Verbs
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This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 27 Jan 2017, 20:14.
[comments] mwlverbs
?FYI...
This article is a work in progress! Check back later in case any changes have occurred.
This article is a work in progress! Check back later in case any changes have occurred.
Verbs in Mwele are fairly simple, conjugating quite regularly. However, they do lack an infinitive form; the root form essentially being equivalent to GNOGnomic (aspect/mood)
common, timeless truths. Instead, Mwele marks transitivity using a particle: é (TRTransitive (valency)
has two arguments) or ý (INTRIntransitive (valency)
has one argument). This means that all verbs in Mwele are essentially transitive and intransitive, with the meanings differing depending on the particle used. Generally speaking, transitive verbs take a transitive particle for active, whilst the intransitive is used for passive, whereas intransitive verbs don't take a particle. The difference between the two is minimal and is primarily reserved for literature, with most people using the transitive particle in speech. Historically, there was a difference between the two as the intransitive was only used in subordinate clauses and with moods with a fourth person conjugation, but it has since lost much of its original meaning and is reserved primarily for writing.
E.g.
Fó óéwóy = I run (1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument 1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.PRSPresent tense (tense)-run)
Fó ohy jaeqó é óeqó = I eat food (1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument INDEFIndefinite
a nonspecific referent.PLPlural (number)
more than one/few ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient-food TRTransitive (valency)
has two arguments 1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.PRSPresent tense (tense)-eat)
Fó ohy jaeqó ý óeqó = Food is eaten by me (1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument INDEFIndefinite
a nonspecific referent.PLPlural (number)
more than one/few ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient-food INTRIntransitive (valency)
has one argument 1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.PRSPresent tense (tense)-eat)
The general verb structure is:
All verbs conjugate for person, number, tense and mood but tenses can only conjugate for 1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I, 1PFirst person plural (person)
we (inclusive or exclusive), 2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you) and 4Fourth person (person)
obviative, not present. In order to indicate 2PSecond person plural (person)
addressee (plural) or 3Third person (person)
neither speaker nor addressee, the verb is conjugated for 1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I or 1PFirst person plural (person)
we (inclusive or exclusive) and the pronoun for the person is added after the verb. However, all moods have complete conjugation so no additional pronoun is needed. Nouns are a little unusual as they take the 4Fourth person (person)
obviative, not present conjugation.
In colloquial speech, the end pronoun is often dropped as Mwele isn't pro-drop so the meaning is clear from the subject pronoun. However, this is considered bad practice when writing so formal literature in Mwele always uses the end pronoun.
It should be noted that tenses can work with moods too. As moods conjugate fully for person and number, the regular mood prefixes are used either in place of or with the tense prefixes.
E.g. I may run (in the future) = fó heyóéwóy = 1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument FTFuture tense (tense)
action occurring after the moment of speech.1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I-SBJUnknown code.1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I-run
Mwele verbs conjugate for two tenses, future and non-future. each one having a unique prefix for every pronoun. In order to indicate past tense, the auxillary verb ý qe (INTRIntransitive (valency)
has one argument + to be) is added after the verb. Verbs can also take the particle pwo to indicate immediateness.
| past | immediate past | present | immediate present | future | immediate future | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1S | ó- ý qe | pwo ó- ý qe | ó- | pwo ó- | he- | pwo he- |
| 1P | hó- ý qe | pwo hó- ý qe | hó- | pwo hó- | yó- | pwo yó- |
| 2S | é- ý qe | pwo é- ý qe | é- | pwo é- | wé- | pwo wé- |
| 2P | hó- ý qe héy | pwo hó- ý qe héy | hó- héy | pwo hó- héy | yó- héy | pwo yó héy |
| 3S | ó- ý qe ybo | pwo ó- ý qe ybo | ó- ybo | pwo ó- ybo | he- ybo | pwo he- ybo |
| 3P | hó- ý qe yhy | pwo hó- ý qe yhy | hó- yhy | pwo hó- yhy | yó- yhy | pwo yó- yhy |
| 4 | Ø ý qe | pwo Ø ý qe | Ø | pwo Ø | la- | pwo la- |
The verb 'to be' (qe) has several roles in Mwele. There are 4 main roles: the first is as a copula, joining a subject noun/pronoun with an adjective. The second is as a copula joining a subject noun/pronoun and an object noun/pronoun. The third is as an auxiliary to indicate past tense. And the fourth is as a relative clause header. However, qe appears in several other set phrases and grammatical constructs too. ✎ Edit Article ✖ Delete Article
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