp mb nt nd>
fricatives: <f s c gj qj v z x h>
fricative-stops: <ft st sk ct ck qt vd zd zg zdj xg gjk gjg qjd>
stops: <p t tj k q b d dj g>
stop-fricatives: <ts tc ks kc dz dx gz gx>
stop-stops: <pt bd>
additional combinations: <nts ntc lts ltc rts rtc wjts wjtc ljts ltc yts ytc ndz ndx ldz ldx rjdz rjdx
wjdz wjdx ljdz ldx ydz ydx>
Syllable boundary
-------------------------------------------
The syllable boundary will fall between the coda of the first syllable and the onset of the second. Where it is
possible for a consonant (or consonant cluster) to act as both coda and onset, it will almost always act as the
onset, with the syllable boundary falling before it. Final consonants at the end of a coda consonant cluster which
could also form the initial consonant of the following onset will almost always migrate across the boundary, so
long as the resulting coda is permitted.
Consonant sandhi rules
-------------------------------------------
Gevey does not permit voiced and voiceless consonants to mix within the syllable onset or coda, nor across syllable
boundaries. The constraint also applies across word boundaries within a clause, but not across clause boundaries.
a voiced consonant before a voiceless consonant will change to its voiceless counterpart
a voiceless consinant before a voiced consonant will change to its voiced counterpart
The consonantal voiced-voiceless pairs are:
b <-> p
d <-> t
g <-> k
z <-> s
dj <-> tj
v <-> f
x <-> c
w/wj and r/rj are also contrasted by voice, but do not trigger sandhi changes, nor are they affected by voiced/voiceless sandhi changes
The following sandhi changes across word boundaries have also been recorded in various dialects:
in all dialects, <q> affricates to <qj> before any voiced consonant.
similarly, <qj> deaffricates to <q> before any unvoiced consonant.
<l> can change to <lj> before <g h y> in certain dialects
likewise, <lj> can change to <l> before any consonant except for <g h y>
<n> before <g k q> will sometimes change to <nj>
<n> before <y> will change to <nj> in most dialects, and always changes in the future paucal
<n> before <b p> will usually change to <m>
<d> before <y> will change to <dx> in some dialects - this often happens in preposition concatenations;
<dj>, on the other hand, never changes
<t> before <y> will usually change to <tc>, and always changes in the past paucal; <tj> rarely changes
<r rj w wj> before <y> will change to <lj> in some dialects
Last edited by Rik on Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: redesigning Gevey ... initial stuff; noun basics
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Morphosyntactic alignment
-----------------------------------
active-stative
dative
Word order
-----------------------------------
determined by focus
- focussed noun phrases (including fucussed obliques) go at the start of the clause
- agent/patient comments (new news) go ahead of the verb
- agent/patient topics (old news, specifically pronouns) go at the end of the clause
- obliques (dative, locative, temporal noun phrases) go after the verb
- words and particles within noun/verb phrases can be additionally (de)focussed with a focussing particle
- there's an animacy hierarchy to allow focus to transfer to the end of the clause
Noun classes
-----------------------------------
Class is not shown morphologically
- except that most nouns with inanimate status are static nouns
2 noun classes:
animate - noun is capable of instigating action
static - noun is not capable of instigating action.
In general, only animate nouns can act as agents, take the agentive case
- all nouns can take the patientive case
Many verbs have a restricted set of static nouns that are allowed to take the agentive case with them, where it
makes semantic sense eg: plants (mostly static nouns) can be agents with the verbs 'grow'; fruits can 'ripen'; etc.
Noun structure
-----------------------------------
nouns do not have number - this is shown through determiner particles
nouns MUST demonstrate their status:
inanimate U
simple E
definite O
template A
some noun cases are shown through suffixes:
dative KS )
locative BZ ) also known as indirect noun cases
temporal LJS )
oblique S )
genitive N
agentive and patientive cases have their own way of doing things
Noun cases
-----------------------------------
cases are built on noun stems. Each noun has two stems - stem2 is formed from stem1 using a set of stem alteration
rules.
stem1 - aka. associated stem
stem2 - aka. dissociated stem
agentive stem1-STATUS
patientive y-STATUS stem2
PREPOSITION-STATUS stem2
(used when indirect nouns are promoted to the patientive case)
dative PREPOSITION-stem1-STATUS-DATIVE
locative PREPOSITION-stem1-STATUS-LOCATIVE
temporal PREPOSITION-stem1-STATUS-TEMPORAL
oblique PREPOSITION-stem1-STATUS-OBLIQUE
genitive stem1-STATUS-GENITIVE
modifying stem2
Example declensions - all indirect cases use the preposition cas/ca/casy:
by(dat)/near(loc)/during(temp)/concerning(obl)
-----------------------------------
translation cat city buffalo hall tailor
agentive luutse vopce óekuuse sohu donatre
patientive ye luuts ye vopac ye óekuusk yu sot ye donateir
casye luuts casye vopac casye óekuusk casyu sot casye donateir
dative caluutseks cavopceks casoekuuseks casohuks cadonatreks
locative caluutsebz cavopcebz casoekuusebz casohubz cadonatrebz
temporal caluutseljs cavopcelhs casoekuuselhs casohulhs cadonatrelhs
oblique caluutses cavopces casoekuuses casohus cadonatres
genitive luutsen vopcen óekuusen sohun donatren
modifying luuts vopac óekuusk sot donateir
Last edited by Rik on Sun Dec 16, 2012 7:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: redesigning Gevey ...noun stem alteration rules
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Rules for forming dissociated stem2s from associated stem1s:
-----------------------------------
> Generally, if stem1 has a legal coda, then no change occurs. Legal codas include:
b, bd, c, ck, ct, d, dj, dx, dz, f, ft, g, gjg, gjk, gx, k, kc, l, lb, ltc, ltc, ld, ldz,
ljd, ljdz, ljs, ljt, ljts, ljz, ldx, ldx, lp, ls, lt, lts, lz, m, mb, mp, ntc, nd, ndz, ndx,
nt, nts, p, pt, q, qj, qjd, qt, rj, rjb, rjtc, rjd, rjdz, r, rp, rt, rjdx, rjm, rjts, sk,
st, t, tc, tj, ts, v, vd, wjtc, wjdz, wjg, wg, wk, wjdx, wjk, wjts, x, xg, y, ytc, ydz, ydx,
yts, zd, zdj, zg.
fuistu -> yu fuist cabbage
dwjuume -> ye dwjuum stranger
trjespoljgu -> yu trjespoljg text
swuedxu -> yu swuedx snow
grjuiku -> yu grjuik disaster
kyasiste -> ye kyasist student
luutse -> ye luuts cat
wjage -> ye wjag sun
trjanivyuire -> ye trjanivyuir imbecile
rieye -> ye riey worm
Where stem1 ends in an 'illegal' coda, a vowel is inserted between the penultimate and final consonants of the
coda; the choice of vowel is for the main part determined by the final syllable's nucleus - be aware that some
words do this even if their stems end in a legal coda (for example, tintcu):
> where the nucleus is a, ae, ai, ee, ei, i, ie, ii, ue: insert -e- into the coda
> where the nucleus is e, o, oe, ao, uu, ui, oi, ua: insert -a- into the coda
> where the nucleus is aa, ou, oo, u, au: insert -u- into the coda
vopce -> ye vopac city
dostcisme -> ye dostcisem language
tintcu -> yu tinetc evening
vuufme -> ye vuufam girl
deefsu -> yu deefes field
yaablu -> yu yaabul island
tjaklu -> yu tjakel hill
poyfresle -> ye poyfresal colleague
The following codas are irregular:
> -bz changes to -bezg
> -gz changes to -gazg
> -h changes to -t
> -ks changes to -kask
> -lj changes to -l
> -n changes to -nt
> -nj changes to -gj
> -gj changes to -m
> -ps changes to -pesk
> -s changes to -sk
> -wj changes to -wjg
> -w changes to -wk
> -z changes to -zg
snilju -> yu snil ladder
óekuuse -> ye óekuusk buffalo
nonje -> ye nogjg parent
sohu -> yu sot hall
seze -> ye sezg ant
pyinju -> yu prjigj fuel
nuigzu -> yu nuigazg market
Multiconsonant codas ending with rj, r, wj, w, nj, n, lj, y are also irregular - the codas are altered in the following ways:
> -*lj changes to -*il
> -*n changes to -*ent
> -*nj changes to -*int
> -*rj changes to -*eirj
> -*r changes to -*eir
> -*wj changes to -*ouwjg
> -*w changes to -*uwk
> -*y changes to -*eey
poogrju -> yu poogeirj resource
donatre -> ye donateir tailor
luesyu -> yu lueseey tail
tiswu -> yu tisuwk salt
zetcru -> yu zetceir tower
wjeebnju -> yu wjeebint load
luexnu -> yu luexent clay
viedxlju -> yu viedxil afternoon
rjaeqnju -> yu rjaeqint shoulder
pitcatre -> ye pitcateir healer
Finally, some words are irregular:
wjanhe -> ye wjant eye
ûedxetsu -> ûedxetask feather
wjeeksu -> yu wjeekes political league
cluene -> ye cluem nose
Re: redesigning Gevey ... noun phrase determiners etc
... this part of the redesign makes me so, so happy ...
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determiner particles and concatenating particles
============================================================================================
Word order is:
concatenator
conjunctive
NOUN
quantifying
comparitor
PRONOUN
temporal
emphatic
numerical
demonstrative
locative
MODIFIER
GENITIVE
When noun is patientive, a maximum of one determiner may go between the patientive particle and the noun stem
concatenator
conjunctive
PATIENTIVE
xxx
NOUN
quantifying
comparitor
PRONOUN
temporal
emphatic
numerical
demonstrative
locative
MODIFIER
GENITIVE
- generally the determiner closest to the noun moves forward
- except demonstratives, and locatives, take precedence over temporal, emphatic and numerical determiners
concatenating particles
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
âl list-and and
áp list-or or
vav list-nor but not
conjunctive particles
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
âen privative but not, unaccompanied by (used only with people)
> It was John, NOT MARY, who ...
daet locative (compounds with locative prepositions)
> the boy BY THE TREE
detj instrumental using
> John WITH A BRICK broke the wondow
fust metaphoric like, as
fyal contrastive not like, not as
gja partitive from
> the boy FROM THE VILLAGE
pits ornative equipped with
qjep causal because, because of, from
> they made bricks FROM CLAY
rig quantified for, the value of
> I will swap you a rabbit FOR TWO CABBAGES
rut grouping-noun the group noun follows its head noun
> a cabbages CRATE OF
stoc essive as, named, labelled
> John, AS A TEACHER, talked to his friend Peter
> the man CALLED JOHN
tatj comitative in the company of (the comitative noun is secondary to its head)
tci benefactive for
> the wine FOR THE WOMEN
ûin sociative and, together with (used only with people)
> John AND MARY
tcat gerundive-agent
tet gerundive-patient
quantifying determiners
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
laes complete all
tots plural some
rjoen group a group of
monts paucal a few
byants specific each|every
âles paired both
vavz selective either
én exclusive neither
stik singular a lone
bostots alternate an/some other
con potential any
nied nullar no
comparitor determiners
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dxaatj superior a better
feeg equative the same
fot anequative a different
nitj inferior a worse
noest direct a particular
pronoun
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
... genitive personal pronouns
temporal determiners
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
pout past ex, former, previous
paze current current
pivi novel new
pin future -to-be
emphatic determiners
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cas positive yes, very
nac negative no, not
paec equivacal maybe, possibly, not very
numerical
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
... numbers
demonstrative determiners
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
kelaa interrogative which?
telaa proximal this
tuezaa medial that (near)
tagrjaa distal that (far)
locative determiners
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
kuzau interrogative where? when?
delau proximal here
velau medial there (near)
vrjegau distal over there (far)
kuntsau negative elsewhere
cuzau undetermined somewhere, anywhere
modifier
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
... adjectives
genitive
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
... nouns in the genitive caseRe: redesigning Gevey ... verb phrase
... the aspectual redesign also makes me happy, though it needs testing to make sure it works like I want it to work ...
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verb affixes
-------------------------------------------
TENSE
past T
present S
future N
irrealis TJ
clause FUNCTION
declarative A
interrogative I
dependent O
agent STATUS
inanimate U
simple E
definite O
template A
agentless -
PARTICIPLE L
INFINITIVE AN, EN
verb forms
-------------------------------------------
stem1 key stem (derive other parts of speech from the verb)
stem1-INFINITIVE non-finite
stem1-FUNCTION-TENSE-STATUS perfective
(ben-TENSE-STATUS) stem1-FUNCTION-PARTICIPLE habitual/repetitive
(sen-TENSE-STATUS) stem1-FUNCTION-PARTICIPLE progressive/continuous
stem2 imperative (demand/order)
(ben-TENSE-STATUS) stem2-FUNCTION-PARTICIPLE stative/gnomic
(sen-TENSE-STATUS) stem2-FUNCTION-PARTICIPLE hortative (encourage/urge)
> ben/sen - (irregular) vectors used in compound constructions
> stem1/stem2 - each verb has 2 stems
stem2 is derived from stem1 utilising the same rules used for noun stem alteration.
vector declension
-------------------------------------------
tense sen ben
~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
Future sane bene
sana bena
sano beno
sanu benu
san ben
Present se be
sa ba
so bo
su bu
ses bes
Past sede bede
seda beda
sedo bedo
sedu bedu
sed bed
Irrealis sedje bedje
sedja bedja
sedjo bedjo
sedju bedju
sedj bedj
verbal particles
===========================================================
The word order of verbal particles within the verb phrase:
interrogative
emphatic
modal
(VECTOR)
completion
VERB
The interrogation particle
-------------------------------------------
A simple way of turning a clause into an interrogative clause is to place the interrogation aspect 'î' in front of
the verb. This aspect will always go at the start of any aspect cluster.
emphatic particles
-------------------------------------------
nana corresponding to: no, never, not
na corresponding to: no, not very
pae corresponding to uncertainty: quite, perhaps, maybe
ce giving a positive emphasis to the action of the verb: yes, very
cise giving an emphatic emphasis to the action of the verb: yes cerainly, completely
Emphasis aspects are also used for one word responses to questions - never, no, perhaps (or maybe), yes, and always
respectively.
modal particles
-------------------------------------------
Mode High likelihood Reasonable likelihood Low likelihood
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obligation sadx gaz tum
Necessity matc trjev civ
Inevitability stav nex tog
Probability haz klov seg
Acceptability hont goudj byav
completion particles
-------------------------------------------
completion particles are used in addition to the verb forms to add fine detail to the action
dek demonstrating a (will be) completed action
les demonstrating a continuous (possibly never ending) action
li demonstrating a regularly repeated (but discrete) action
let demonstrating a single, uncompleted action
lja demonstrating an irregular, or occasional action
bao demonstrating the start of an action
glaa demonstrating the halting, cessation of an action
glou demonstrating the resumption of an action
âs a generic form of the verb, often used to indicate a generic subject
Last edited by Rik on Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: redesigning Gevey ... verb valency
... this is also the bit where we get to play with 'promoting' indirect nouns to the patientive case ...
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Gevey verbs can be grouped according to the maximum number of core nouns they can accommodate (known as the verb's
valency). A core noun is a noun that associates directly with the verb, without the assistance of a preposition to
modify the verb's action.
valency = 0: impersonal verbs
valency = 1: intransitive verbs
valency = 2: transitive verbs
The majority of Gevey verbs with a valency of 1 or above demonstrate a variable transitivity, meaning that core
nouns can often be dropped from the clause
Impersonal verbs
-------------------------------------------
There are only a few naturally impersonal verbs in Gevey
noupetjen - rains
nouswuedxen - snows
These - often weather related verbs - are clearly derived from nouns ('petju', rain; 'swuedxu', snow). While they
can be conjugated for tense ('noupetjat', it rained), they are more often used in the infinitive using a form of
the verb ën as an auxillary to add tense information ('fe noupetjen').
Agents, patients and indirect nouns
-------------------------------------------
The core nouns of a Gevey clause can clearly be divided into two groups:
The agent is the noun that carries out, or experiences, the action of the verb
The patient is the noun that recieves, or occasionally experiences, the action of the verb
Additional nouns can be added to a Gevey clause to show where, when, why, how or with whom the action takes place.
These nouns will always require some form of preposition to mediate this information, and will take either the
dative, locative, temporal or oblique case (collectively: indirect cases) unless the verb permits such indirect
nouns to be promoted to the patientive case.
Intransitive verbs
-------------------------------------------
By definition, intransitive verbs can take a maximum of one core noun which, depending on the verb's meaning, will
be cast in the agentive or patientive case.
Intransitive verbs are always associated with a set of prepositions - motive, spatial, or (more rarely) temporal.
The preposition must always be present in the clause.
Indirect nouns that "fit the shape" of the verb's preposition set are routinely promoted to the patientive case,
with the preposition attached to, or fused with, the patientive particle; otherwise they take one of the indirect
cases. When no patientive case noun is present, the preposition will attach itself preferentially to the vector, or
otherwise to the verb.
Examples of intransitive verbs
-------------------------------------------
'strimen' (run) - motive in nature with a default preposition of ta- (run towards something); core noun is usually
agentive; indirect nouns which help explain the source, destination or passage of the action (motive: ta-, di-,
ïsta-, dosta-, vii-, gle-) take the patientive case.
Dxone tastrimate
John ran
"John" is the core object, and an agent of the action, thus takes the agentive case
Dxone tcu nuigask strimate
John ran to the market
"market" is the final destination for the action, and as such takes the patientive case
Dxone viidxu rabgiet strimate
John ran through the wood
"wood" describes the scenery John is running through, thus takes the patientive case
Dxone tastrimate tarabgietubz
John ran in the wood
"wood" describes the place where John is running, thus takes the locative case; there's no patientive noun in
this clause, thus the default verb preposition ('ta') attaches to the verb itself
Dxone tastrimate xuhuwjonixuljs ken
John ran before his breakfast
"breakfast" indicates when John ran, thus takes the temporal case
Dxone tastrimate tatusres ken
John ran with his dog
"dog" indicates who John is running with, thus takes the oblique case; note that this sentence would more
commonly be rendered as
Dxone tatj tusrhe ken tastrimate
'saven' (die) - temporal in nature with a default preposition of dene- (die during a given event); core noun is
usually the patient; indirect nouns which help explain when the action occurs take the patientive case.
ye tuseir denesavat
the dog died
"dog" is the core noun, and a patient of the action, thus takes the patientive case; the verb carries no status
marker as there is no agent in the clause
ye tuseir denesavat ïstarjoububz
the dog died inside the house
"house" indicates where the dog died, thus takes the locative case
ye tuseir debyu huwjonic savat
the dog died after breakfast
"breakfast" indicates when the dog died, thus takes patientive case; this clause effectively has two patients.
'bladxljen' (fall) - motive in nature with a default preposition of ânte- (fall off of something); core noun is
usually the agent - in this case the experiencer; indirect nouns that help describe where the action occurs
(motive: ïsta-, dosta-, debe-, tcisa-, modo-) take the patientive case. If the action is accidental, the
experiencer will take the patientive case; static nouns 'experiencers' must always be patientive.
Mare modobladxljate
Mary fell over
"Mary" is the core noun, and the experiencer of the action, thus takes the agentive case; as there's no
patientive noun present, the preposition attaches to the verb
Mare ântcu blom bladxljate
Mary fell off the table
"table" indicates the point of departure for the fall, thus takes the patientive case
Mare modobladxljate ïstarjoubups ken
Mary fell over in her house
"house" indicates where the fall took place, thus takes the locative case
modxe Mar bladxljat
Mary unexpectedly fell over
to emphasise the accidental nature of the action, "Mary" is placed in the patientive case
yu ladj ântcu blom bladxljat
the cup fell off the table
"cup" is a static noun and cannot take the agentive case with this verb
'puzen' (come, go, enter, exit, arrive, leave) - motive in nature with a range of default prepositions: tapuzen
(moving towards something); dipuzen (moving away from something); ïstapuzen (moving into something); dostapuzen
(moving out of something). Core noun is usually the agent; indirect nouns that help describe where the action
starts or finishes take the patientive case, while all other indirect nouns take the appropriate indirect case.
This verb is guaranteed to confuse students as it does not encode information of the speaker's position within
itself.
Petre ïstcu sot puzate
Peter went/came into the room
"Peter" is the core object, and the agent of the action, thus takes the agentive case
Petre tatj Dxone dxu rjoup puzate
Peter left the house with John
"house" is the departure point, thus takes the patientive case.
Petre tcu nuigask puzate
Peter went/came to the market
"market" is the destination, thus takes the patientive case
Petre tcu delau nuigask puzate
Peter came to the market
the speaker indicates their presence at the market when John arrived by inserting the locative determiner
'delau' (here) within the patientive noun
Petre tca Gevil puzate ïstaquubus
Peter moved to Gevile for work
"work" is the reason for the move, thus it takes the oblique case; a more common way of phrasing this is:
Petre tci quubu tca Gevil puzate ïstaquubus
... in this case 'quubu' is cast in the agentive case purely because its head noun, 'Petre', is agentive thus
the whole noun phrase needs to be agentive
Gevey intransitive verbs are perfectly happy to lose their core noun; when the agent is dropped, the verb also
drops its status particle:
tastrimat
[someone] ran
tabao strimas
[someone] starts running
tcu nuigask strimat
[someone] ran to the market
tastrimat tatusres
[someone] ran with a dog
denesavat
[something] died
denesavat ïstarjoububz
[something] died in the house
modobladxljat
[someone] fell over
ântebladxljat ïstarjoubups ken
[someone] fell over in their house
yu ladj ântebladxljat
the cup fell off [something]
ântcu blom ântebladxljat
[something] fell off the table
Transitive verbs
-------------------------------------------
Transitive verbs can take a maximum of two core nouns; one will be the agent of the action, while the other will be
the patient. The agent noun, if active, will always take the agentive case, while the patient will always take the
patientive case. Indirect nouns will always take the appropriate indirect case.
It is a general rule that static nouns cannot be the agent of a transitive action, except where a particular action
permits a particular type of noun into its scope of agency. For example, 'rabu' (tree) is by definition a static
noun and can never be an agent for a transitive verb, except for a very limited number of actions which are
particularly associated with trees, such as 'tjlaedxwjan' (grow, ie branches, thorns) and 'buetsnuempan' (bud, ie
leaves, flowers).
Most actions in Gevey are transitive:
Mare ye tuseir gluufate
Mary saw the dog
Mare ye tuseir gluufate ïstadeefsubz
Mary saw the dog in the field
tusre ye Mar gluufate
the dog saw Mary
With some exceptions, transitive verbs are quite happy to drop either or both core objects:
Mare gluufate
Mary saw [something]
ye tuseir gluufat
[someone] saw the dog
ïstadeefsubz gluufat
[someone] saw [something] in the field
In many languages it is possible to promote the importance of the patient noun over that of the agent noun by
turning the active voice clause into a passive clause. Gevey, which has no 'voice', achieves a similar effect by
reordering the clause syntax to bring the patient into a higher focus than the agent:
ye tuseir Mare gluufate
the dog was seen by Mary
ye tuseir Mare gluufate ïstadeefsubz
the dog was seen by Mary in the field
ye Mar tusre gluufate
Mary was seen by the dog
Again, either of the core nouns can be dropped from the "passive" clause, though focus markers are often required
to clarify that the dropped object is more (or less) significant to the action than would be expected from a
seemingly identical "active" clause:
ge tuseir gluufat
the dog was seen [by someone]
qja Mare gluufate
[something] was seen by Mary
"Ditransitive" verbs
-------------------------------------------
No verb in Gevey has a valency greater than 2. However some verbs - known as ditransitive verbs - will often
promote an indirect noun to the patientive case alongside any direct nouns already present in the clause; these
promoted nouns handle their prepositions in the same way as promoted indirect nouns handle them in intransitive
clauses.
Petre yu cuep tcisye Mar pyimate
Peter gave Mary a book
Petre yu cuep tcisye Mar ékigjate
Peter read the book to Mary
tcisye Peteir yu yierj noibegdjate glerjesherjus kem mizelj
we baked Peter a cake for his birthday
Last edited by Rik on Thu Dec 13, 2012 4:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: redesigning Gevey ... modifier structure
Need to cover modifiers before I get to the fun of copulas. Also decided on some tweaks to make adverbs more interesting ...
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Modifiers cover both adjectives and adverbs
Adjective structure
--------------------------------------
STEM
INFIX
HEADNOUN_STATUS
Adverb structure
--------------------------------------
STEM
CLAUSE_FUNCTION
VERB_TENSE
INTENSITY_SUFFIX
Adjective infixes
--------------------------------------
simple IX X
complement UETL is X
equalitative OUD as X as
comparative AGJ more X
superlative AST most X
hyperlative AEVD most X of all
diminutive AMB not X enough
selective AR just X enough
excessive OIL too X
adjective examples
--------------------------------------
rjoubu dxarixu large house tusre vitixe quick dog
rjoubu dxaruetlu the house is large tusre vituetle the dog is quick
rjoubu dxaroudu as large as the house tusre vitoude as quick as the dog
rjoubu dxaragju larger house tusre vitagje quicker dog
rjoubu dxarastu largest house tusre vitaste quickest dog
rjoubu dxaraevdu largest house of all tusre vitaevde quickest dog of all
rjoubu dxarambu the house is not large enough tusre vitambe the dog is not quick enough
rjoubu dxararu the house is large enough tusre vitare the dog is quick enough
rjoubu dxaroilu the house is too large tusre vitoile the dog is too quick
Adverb intensity suffixes
--------------------------------------
simple - X
superlative IS very X
hyperlative IIF most X of all
diminutive EIM not X enough
selective IER just X enough
excessive AUL too X
adverb examples
--------------------------------------
Petrhe dxoljase tovas Peter loudly sings
Petrhe dxoljase tovasis Peter sings very loudly
Petrhe dxoljase tovasiif Peter sings most loudly of all
Petrhe dxoljase tovaseim Peter doesn't sing loudly enough
Petrhe dxoljase tovasier Peter sings just loudly enough
Petrhe dxoljase tovasaul Peter sings too loudly
yu xablak sekaltrat camat the painting slowly dried out
yu xablak sekaltrat camatis the painting dried out very slowly
yu xablak sekaltrat camatiif the painting dried out the most slowly of all
yu xablak sekaltrat camateim the painting didn't dry out slowly enough
yu xablak sekaltrat camatier the painting dried out just slowly enough
yu xablak sekaltrat camataul the painting dried out too slowlyRe: redesigning Gevey ... fun with copulas
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Copulas
---------------------------------
Gevey uses a number of different copulas for assigning, adapting and comparing modifiers to objects,
of which the following four are the most common:
immediate copula ën to be transient or momentary qualities
substantive copula bekan to be, remain assign a more temporary property to a noun
adaptive copula sekan to be, become used for properties that change or develop
permanent copula êen to be intrinsic or permanent qualities
Unlike other verbs, copulas expect their arguments to be in the agentive case.
Gevey copulas are capable of demonstrating tense, but take no account of agent status or clause
function. Copulas generally go at the end of the clause:
copula future present past irrealis
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~~
ën rje ë fe tje
bekan bekni beki beti bektji
sekan sekni seki seti sektji
êen rjii êe vii êhi
When NOT to use a copula
---------------------------------
For the simplest assignments and comparisons, the noun phrase doesn't need the aid of a copula:
áquubu telaa digvuetlu this job is difficult
áquubu telaa fust wjanfuevzu this job is (like) a nightmare
Adding a copula adds nuance to the phrase:
áquubu telaa digvuetlu êe this job is always difficult
áquubu telaa digvuetlu rjii this job will always be difficult
áquubu telaa fust wjanfuevzu fe this job was (like) a sudden nightmare
áquubu telaa fust wjanfuevzu seki this job is becoming (like) a nightmare
áquubu telaa fust wjanfuevzu bekni this job will stay (like) a nightmare
Using copulas
---------------------------------
assign a quality to an object:
byicnu syueguetlu beti
the wind was (remained) cold
vary the quality assigned to an object:
byicnu syueguetlu seti
the wind grew colder
emphasise superlative qualities:
soufwu tagrjaa kounastu êe
that is definitely the tallest mountain
soufwu tagrjaa kounaevdu rjii
that will definitely be the tallest mountain of all
Comparing nouns with the help of copulas and modifiers
---------------------------------
To compare two objects, order the nouns so that the first noun represents the thing being measured
while the second noun represents the reference (that which the first noun is being measured against).
The reference noun generally uses the conjunctive particle 'fyal' (not like, compared to) to join it to
the head noun:
COMPARATOR fyal REFERENCE MODIFIER COPULA
compare the quality of two objects:
petju fyal byicnu syuegagju fe
the rain was colder than the wind
rjapte fyal bixve ken peimoude seti
the boy has grown as tall as his father
demonstrate relative qualities:
tcegmu fyal ëzeku ten krjeetoilu fe
the shoe was too small for my foot
tcegmu fyal ëzeku ten krjeetambu fe
the shoe was too big for my foot
tcegmu fyal ëzeku ten krjeetaru fe
the shoe was just the right fit for my footRe: redesigning Gevey ... the joy of noun status
... yeah, Gevey noun status is a bit off-the-wall - a mix of different stuff to help make the language less Lego and more interesting ...
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Determining the appropriate status for a given noun or pronoun in a particular situation may seem to be a dark art. Indeed, the number of grammatical rules governing the use of status may number in the dozens (a number of them have still not been formally described by Gevey linguists). And yet, these rules exist, and are deployed everyday by native Gevey speakers.
Teaching the grammar of noun status use to students learning Gevey in later life is difficult, mainly because many of the grammatical rules have not been fully determined by linguists. Nevertheless, some of the more basic rules are discussed below.
Active nouns
-----------------------------------------------------
Observe the following:
tusre basyu kliy strimate
a dog ran along the road (simple)
tusro basyu kliy strimaso
the dog runs along the road (definite)
tusro ten basyu kliy strimaso
my dog runs along the road (definite)
tusra âs rjispasa ya luuts tokan
dog[s] like to chase cat[s] (template)
yu tuseir fruedjate sublomubz
the dead dog was found under the table (inanimate)
As can be seen, an active noun (in this case tusr-, dog) can use any of the three 'animate' status endings (simple, definite, template), depending on the context in which the noun is being used. The noun can also become static by taking the inanimate status. The rules governing the status of active nouns have a little in common with the use of articles in [English], but the two sets of rules are not equivalent.
The base status for active nouns is the simple status - whenever in doubt, this is the status an active noun should take. Simple active nouns have a similar meaning to nouns with an indefinite article (a, an, some) in [English].
Similarly, definite active nouns have a resemblance to [English] nouns using the definite article (the). However, the use of the definite status is more restricted. It is used mainly to identify active nouns with which the speaker or narrater has a practical relationship.
A common use of the definite status with active nouns is with the genetive pronouns 'ten' (my) and 'den' (your): rjapto ten (my boy); yo tuseir ten (my dog); luutso den (your cat). This also happens with the demonstrative determiners 'telaa', 'tuezaa' and 'tagrjaa'. Each of these shows a particular instance of the noun - luutso telaa (this cat), rjapto tagrjaa (that boy over there).
Template active nouns represent a model of the noun. In [English], nouns associated with the phrase "in general" or "typically" would, in Gevey, use the template status. It is also often used in conditional clauses, or with future tense verbs. For instance:
yu pouzul luutsa tog rjispana
the cat might chase the stick.
Names
-----------------------------------------------------
People's names (and nicknames) tend to use the definite status for when that person is present in the group, or active in the conversation, and the simple status for when they are not present. Thus you could say ...
Dxono yu monts pat tatjato tamagzups
John bought some bread in the shop
... if John was standing next to you when you said it, and ...
Dxone yu monts pat tatjate tamagzups
John bought some bread in the shop
... when John is not present in the group.
When a person introduces themselves, or when greeting someone, always use the definite form of their name:
haetue, Dxono
Hi, John!
The template status of a person's name can be used for people younger than yourself, but it may convey a slightly insulting quality, like you consider that person to be "undeveloped" or "juvenile".
The inanimate status should never be used with a person's name. It is the hallmark of teenage poetry.
Static nouns
-----------------------------------------------------
The base status of static nouns is the inanimate status. Static nouns do not take definiteness into account - 'a painting' and 'the painting' are both translated as 'xablaku'. Genetive forms also tend to use the inanimate status, except where a particular aspect of the object (discussed below) is being posessed - 'xablaku ten' (my painting), 'xablaku tuezaa' (that painting).
However, Gevey society believes that it is possible for, say, a painting to interact with its surroundings - in particular, a painting can have a very profound effect on someone who looks at it, studies it. Thus in Gevey 'xablake' (simple status) is a legitimate word, and would be used to describe the painting in terms of the emotional impact it has on someone looking at it:
te qjep xablake xneqagje seti
that painting made me feel sad
Gevey society goes further. To continue with the example of the painting, the choice and layout of the images themselves will have an effect. The way images are devised and laid out on the canvas give expression to the vision of the artist who made the painting. This can also extend to the materials used to create the painting - paint, canvas, frame, lighting, hanging. When discussing this external view of the painting, Gevey speakers will use the definite status form of the noun: 'xablako'
yo xablak yum toumixum loesal stoukat
the painting needs more colours
And there is an even deeper level of understanding of the painting. The images, and the way they interact, can often suggest an underlying story - and imply the culture within which that story takes place. This aspect of the painting will use the template status: 'xablaka'
xablaka qjep moemeto ten
The portrait of my grandmother
Another example, this time using the static noun 'sugar':
yu ëmiegef î stigaso do?
have you got any sugar?
yu ëmiegev tci mauveey* ten stoukase te
I need sugar in my tea
*concatenated nouns within a patientive noun phrase can often drop their patientive particle
dak, yu ëmiegev giedxaso tatiy do
pass me the sugar, please
When talking about the consequences associated with, say, using sugar, the simple status is employed:
ye ëmiegev tci mauveey ten tokase te
I like sugar in my tea
When people are talking about the properties of sugar, they use the definite status:
yo ëmiegef bedj paunal ïstamahubz
sugar dissolves in water
mabetcyu xduugyixu yo tots ëmiegev âl monts mat ëpyuegdatju*
honey is (contains) mostly sugar and some water
*ëpyuegdan (to contain) allows any static noun to take the agentive case
Finally, discussions about the role of sugar within society will use the template status:
quubovu qjep ëmiegva beki úugafstastu
sugar is a very profitable business
Emotions
-----------------------------------------------------
Emotional states in Gevey are static nouns. But unlike other static nouns, their base status is usually the simple status: 'trjatedxrje' (fun), 'trjaxneqe' (sadness).
ye tots trjatedxeirj Dxone ûin te stigate
John and I had a good time
bede pyihal tatuusrhes ga ïstatrjatedxrjes te
I had fun playing with the dog
tcisye rjapt ye trjaxneq noimeqjate te
I felt sad for the boy
Personal pronouns
-----------------------------------------------------
Third person personal pronouns, whether for active or static nouns, take the same status as the noun they replace in a clause or sentence; be aware that using a pronoun implies that the person/object is being treated as 'old news' in the discourse rather than 'new news' (in other words, it's been introduced or mentioned beforehand) and will tend to move to the end of the clause; the exceptions are when the pronoun is acting as the head of a compound noun phrase, or where the pronoun follows a head noun. Thus:
TUSRE basyu kliy strimate
-> basyu kliy strimate KE
TUSRO TEN basyu kliy strimaso
-> basyu kliy strimaso KO
DXONO yu monts pat tatjato tamagzups
-> yu monts pat tatjato tamagzups KO
YO XABLAK yum toumixum loesal stoukat
-> yum toumixum loesal stoukat KOIY
YU EMIEGEV tci mauveey ten stoukase te
-> KOU tci mauveey ten stoukase te
quubovu qjep EMIEGVA beki úugafstastu
-> quubovu qjep KA beki úugafstastu
For the first person and second person personal pronouns, a different set of rules apply. These pronouns tend to take either the simple or definite status, with simple status being the base case and definite status being the emphatic case (this is slightly different to the usage given above for people's names - the present/absent differentiation is normally restricted to third person names, while the normal/emphatic differentiation is used for first and second person pronouns).
While using the inanimate status with first and second person personal pronouns is not recommended (teenage angst poetry is instantly recognisible for the excessive use of tu, mizulj and ïsul), the template status is often employed by people when discussing their spiritual, and sometimes even their secular or rational, development and fulfilment.
ye raicem pyimate cisades te*
I gave the goat to you
*'cisades' is in the oblique case; indirect pronouns tend not to be promoted to the patientive case even when
their equivalent noun could be promoted
ye raicem pyimato cisades to
I myself gave the goat to you
ye raicem pyimate cisados te
I gave the goat specifically to you
Re: redesigning Gevey ... taking stock
Stuff not changing, apart from the terminology:
- intonation patterns
- native script
- derivations
- pronouns (locative and demonstrative pronouns are now dealt with elsewhere)
- prepositions
- focus
- relative clauses
Stuff that may need a bit of tweaking
- compounding
- tense
- clause conjunctions
- syntax (to take into account all the new changes)
- clauses (in general)
- all the additional stuff like numbers, cognitive metaphors, etc
Stuff that still needs a complete trashing
- voice (Gevey don't do 'voice') no more
- all the translations will need to be redone ...
- intonation patterns
- native script
- derivations
- pronouns (locative and demonstrative pronouns are now dealt with elsewhere)
- prepositions
- focus
- relative clauses
Stuff that may need a bit of tweaking
- compounding
- tense
- clause conjunctions
- syntax (to take into account all the new changes)
- clauses (in general)
- all the additional stuff like numbers, cognitive metaphors, etc
Stuff that still needs a complete trashing
- voice (Gevey don't do 'voice') no more
- all the translations will need to be redone ...
Re: redesigning Gevey ...
Good stuff, IMO. Lots of interesting features in this language. I've checked out Gevey a little bit some time ago, and I think maybe the simple, clear presentation here is more digestible than on the website. I was able to get a better grasp on it, which makes me appreciate it much more.
I've also started thinking about redesigning my Tibetan Dwarvish conlang to make it more natural, and I was thinking to do it largely in outline-ish form, much like you've done here. This thread serves as good motivation/inspiration for that effort.
/salute
I've also started thinking about redesigning my Tibetan Dwarvish conlang to make it more natural, and I was thinking to do it largely in outline-ish form, much like you've done here. This thread serves as good motivation/inspiration for that effort.
/salute
Tibetan Dwarvish - My own ergative "dwarf-lang"
Quasi-Khuzdul - An expansion of J.R.R. Tolkien's Dwarvish language from The Lord of the Rings
Quasi-Khuzdul - An expansion of J.R.R. Tolkien's Dwarvish language from The Lord of the Rings
Re: redesigning Gevey ... tense testing
Simple past perfect:
> perfective form, past tense, with 'dek'
yu yierj dek fosate ke
y-u yierj dek fos-a-t-e k-e
PAT-INAN cake COMPLETED eat-DECL-PST-SIMPLE 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
she had finished eating the cake
Continuous past perfect:
> progressive form, past tense, with 'dek'
swasyu drjasue fezant sede dek sekcamal ïstosemus ke
swasy-u drjasue fezant sed-e dek sekcam-a-l ïst-osem-u-s k-e
around.PAT|TPR-INAN two hour.PAT|TPR AUX.PST-SIMPLE COMPLETED wait-DECL-PART for-boat-INAN-OBL 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
she had been waiting two hours for the boat
Simple past:
> perfective form, past tense
ye tcotixe tuseir tatjate te
y-e tcot-ix-e tuseir tatj-a-t-e te
PAT-SIMPLE young-ADJ-SIMPLE dog.PAT buy-DECL-PST-SIMPLE 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I bought a puppy
Simple (immediate) past:
> perfective form, present tense, with 'glaa'
ye tcotixe tuseir glaa tatjase te
y-e tcot-ix-e tuseir glaa tatj-a-s-e te
PAT-SIMPLE young-ADJ-SIMPLE dog.PAT CESSATIVE buy-DECL-PRS-SIMPLE 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I have just bought a puppy
Continuous past:
> progressive form, past tense (with 'let' or 'li' for emphasis)
ye Gef sede li viikal te
y-e Gev sed-e li viik-a-l t-e
PAT-SIMPLE Gevey.PAT AUX.PST-SIMPLE EPISODIC study-DECL-PART 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I was studying Gevey
Continuous (immediate) past:
> progressive form, present tense, with 'glaa'
ye Gef se glaa viikal te
y-e Gev s-e glaa viik-a-l t-e
PAT-SIMPLE Gevey.PAT AUX.PRS-SIMPLE CESSATIVE study-DECL-PART 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I was just studying Gevey
Discontinuous (immediate) past:
> habitual form, present tense, with 'glaa'
ye Gev be glaa viikal te
y-e Gev b-e glaa viik-a-l t-e
PAT-SIMPLE Gevey.PAT AUX.PRS-SIMPLE CESSATIVE study-DECL-PART 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I have just been studying Gevey
Simple present perfect:
> perfective form, present tense, with 'dek'
tce Gevil dek taabwjase swadxineljz besue te
tc-e Gevil dek taabwj-a-s-e swa-dxins-u-ljs besue t-e
at.PAT|LOC-SIMPLE Gevilla.PAT|LOC COMPLETED live_in-DECL-PRS-SIMPLE around-year-INAN-TPR three 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I have lived in Gevilla for 3 years
Continuous present perfect:
> progressive form, present tense, with 'dek'
tcu nuiksum se dek taabwjal swadxineljz drjasue ke
tc-u nuiksum s-e dek taabwj-a-l swa-dxin-e-ljs drjasue k-e
at.PAT|LOC-SIMPLE marketplace.PAT|LOC AUX.PRS-SIMPLE COMPLETED work-DECL-PART around-year-INAN-TPR two 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
she has been working in the market for 2 years
Simple present:
> perfective form, present tense
tcu nuiksum taabwjase ke
tc-u nuiksum taabwj-a-s-e k-e
at.PAT|LOC-SIMPLE marketplace.PAT|LOC work-DECL-PRS-SIMPLE 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
she works in the market
Continuous present:
> progressive form, present tense
tcu nuiksum se taabwjal ke
tc-u nuiksum s-e taabwj-a-l k-e
at.PAT|LOC-SIMPLE marketplace.PAT|LOC AUX.PRS-SIMPLE work-DECL-PART 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
she is working in the market
Continuous future intention:
> progressive form, future tense
ye rjoen áosal ken sane clotjal ke
y-e rjoen áosal k-e-n san-e clotj-a-l k-e
PAT-SIMPLE group friend.PAT 3SG-SIMPLE-GEN AUX.FUT-SIMPLE visit-DECL-PART 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
he is going to visit his friends
Continuous (immediate) future intention:
> progressive form, present tense, with 'bao'
ye rjoen áosal ken se bao clotjal ke
y-e rjoen áosal k-e-n s-e bao clotj-a-l k-e
PAT-SIMPLE group friend.PAT 3SG-SIMPLE-GEN AUX.PRS-SIMPLE INCEPTIVE visit-DECL-PART 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
he is just about to go and visit his friends
Simple future:
> perfective form, future tense
yu magazg yakane denetintculjs te
y-u magazg yak-a-n-e dene-tintc-u-ljs t-e
PAT-INAN shop.PAT close-DECL-FUT-SIMPLE at-sunset-INAN-TPR 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I will close the shop at sunset
Simple (immediate) future:
> perfective form, present tense, with 'bao'
yu magazg bao yakase xudjoerjuljs finue te
y-u magazg bao yak-a-s-e xu-djoerj-u-ljs finue t-e
PAT-INAN shop.PAT INCEPTIVE close-DECL-PRS-SIMPLE before-minute-INAN-TPR five 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I will close the shop in five minutes
Continuous future:
> progressive form, future tense, with 'haz/klov/seg'
yu sot has sane noikesnal denerjesantuljs te
y-u sot haz san-e noikesn-a-l dene-rjesant-u-ljs t-e
PAT-INAN hall.PAT intend AUX.FUT-SIMPLE decorate-DECL-PART during-tomorrow-INAN-TPR 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I will be decorating the hall tomorrow
Continuous (immediate) future:
> progressive form, present tense, with 'bao' and 'haz/klov/seg'
yu sot has se bao noikesnal te
y-u sot haz s-e bao noikesn-a-l t-e
PAT-INAN hall.PAT intend AUX.PRS-SIMPLE INCEPTIVE decorate-DECL-PART 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I am just about to start decorating the hall
Simple future perfect:
> perfective form, future tense, with 'dek'
yu cueb dek ékigjane viirjesantuljs te
y-u cueb dek ékigj-a-n-e vii-rjesant-u-ljs t-e
PAT-INAN book.PAT COMPLETED read-DECL-FUT-SIMPLE by-tomorrow-INAN-TPR 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I will have read the book by tomorrow
Continuous future perfect:
> progressive form, future tense, with 'dek'
yu drjaki dxinesk sane dek stigal denerjesantuljs ke
y-u drjaki dxinesk san-e dek stig-a-l dene-rjesant-u-ljs ke
PAT-INAN twenty year.PAT AUX.FUT-SIMPLE COMPLETED have-DECL-PART at-tomorrow-INAN-TPR 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
she will be 20 years old tomorrow
> perfective form, past tense, with 'dek'
yu yierj dek fosate ke
y-u yierj dek fos-a-t-e k-e
PAT-INAN cake COMPLETED eat-DECL-PST-SIMPLE 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
she had finished eating the cake
Continuous past perfect:
> progressive form, past tense, with 'dek'
swasyu drjasue fezant sede dek sekcamal ïstosemus ke
swasy-u drjasue fezant sed-e dek sekcam-a-l ïst-osem-u-s k-e
around.PAT|TPR-INAN two hour.PAT|TPR AUX.PST-SIMPLE COMPLETED wait-DECL-PART for-boat-INAN-OBL 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
she had been waiting two hours for the boat
Simple past:
> perfective form, past tense
ye tcotixe tuseir tatjate te
y-e tcot-ix-e tuseir tatj-a-t-e te
PAT-SIMPLE young-ADJ-SIMPLE dog.PAT buy-DECL-PST-SIMPLE 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I bought a puppy
Simple (immediate) past:
> perfective form, present tense, with 'glaa'
ye tcotixe tuseir glaa tatjase te
y-e tcot-ix-e tuseir glaa tatj-a-s-e te
PAT-SIMPLE young-ADJ-SIMPLE dog.PAT CESSATIVE buy-DECL-PRS-SIMPLE 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I have just bought a puppy
Continuous past:
> progressive form, past tense (with 'let' or 'li' for emphasis)
ye Gef sede li viikal te
y-e Gev sed-e li viik-a-l t-e
PAT-SIMPLE Gevey.PAT AUX.PST-SIMPLE EPISODIC study-DECL-PART 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I was studying Gevey
Continuous (immediate) past:
> progressive form, present tense, with 'glaa'
ye Gef se glaa viikal te
y-e Gev s-e glaa viik-a-l t-e
PAT-SIMPLE Gevey.PAT AUX.PRS-SIMPLE CESSATIVE study-DECL-PART 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I was just studying Gevey
Discontinuous (immediate) past:
> habitual form, present tense, with 'glaa'
ye Gev be glaa viikal te
y-e Gev b-e glaa viik-a-l t-e
PAT-SIMPLE Gevey.PAT AUX.PRS-SIMPLE CESSATIVE study-DECL-PART 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I have just been studying Gevey
Simple present perfect:
> perfective form, present tense, with 'dek'
tce Gevil dek taabwjase swadxineljz besue te
tc-e Gevil dek taabwj-a-s-e swa-dxins-u-ljs besue t-e
at.PAT|LOC-SIMPLE Gevilla.PAT|LOC COMPLETED live_in-DECL-PRS-SIMPLE around-year-INAN-TPR three 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I have lived in Gevilla for 3 years
Continuous present perfect:
> progressive form, present tense, with 'dek'
tcu nuiksum se dek taabwjal swadxineljz drjasue ke
tc-u nuiksum s-e dek taabwj-a-l swa-dxin-e-ljs drjasue k-e
at.PAT|LOC-SIMPLE marketplace.PAT|LOC AUX.PRS-SIMPLE COMPLETED work-DECL-PART around-year-INAN-TPR two 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
she has been working in the market for 2 years
Simple present:
> perfective form, present tense
tcu nuiksum taabwjase ke
tc-u nuiksum taabwj-a-s-e k-e
at.PAT|LOC-SIMPLE marketplace.PAT|LOC work-DECL-PRS-SIMPLE 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
she works in the market
Continuous present:
> progressive form, present tense
tcu nuiksum se taabwjal ke
tc-u nuiksum s-e taabwj-a-l k-e
at.PAT|LOC-SIMPLE marketplace.PAT|LOC AUX.PRS-SIMPLE work-DECL-PART 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
she is working in the market
Continuous future intention:
> progressive form, future tense
ye rjoen áosal ken sane clotjal ke
y-e rjoen áosal k-e-n san-e clotj-a-l k-e
PAT-SIMPLE group friend.PAT 3SG-SIMPLE-GEN AUX.FUT-SIMPLE visit-DECL-PART 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
he is going to visit his friends
Continuous (immediate) future intention:
> progressive form, present tense, with 'bao'
ye rjoen áosal ken se bao clotjal ke
y-e rjoen áosal k-e-n s-e bao clotj-a-l k-e
PAT-SIMPLE group friend.PAT 3SG-SIMPLE-GEN AUX.PRS-SIMPLE INCEPTIVE visit-DECL-PART 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
he is just about to go and visit his friends
Simple future:
> perfective form, future tense
yu magazg yakane denetintculjs te
y-u magazg yak-a-n-e dene-tintc-u-ljs t-e
PAT-INAN shop.PAT close-DECL-FUT-SIMPLE at-sunset-INAN-TPR 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I will close the shop at sunset
Simple (immediate) future:
> perfective form, present tense, with 'bao'
yu magazg bao yakase xudjoerjuljs finue te
y-u magazg bao yak-a-s-e xu-djoerj-u-ljs finue t-e
PAT-INAN shop.PAT INCEPTIVE close-DECL-PRS-SIMPLE before-minute-INAN-TPR five 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I will close the shop in five minutes
Continuous future:
> progressive form, future tense, with 'haz/klov/seg'
yu sot has sane noikesnal denerjesantuljs te
y-u sot haz san-e noikesn-a-l dene-rjesant-u-ljs t-e
PAT-INAN hall.PAT intend AUX.FUT-SIMPLE decorate-DECL-PART during-tomorrow-INAN-TPR 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I will be decorating the hall tomorrow
Continuous (immediate) future:
> progressive form, present tense, with 'bao' and 'haz/klov/seg'
yu sot has se bao noikesnal te
y-u sot haz s-e bao noikesn-a-l t-e
PAT-INAN hall.PAT intend AUX.PRS-SIMPLE INCEPTIVE decorate-DECL-PART 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I am just about to start decorating the hall
Simple future perfect:
> perfective form, future tense, with 'dek'
yu cueb dek ékigjane viirjesantuljs te
y-u cueb dek ékigj-a-n-e vii-rjesant-u-ljs t-e
PAT-INAN book.PAT COMPLETED read-DECL-FUT-SIMPLE by-tomorrow-INAN-TPR 1SG.AGT-SIMPLE
I will have read the book by tomorrow
Continuous future perfect:
> progressive form, future tense, with 'dek'
yu drjaki dxinesk sane dek stigal denerjesantuljs ke
y-u drjaki dxinesk san-e dek stig-a-l dene-rjesant-u-ljs ke
PAT-INAN twenty year.PAT AUX.FUT-SIMPLE COMPLETED have-DECL-PART at-tomorrow-INAN-TPR 3SG.AGT-SIMPLE
she will be 20 years old tomorrow
Re: redesigning Gevey ...
@Vardelm - thank you!
Best wishes with the Tibetan Dwarvish redesign - may the conlang grow stronger for it.
Best wishes with the Tibetan Dwarvish redesign - may the conlang grow stronger for it.
Re: redesigning Gevey ... fixing conjunctions (pt 2)
... these simplifications should - hopefully - make clause concatenation a little less clusterfucky ...
The bits about dropping the agent is a big change; previously I had suffixes being added to the conjunctions to show that the agent (subject) had been dropped from the clause ... which seemed like a really good idea at the time, but caused me endless headaches when I was doing translations 'n stuff. Here's hoping that simpler = better!
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Concurrent clause conjunctions
-------------------------------------------------
EDEZD > clause1 and clause2 are both occurring at the same time (start and end points not important)
RJETAS > clause1 starts (or is occuring) before clause2
IDEN > clause1 starts (or is occuring) after clause2
RJEDOST > clause1 starts and ends (or is occuring before and after) beyond the timeframe of clause2
LOYANT > clause1 starts and ends (or is occurring) entirely within the timeframe of clause2
Concatenating clause conjunctions
-------------------------------------------------
UDX > clauses are defined specifically as sequential, NOT concurrent; clause1 precedes clause2 (then/next)
WJIZET > clauses are defined specifically as sequential, NOT concurrent; clause1 follows clause2 (before)
AL > clause1 described before clause2, concurrency not determined (and)
AP > clause2 contrasts to action1, concurrency not determined (but)
GRAETAP > clause2 negates clause1, concurrency not determined
VAV > clause2 is an alternative to clause1, concurrency not determined (or)
Dependent clause conjunctions
-------------------------------------------------
BADJ > clause2 supplements clause1 with locational details
BLJOIS > clause2 results from clause 1
CACOS > clause2 affirms clause1
KEEB > clause2 presents a method pertaining to clause1
KOEN > clause2 supplements clause1 with quantifying details
KRJOS > clause2 supplements clause1 with time-related details
MIEDX > clause2 presents possible actions following on from clause1
POK > clause2 presents a purpose for clause1
RUTAP > clause2 presents a contrast to clause1
STAENOF > clause2 presents a denigration about clause1
TIKAT > clause2 presents a comparison to clause1
UELGAAR > clause2 presents an observation concerning clause1
MIK > clause2 presents a condition pertaining to clause1
MAN > clause2 presents possible actions following on from a condition clause, should the condition be met
MOST > clause2 presents possible actions following on from a condition clause, should the condition NOT be met
EV > clause2 supplements clause1 with known facts
TANDRJIS > clause2 presents a belief concerning clause1
TCUUSET > clause2 presents a second hand point of view concerning clause1
A dependent conjunction can introduce an independent clause by placing the particle ARJ in front of it
All dependent conjunctions force the clause2 verb to use the DEPENDENT (O) function in place of the declarative (A) function
For all concurrent, concatenative and dependent conjunctions ...
-------------------------------------------------
If clause2 has the same AGENT as clause1, the agent can be dropped from clause2, though the verb continues to act as if the agent is present in the clause (in other words the verb cannot drop its agent status suffix).
If the agent is dropped from a clause2 introduced by a concurrent or concatenative conjunction, the verb MUST use the dependent (O) function
Interrogative conjunctions
-------------------------------------------------
ARJ ITEV - is it that?
ARJ I BADJ - where?
ARJ I KEEB - how?
ARJ I KOEN - how much? how many?
ARJ I KROS - when?
ARJ I MIK - if?
ARJ I POK - why?
Interrogative conjunctions force the following clause's verb to use the INTERROGATIVE (I) function in place of the declarative or dependent functions. The interrogative function routinely cascades into subsequent non-independent clauses.
Interjections derived from dependent conjunctions
-------------------------------------------------
efte - I know/knew that
evde - you know/knew that
efke - he/she knows/knew that
evdisel - we all know/knew that
evrjat - it is known that
... etc
nefte - I don't know/didn't know that
nevde - you don't know/didn't know that
nefke - he/she don't know/didn't know that
nevdisel - we all don't know/didn't know that
... etc
tandrjiste - I believe(d) that
tandrjizde - you believe(d) that
tandrjiske - he/she believe(s|d) that
tandrjisel - we all believe(d) that
tandrjat - it is believed that
... etc
tcuusete - I hear(d) that - a bit gossipy
tcuusede - you hear(d) that
tcuuseke - he/she hear(d) that
tcuusetsel - we all hear(d) that
tcuusrjat - it has been heard that
... etc
These go alongside a couple of other useful interjection sets:
meefte - I say/said that
meevde - you say/said that
meefke - he/she say/said that
meefsel - we all say/said that
meevrjat - it is said that
... etc
rjieste - I was told that - (semi-)formally
rjiezde - you were told that
rjieske - he/she was told that
rjiestsel - we were all told that
... etc
Last edited by Rik on Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: redesigning Gevey ... some simple Q&A
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Questions and answers
-------------------------------------------------
Mary sits in a field.
Mare ïstcu deefes âsase.
Does Mary sit in a field? She does.
Mare ïstcu deefes î âsase? Gvese.
Is it true that Mary is sitting in a field? Yes.
Árj îtev ïstcu deefes Mare se âsil? Ce.
If Mary is sitting in a field, why are you standing in the house? Because I'm making her a cup of coffee.
Árj î mik Mare ïstcu deefes se âsil, pok ïstcu rjoup so sekpeimil do? Árj pok yu spaqj rut ladj se tcaebal te.
When was Mary sitting in the field? At midday.
Árj î krjos Mare ïstcu deefes sede âsil? Kounyu.
When was Mary sitting in the field? When I visited her yesterday.
Árj î krjos Mare ïstcu deefes sede âsil? Árj krjos slotjate denerjezdenuljs kiy te.
When did I visit Mary? Yesterday.
Árj î krjos ye Mar slotjite te? Rjezdenu.
Where is the field in which Mary sits? It is next to the house.
Árj î badj deefsu öix Mare ïstâsase? Casyu rjoub polasu ku.
How was Mary sitting in the field? She was sitting on a chair
Árj î keeb Mare ïstcu deefes sede âsil? Xusyu fresal sede âsal ke
Why is Mary sitting in the field? I don't know.
Árj î pok Mare ïstcu deefes se âsil? Nefte.Re: redesigning Gevey ... clause concat examples
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Clause concatenation examples
-------------------------------------------------
Dxone yu ken yierj fosate
John ate his cake
yu sot noikesnate feselj
we painted the room
John was eating his cake while we were painting the room
Dxone yu ken yierj sede fosal ëdezd yu sot sede noikesnal feselj
John finished eating his cake before we started painting the room
Dxone yu ken yierj dek fosate ûdx yu sot sede bao noikesnal feselj
John ate his cake after we finished painting the room
Dxone yu ken yierj fosate wjizet yu sot dek noikesnate feselj
John was eating his cake when we started painting the room
Dxone yu ken yierj sede fosal rjetas yu sot sede bao noikesnal feselj
John was eating his cake when we finished painting the room
Dxone yu ken yierj sede fosal íden yu sot dek noikesnate feselj
we were painting the room when John ate his cake
yu sot sede noikesnal feselj rjedost Dxone yu ken yierj fosate
we were painting the room, so John couldn't eat his cake
yu sot sede noikesnal feselj bljois Dxone yu ken yierj na fosote
When John finishes eating his cake we can start painting the room
árj krjos Dxone yu ken yierj glaa fosase man yu sot sane bao noikesnol feselj
we'll paint the room, then John can eat his cake
yu sot noikesnane feselj miedx Dxone yu ken yierj klov fosoneRe: redesigning Gevey ... brain squeezers
Topic and comment, focus, agency and patiency ... these are the bits of the language that tend to squeeze people's brains out of their arses.
Why do I inflict this stuff on my poor conlang? 'Cuz it's fun innit!
Why do I inflict this stuff on my poor conlang? 'Cuz it's fun innit!
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Some terms
------------------------------------------
Focus - the person or object of most importance (to the speaker) in a clause
Topic - 'old news', where the person or object has already been introduced in previous discourse
Comment - 'new news', where a person or object is introduced into the discourse
Agent - a person or object who intentionally undertakes or experiences an action
Patient - a person or object who unintentionally undertakes or experiences an action, or recieves an action
Indirect - a person or object who helps add details about the action (eg: where, when, how)
Agentive - the noun case used to show an agent of a clause
Patientive - the noun case used to show the patient of a clause; also used for more important (to the verb) indirect nouns
Indirective - the dative, locative, temporal and oblique noun cases used to show indirect persons or objects
The basic word order of a Gevey clause is:
AGENT PATIENT VERB INDIRECTS
(aka SOVi)
Agent intentionality
------------------------------------------
Gevey is an active-stative language; that is, it uses grammatical case to clarify who (or what) is undertaking/experiencing an action, as opposed to who (or what) is recieving an action. Nouns/pronouns in the agentive case are understood to be intentionally, or routinely, undertaking/experiencing the action in the clause. Where this is not the case - for instance where the action is unintended or accidental, then the agent noun/pronoun takes the patientive case.
Indirective promotion
------------------------------------------
Most Gevey intransitive verbs have the capacity to 'promote' indirect nouns to the patientive case; the decision on which nouns can be promoted is linked to the verb's semantic scope, and controlled by prepositions - a noun must be associated with a particular preposition before it can be promoted:
cuenen (cuenak) fly
dative verb
default preposition: dative 'vos'
will also promote indirectives with the dative prepositions: 'sus', 'tas', 'di', 'mav', 'tcelk'
Generally, the speaker will only promote the indirective (assuming there's more than one noun that qualifies) that he/she considers to be most central to the ongoing discourse. Wherever possible, an intransitive verb will promote at least one of the indirectives in the clause to the patientive case.
When indirective promotion occurs the preposition associated with that indirect noun is also 'promoted', and fused with the patientive particle Y (with some associated sandhi changes):
ântetusreks -> ântce tuseir
batusreks -> basye tuseir
catusreks -> casye tuseir
debatusreks -> debye tuseir
denetusreks -> degje tuseir
dezdetusreks -> dezdxe tuseir
ditusreks -> drje tuseir
dostatusreks -> dostce tuseir
gletusreks -> glesye tuseir
ïstatusreks -> ïstce tuseir
kotusreks -> kotce tuseir
mavatusreks -> mavye tuseir
modotusreks -> modxe tuseir
setusreks -> setce tuseir
swatusreks -> swasye tuseir
sutusreks -> susye tuseir
tatusreks -> tce tuseir
tcelkatusreks -> tcelkye tuseir
tcisatusreks -> tcisye tuseir
tobotusreks -> tobye tuseir
viitusreks -> viidxe tuseir
votusreks -> vosye tuseir
xutusreks -> xusye tuseir
There are some verbs (eg semantically ditransitive verbs) that will also promote indirective nouns to the patientive case:
pyiman (pyim) give
transitive verb
ditransitive action: promotes nouns with the oblique preposition 'tcis', 'gles' to the patientive
Agency and focus
------------------------------------------
Gevey relies on an animacy hierarchy, word order and focus particles to determine the focus of a clause
The animacy hierarchy is:
THE AGENT in the agentive case
SELF
DIRECTLY ADDRESSED
PERSON
ANIMAL
EVERYTHING ELSE
THE PATIENT (or agent, or indirect) in the patientive case
SELF
DIRECTLY ADDRESSED
PERSON
ANIMAL
EVERYTHING ELSE
... thus if a clause has an animal agent and a self patient, the animal agent is considered to be in focus; if both the animal and the self are patients then the self patient is in focus.
The key point to remember is that, for the most part, the focus of a clause will be on the agentive noun or pronoun. However, Gevey does not guarantee that every clause will include a noun or pronoun in the agentive case - for instance in those cases where the agent performs/experiences an action accidentally and thus takes the patientive case. There's also times when the speaker may wish to focus on a patient or indirective noun rather than on the agent (in English: form a passive clause, or move an indirect object phrase to the front of the clause). In these cases, Gevey supplies a series of mechanisms for identifying the focus, and for moving it away from the agentive to other words in the clause.
Topic and comment word order
------------------------------------------
A general rule in Gevey is that:
> comment persons and objects are shown as nouns
> topic persons and objects are shown as pronouns
Gevey expects topics to come after the verb, at the end of the clause:
AGT-COMMENT PAT-COMMENT VERB INDIRECTS (SOVi)
PAT-COMMENT VERB INDIRECTS AGT-TOPIC (OViS)
AGT-COMMENT VERB INDIRECTS PAT-TOPIC (SViO)
VERB INDIRECTS PAT-TOPIC AGT-TOPIC (ViOS)
Indirect nouns and pronouns are always treated as comments, and always directly follow the verb, except where a verb has allowed an indirect person or object to be 'promoted' to the patientive case - in which case they are treated as patients.
For the purposes of focus, the animacy hierarchy holds true irregardless of whether the agents and patients in a clause are topics or comments.
Changing the focus in a clause (aka passivisation strategies)
------------------------------------------
In certain circumstances word order can be used to break the animacy hierarchy and move the focus to a naturally lower order person or object.
To focus on an indirect person or object, move it to the start of the clause:
INDIRECTS AGT-COMMENT PAT-COMMENT VERB (iSOV)
INDIRECTS PAT-COMMENT VERB AGT-TOPIC (iOVS)
INDIRECTS AGT-COMMENT VERB PAT-TOPIC (iSVO)
INDIRECTS VERB PAT-TOPIC AGT-TOPIC (iVOS)
... or, alternatively, place the focus particle GA in front of the indirect noun or pronoun
Where the agent and patient are both comments, or both topics, the patient can gain focus by moving it to the front, or the end, of the clause:
PAT-COMMENT AGT-COMMENT VERB INDIRECTS (OSVi)
VERB INDIRECTS AGT-TOPIC PAT-TOPIC (ViSO)
Where the patient is a topic and the agent is a comment, the patient can be focussed by placing the focus particle GA in front of it.
Where the agent is a topic and the patient is a comment, the agent can be de-focussed by placing the focus particle HEI in front of it. Alternatively, focus the patient by changing the agentive particle Y with G; note that this will have sandhi effects for indirect objects 'promoted' to the patientive case by the verb:
ye tuseir -> ge tuseir
ântce tuseir -> ânjge tuseir
basye tuseir -> bazge tuseir
casye tuseir -> cazge tuseir
debye tuseir -> debge tuseir
degje tuseir -> denjge tuseir
dezdxe tuseir -> dezge tuseir
drje tuseir -> dige tuseir
dostce tuseir -> dozge tuseir
glesye tuseir -> glezge tuseir
ïstce tuseir -> ïzge tuseir
kotce tuseir -> koge tuseir
mavye tuseir -> mavge tuseir
modxe tuseir -> moge tuseir
setce tuseir -> sege tuseir
swasye tuseir -> swazge tuseir
susye tuseir -> suuzge tuseir
tce tuseir -> tazge tuseir
tcelkye tuseir -> tcelge tuseir
tcisye tuseir -> tcizge tuseir
tobye tuseir -> tobge tuseir
viidxe tuseir -> viige tuseir
vosye tuseir -> vozge tuseir
xusye tuseir -> xuzge tuseir
Where there is more than one agent, or more than one patient, in a clause, and a focus cannot be selected by means of the animacy hierarchy or topicality, then the agent (or patient) closest to the start of the clause is considered to be focussed. If a focus can be selected through the animacy hierarchy, but the speaker wishes to focus on a person or object lower in the hierarchy, this can be achieved by placing the focus intensifier particle RA ahead of the word to be focussed.
The focus intensifier particle can also be used to focus the clause on the verb, or on any modifier words such as adjectives, adverbs, genitives or even determiners and conjunctions; the particle needs to be placed immediately in front of the word being focussed on.Re: redesigning Gevey ... focus shifting exercise
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Shifting the focus around a clause
===========================================
Agent and patient both comments
-------------------------------------
Dxone yu tintixu kutj donate takyasovubz
it was JOHN who wore a red shirt to college
> default: 'Dxone' is the only agentive in the clause, thus has the focus
gu tintixu kutj Dxone donate takyasovubz
the red SHIRT was worn by John to college
> patientive noun moved to front of clause, and promoted to focus with G
Agent is topic; patient is comment
-------------------------------------
yu tintixu kutj donate takyasovubz ke
it was HIM who wore a red shirt to college
> default: 'ke' is the only agentive in the clause, thus has the focus
yu tintixu kutj donate takyasovubz hei ke
the red SHIRT was worn by him to college
> focus demoter placed before the agentive
Agent is comment; patient is topic
-------------------------------------
Dxone donate takyasovubz kou
it was JOHN who wore it to college
> default: 'Dxone' is the only agentive in the clause, thus has the focus
Dxone donate takyasovubz ga kou
IT was worn by John to college
> focus promoter placed in front of patientive
Agent and patient both topics
-------------------------------------
donate takyasovubz kou ke
it was HIM who wore it to college
> default: 'ke' is the only agentive in the clause, thus has the focus
donate takyasovubz ke ga kou
it was worn by him to college
> patientive pronoun moved to end of clause, and promoted to focus with GA
Focussing on the adjective
-------------------------------------
Dxone yu kutj ra tintixu donate takyasovubz
it was a RED shirt that John wore to college
> focus intensifier placed before the adjective
because only one word is allowed between the patient particle and its noun,
the phrase 'ra tintixu' has to follow the patientive noun 'yu kutj'
Focussing on the verb
-------------------------------------
Dxone yu tintixu kutj ra donate takyasovubz
John WORE a red shirt to college
> focus intensifier placed before the verb
Focussing on the indirective
-------------------------------------
takyasovubz Dxone yu tintixu kutj donate
it was to COLLEGE that John wore a red shirt
> indirective noun moved to front of the clause
Last edited by Rik on Thu Dec 13, 2012 3:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: redesigning Gevey ... more focus examples
I'm guessing that nobody is bothering to read this thread anymore ... too much information
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Focussing down the animacy hierarchy
-------------------------------------
loife yu fresal caablate
the man broke the chair
> 'loife', as the agent, has focus
gu fresal loife caablate
the chair was broken by the man
> 'gu fresal' has focus because it has the focus promoter G
ye loif yu fresal caablat
the man [accidently] broke the chair
> 'ye loif' has focus because it is the only agent in the clause
> ... even though it is in the patientive case
gu fresal ye loif caablat
the chair was [accidently] broken by the man
> 'gu fresal' has focus - first patientive in the clause, and has the focus promoter G
yu fresal caablat
the chair was broken [by someone]
> 'yu fresal' has focus; it is the only noun in the clause
yu fresal caablat uq
the chair broke
> lit. 'the chair broke itself'
> adding the reflexive pronoun gives the chair 'pseudo-agency'
tusre ye loif traljate
the dog bit the man
> 'tusre' has focus because it is the only agent in the clause
ge tuuseir ye loif traljat
the dog [accidentally] bit the man
> 'ge tuuseir' has focus - first patientive in the clause, and has the focus promoter G
ye loif traljat
the man [accidentally] bit [something]
> 'ye loif' has focus; it is the only noun in the clause
ye loif traljat eq
the man [accidentally] bit himself
> active nouns already have agency;
> adding a reflexive pronoun cannot imbue an active noun with 'pseudo-agency'
ge loif tuusre traljate
the man was bitten by the dog
> 'ge loif' has focus because it has the focus promoter G
ye loif traljat hi
something bit the man
> 'hi' has focus on account of being agentive;
> the 'unknown' pronoun HI has no status, thus the verb carries no status particle
ge loif traljat hi
the man was bitten [by something]
> 'ge loif' has focus because it has the focus promoter G
> omitting 'hi' would change the meaning of the clause (see above)Re: redesigning Gevey ... pronouns
Might as well post details of the pronouns ...
... not sure what to do with the predicate pronoun case; I don't seem to ever use it for anything. I'll probably dump it ...
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Commonly occuring personal pronouns in Gevey
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Number Person Register Gender Stem Agentive case
simple definite template inanimate
~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
singular 1st formal - tc- tce tca tco -
singular 1st general - t- te ta to -
singular 1st informal - édl- édle édla édlo -
singular 2nd general - d- de da do du
singular 2nd informal - fl- fle fla flo flu
singular 3rd general masculine ésk- éske éska ésko -
singular 3rd general feminine âfk- âfke âfka âfko -
singular 3rd general - k- ke ka ko ku
paucal 1st formal - tcoz- tcozelj tcozalj tcozolj -
paucal 1st general - miz- mizelj mizalj mizolj -
paucal 2nd general - fes- feselj fesalj fesolj fesulj
paucal 3rd general - m- mek mak mok muk
plural 1st formal - ïs- ïsel ïsal ïsol -
plural 1st general - st- stel stal stol -
plural 2nd general - v- ve va vo vu
plural 3rd formal - bw- bwek bwak bwok bwuk
plural 3rd general - s- éljs áljs óljs úljs
Additional pronouns Stem Agentive case (all status types)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
unknown h- hi
interrogative gz- gzi
Personal pronoun case declension
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Case Suffix for
inanimate simple template definite additionals
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Patientive -ou -iy -aey -oiy -iy
Genitive -un -en -an -on -in
Dative -uks -eks -aks -oks -iks
Locative -ubz -ebz -abz -obz -ibz
Temporal -uljs -eljs -aljs -oljs -iljs
Oblique -us -es -as -os -is
Reflexive exclusive -uq -eq -aq -oq -iq
Reflexive inclusive -ute -ete -ate -ote -ite
Predicate -ult -elt -alt -olt -ilt
Complete declension for KE (he/she/it), and for GZI (who/what/which)
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Case inanimate simple template definite additionals
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Agentive ku ke ka ko gzi
Patientive kou kiy kaey koiy gziy
Genitive kun ken kan kon gzin
Dative kuks keks kaks koks gziks
Locative kubz kebz kabz kobz gzibz
Temporal kuljs keljs kaljs koljs gziljs
Oblique kus kes kas kos gzis
Reflexive exclusive kuq keq kaq koq gziq
Reflexive inclusive kute kete kate kote gzite
Predicate kult kelt kalt kolt gzilt
Re: redesigning Gevey ... prepositions
The preposition stuff ...
Code: Select all
Prepositions - translations according to case
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Particle as a dative as a locative as a temporal as an oblique
~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ânt(e)- off/offFrom - justAfter -
ba(s)- along/by/nextTo nextTo/by/beside atTheStartOf -
ca(s)- around/by/past nearTo/nearby/colseTo inTheMiddleOf concerning/about
deb(a)- behind behind sometimeAfter -
den(e)- - - during/at for/of(measurement)
dezd(e)- toAndFro/between/around between/inbetween between -
d(i)- from/awayFrom notAt/awayFrom/from notAt/notDuring notAccompaniedBy
dost(a)- from/out/outOf out/outside untilAfter/by becauseOf/asAResultOf
gle(s)- via/through/byWayOf - - for/by(benefactive, not people)
ïst(a)- in/into in/inside/within - for(aquisitive)
ko(t)- - - - with/using
mav(a)- across acrossFrom/across nearTheEndOf -
mod(o)- down/downwards/downTo - - -
se(t)- - - - without/notUsing
swa(s)- fromPlaceToPlace/around - sometimeAround -
su(s)- under/underneath below/beneath/under - -
ta(s)- to/towards at - accompaniedBy
tcelk(a)- circling/around surrounding/around/about - -
tcis(a)- inFrontOf/before inFrontOf/before sometimeBefore for/by(benefactive, people)
tob(o)- up/upwards/upTo - - -
vii(d)- between/through/along - until/before -
vo(s)- over above/over - -
xu(s)- on/onTopOf/onto on/onTopOf/upon justBefore -
Preposition declension(?)
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Indirect nouns Patientive particle Determiner form
before vowel before consonant Unfocussed Focussed
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ânt- ânte- ântc? ânjg? ândaet
bas- ba- basy? bazg? bazdaet
cas- ca- casy? cazg? cazdaet
deb- deba- deby? debg? debdaet
den- dene- degj? denjg? dendaet
dezd- dezde- dezdx? dezg? dezdaet
d- di- drj? dig? didaet
dost- dosta- dostc? dozg? dozdaet
gles- gle- glesy? glezg? glezdaet
ïst- ïsta- ïstc? ïzg? ïzdaet
kot- ko- kotc? kog? kodaet
mav- mava- mavy? mavg? mavdaet
mod- modo- modx? mog? modaet
set- se- setc? seg? sedaet
swas- swa- swasy? swazg? swazdaet
sus- su- susy? suuzg? suuzdaet
tas- ta- tc? tazg? tazdaet
tcelk- tcelka- tcelky? tcelg? tceldaet
tcis- tcisa- tcisy? tcizg? tcizdaet
tob- tobo- toby? tobg? tobdaet
viid- vii- viidx? viig? viidaet
vos- vo- vosy? vozg? vozdaet
xus- xu- xusy? xuzg? xuzdaet
... where '?' stands for the noun's STATUS particle (E, A, O, U)Re: redesigning Gevey ... more focus examples
Actually, I'm going through a fair amount. Not all of it, and sometimes paying closer attention than other times, but it's a still a good read.Rik wrote:I'm guessing that nobody is bothering to read this thread anymore ... too much information
Tibetan Dwarvish - My own ergative "dwarf-lang"
Quasi-Khuzdul - An expansion of J.R.R. Tolkien's Dwarvish language from The Lord of the Rings
Quasi-Khuzdul - An expansion of J.R.R. Tolkien's Dwarvish language from The Lord of the Rings
Re: redesigning Gevey ... more focus examples
Thank you. Please be aware that some of the stuff above is being changed as and when I think about it. For instance, yesterday I was looking at the derivations page and suddenly decided that the noun gender suffixes sat better as derivations rather than in the core of the noun's structure. Simplifies the nouns, and gives me an excuse to spring-clean the lexicon -- after I review the derivation affixes, of course.Vardelm wrote:Actually, I'm going through a fair amount. Not all of it, and sometimes paying closer attention than other times, but it's a still a good read.Rik wrote:I'm guessing that nobody is bothering to read this thread anymore ... too much information