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another difference between Saweli and Latejami: deictics
- From: MorphemeAddict@hidden.email
- Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 00:42:57 EDT
- Subject: another difference between Saweli and Latejami: deictics
- To: saweli@yahoogroups.com
The deictics in Katanda were divided into five classifiers with numerical modifiers to distinguish person and proximity/distance.
The five categories the classifiers correspond to are person pronouns, possessive adjectives, demonstrative adjectives, locatives, and temporals.
Latejami has a classifier for each of the modifier+classifier combinations of Katanda, although the classifiers are systematically related.
Both Katanda and Latejami use the numeric modifiers as part of the basic deictic roots, so in Katanda, e.g., there are seven different 'persons':
Katanda:
1: se- Pers: -mi P-s noun
2: tu- Gen: -foy P-s adjective
3: ni- Dem: -ju P-s adjective
1+2: ga- Loc: -kwa "0" adverb
1+3: do- Tem: -mbe "0" adverb
2+3: fa-
1+2+3: pe-
mi = I, me ("se-" is the default, and it's optional when the classifier can stand alone.)
tumi = you (sg.)
nimi = he/she/it
gami = mi+tumi; we inclusive; you and I but not others
domi = mi+nimi; we exclusive; others and I but not you
fami = tumi+nimi, you and others
pemi = mi+tumi+nimi; we; you and I and others
foy = my
tufoy = your (sg.)
ju = this
kwa = here
sembe = now (since "-mbe" can't stand alone, "se-" is required.)
Latejami uses the same type of system, but incorporates the modifiers into the classifiers.
The deictic classifiers are formed by combining the modifiers for
numbers 1-7 plus 'v' for personal pronouns, 'm' for possessives, 's'
for demonstratives, 'l' for locative deictics, and 'p' for temporal
deictics. Ex: "bavi" = 'I/me', "bamo" = 'my', "baso" = 'this/these',
"bale" = 'here', "bape" = 'now', "xepe" = 'earlier', etc. In effect,
each deictic root has its own classifier. Deictic classifiers are
all P-s by default.
Person Deictic Type Default
------------ -------------- ---------
1: ba- Pers: -v P-s
2: xe- Gen: -m P-s
3: di- Dem: -s P-s
1+2: co- Loc: -l "0"
1+3: tu- Tem: -p "0"
2+3: za-
1+2+3: tay-
An appropriate part-of-speech ending is added afterward, e.g.,
bavi 'I, me' = ba ('1') + v ('personal pronoun') + i ('noun'),
xemo 'your (sg.)' = xe ('2') + m ('Genitive') + o (adjective).
bape 'now' = ba ('1') + p ('temporal') + e ('adverb').
Saweli has a different (ad hoc) system for all the deictics.
Rather than use numeric modifiers for 1 through 7, Saweli uses three elements (r, s, t) to indicate the person of the word, and these three elements are combined to produce the seven different forms of Latejami. There is still a one-to-one relation between the Latejami words and the Saweli words, but the words are created in completely different ways.
The classifier for all the deictics in Saweli is "ya-".
The word for 'I, me' is "yaras": ya (deictic classifier) + r (1st person) + a (personal pronoun) + s (noun). So far, it looks just like Latejami.
The word for 'we, us, you and I but not others' (Latejami "covi") is in Saweli "yarsas": ya + r (1st person) + s (2nd person) + a + s.
'We, you and I and others' in Latejami is "tayvi" - tay (7) + v (personal pronoun) + i (noun) - but in Saweli it's "yarstas" - ya + r (1st person) + s (2nd person) + t (3rd person) + a + s.
The vowel after the person indicators (r, s, t) can be a = personal pronoun, e = possessive, i = demonstrative, o = locative, u = temporal.
So 'now' is "yarud" ("d" is the ending for adverbs), 'your (sg.)' is "yasek", 'here' is "yarod".
stevo