Re: [saweli] Saweli Dictionary

Latejami [L] uses an absolute argument-changing system. 

Saweli-Saxita [S-S] uses a relative argument-changing system. 

In the following table, the L argument-changing suffixes on the top row.

The left column is all of the possible arrangements of the three component elements, viz.: agent-patient [A-P], presence or absence of a focus, and static vs. dynamic. 

In L, to change a word of any argument [arg] structure to e.g., AP-s, just add the suffix "-is". Very simple. 

To change a stem's arg structure in S-S, you have to know the arg structure of the stem first. 

The reason I changed from the absolute system to the relative one is that since L stems have inherent arg structures, you have to know what that is to know when to leave out the arg-structure suffix. The relative system requires knowing the stem's arg structure, and figuring out which suffix to add to change the three elements of the is simply applying the small table of elements shown below. 

The absolute system only gives the end-point, so to speak, with no regard to the starting point. The relative system relies on knowing the starting point and gives the changes to the structure necessary to get to the desired end point, which is always recoverable, unlike the L start point, which is lost (irrecoverable) as soon as an arg-structure suffix is added.  

In the following table, the entries "(vi)" are for unchanged arg structures, not meant to be used in practice since they're totally redundant. 

To change the arg structure from P-s to P/F-s, e. g.,  in L, add -unz. To accomplish the same in S-S, you add "wi". The "w" means "add focus", and the "i" means "no change in A-P". The difference becomes even more apparent when you realize that L "unz" makes any stem in L P/F-s, whereas in S-S, the suffix "wi" is used for all the changes from unfocused to focused, with no other changes. 

FYI: each L suffix is decomposable into elements as well. u/i/a are for A-P, n/m is for focus, and z/s vs. b/p is for dynamicity. 

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In the following chart, the changes to the original argument are shown for each piece of information in the structure (dynamicity, focus, agent-patient).  

s/d                 +/- F                         P|AP|A/P

x=>s               w=>+F                       a = 2 lower [A/P > P]

z=>d               y=>-F                        e = 1 lower [AP > P, A/P > AP]

0|v=no chng    0=no chng.                i = no change

                                                      o = 1 higher [P > AP, AP > A/P]

"v" is used when only the                  u = 2 higher [P > A/P]

vowel changes, to provide a consonant.

I originally simply copied the L way into S-S, but kept hitting the lost info problem. The relative system solves that. 

This is a lot of info and possibly not a very clear explanation, so ask me if you have more questions. 

stevo