Grammar of Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham
▲
1▲ 1 ▼ 0
This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 6 May 2021, 04:43.
[comments] phq
?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.
Word order
- Basic word order: CP/IP-V2, SOV
- Adpositions are postpositions
- Adjectives, demonstratives and possessors precede the noun they modify, numerals follow the noun they modify.
Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham is a V2 language, which is similar to that of Standard German. In main clauses, the finite verb comes second and infinite verbs come last, and in subordinate clauses, all verbs come last, and the finite verb come after infinite verbs in subordinate clauses.Unlike some of the daughter languages, all verbs can take the finite form in
Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham, verbs of the present tense does not need aux verbs in Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham. Finite verbs may take the personal clitics, the use of personal clitics can be seen in the chapter of morphology.Examples of the word order:
- mlas ram(V)s moqk am
- mlas ram(V)=s moqk am
- fish catch=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity river at/in(interlinear)
- "I catch fish in the river"
- moqk am ram(V)s mlas
- moqk am ram(V)=s mlas
- river at/in catch=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity fish(interlinear)
- "I catch fish in the river"
In most circumstances, a sentence has a verb and at least one noun phrase or an adverbial phrase. When there's only one noun phrase or adverbial phrase in a sentence, then it always precedes the verb regardless of the theta role of the phrase. For example:
- as yem(V)
- as yem(V)
- 1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity sleep(interlinear)
- "I sleep"
- mlas ram(V)s
- mlas ram(V)=s
- fish catch=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity(interlinear)
- "I catch fish"
The independent form of personal pronouns are always used when there are no other possible noun phrases or an adverbial phrases in a sentence. Therefore, as yem "I sleep"(interlinear: 1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity sleep) is grammatical, while *yems(interlinear: sleep=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity) is ungrammatical
When both of the subject and the object are present, and when the sentence is in the present tense, the word order is effectively SVO:
- mqsamak ram(V) mlas
- mqsamak ram(V) mlas
- bird catch fish(interlinear)
- "the bird catches fish"
When an auxiliary verb exists, the main verb is moved to the final position of a sentence, and the auxiliary verb occupies the second position:
- mlas razak(V)s ram(V)
- mlas razak(V)=s ram(V)
- fish go=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity catch(interlinear)
- "I will catch fish"
- mlas razak(V)s moqk am ram(V)
- mlas razak(V)=s moqk am ram(V)
- fish go=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity river at/in catch(interlinear)
- "I will catch fish in the river"
- moqk am razak(V)s mlas ram
- moqk am razak(V)=s mlas ram
- river at/in go=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity fish catch(interlinear)
- "I will catch fish in the river"
When both of the direct object and a adverbial phrase are present, the adverbial phrase generally follow the direct object, but the adverbial phrase precedes the direct object if it represents the time:
- mqsamak ram(V) mlas moqk am
- mqsamak ram(V) mlas moqk am
- bird catch fish river at/in/on(interlinear)
- "the bird catches fish in the river"
- mqsamak ram(V) no mlas
- mqsamak ram(V) no mlas
- bird catch now fish(interlinear)
- "the bird is catching fish now"
- mqsamak ram(V) no mlas moqk am
- mqsamak ram(V) no mlas moqk am
- bird catch now fish river at/in/on(interlinear)
- "the bird is catching fish in the river now"
When a complement phrase occupies the first position of a sentence, the subject moved to the position behind the finite verb:
- moqk am ram(V) mqsamak mlas
- moqk am ram mqsamak mlas
- river at/in/on catch bird fish(interlinear)
- "the bird catches fish in the river"
- no ram(V) mqsamak mlas
- no ram mqsamak mlas
- now catch bird fish(interlinear)
- "the bird is catching fish now"
- moqk am ram(V) no mqsamak mlas
- moqk am ram(V) no mqsamak mlas
- river at/in/on catch now bird fish(interlinear)
- "the bird is catching fish in the river now"
A major exception to the V2 rule is the (direct) imperative. In the imperative construction, the verb starts the sentence:
- ram(V) mlas!
- catch fish(interlinear)
- “catch some fish!”
Note: due to the development of the auxiliary verb system, in some daughter languages only a limited set of verbs can be finite verbs, but this is not the case of
Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham, all verbs in Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham can be the finite verb of a sentence.The Third Person Pronoun
Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham has a third person pronoun ta; however, ta never occupies the subject position, one uses the demonstrative pronouns ni “this” or war “that” instead.Tense-Aspect-Mood
Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham has aspects, it has two aspects: imperfective and perfective. The use of the perfective aspect is somewhat similar to the simple past tense in English.As for tenses,
Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham has a distinction between the future tense and the non-future tense.The perfective aspect and non-declarative mood are marked with auxiliary verbs. The imperfective aspect is not marked with an auxiliary verb. Below are some auxiliary verbs that are used to indicate the tense-aspect-mood of a sentence:
- perfective aspect: wat(V) "to finish"
- future tense: razak(V) "to go"
- subjunctive: slar(V) "would be"(from an old subjunctive form of lar "to be, exist", with the s- prefix being the remnant of a subjunctive prefix from an earlier stage)
- potential(indicating possibility): yam(V) "may, be possible"
- potential(indicating capability): pan(V) "can, to be able"
- jussive: mad(V) "should, must"
- negation: malar(V) "to not be"
- progressive: am(V) "to be at"
- desiderative: maSar(V) "to want"
- realis: lar(V) "to be"(used to emphasize that the action has been done)
Usually only up to one auxiliary verb that indicates information about the tense-aspect-mood is used in a sentence.
Possessions
Possession is marked by head-marking ways, there's no genitive case in
Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham. Possessors precede the possessed noun, personal pronouns are added directly before the possessed noun, and the third pronoun ta is added between the possessor and the possessed noun when the possessor is not a pronoun, the Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham third pronoun ta did not inflect for number, the same pronoun is used for both of the singular and the plural. For example:- as sat - my house (note: the underlying form of sat is s-sat)
- asi sat - our house
- an sat - your(singular) house
- ani sat - your(plural) house
- ta sat - his/her/its/their house
- nro ta sat - the person’s house/those people’s house
Note: In some daughter languages, the
Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham third pronoun ta was replaced by words originating from the Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham demonstrative war "that".Negations
The negation of a sentence in the declarative mood is marked with the negative auxiliary verb malar(V) "to not be".
Relative Clause and Subordinating Clause
Relative clauses are internally-headed, that is, the head is in the relative clause, and relative clauses in
Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham are not clearly distinguished from other complement clauses. The nominaliser word ta is used to end a subordinating clause.In subordinate clauses, all verbs come last, and the finite verb come after infinite verbs in subordinate clauses.
Usually, only the subject of a sentence is relativized, and relative clauses are generally short.
Below are some examples of relative clauses. Words in blue are the head of the relative clause:
- nro war mlas qakak(V) ta atang
- personthat fish eat NMLZUnknown code be.old(interlinear)
- "the person who eats the fish is old"
- nro mlas Sar(V) razakq(V) ta wat(V) an(V)
- person fish take come NMLZUnknown code PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action leave(interlinear)
- "the person who brought fish left"
Adpositions and Conjunctions
Adpositions are postpositions, that means the follow the noun of the adpositional phrase:
- moqk am - river at(interlinear) - "at/in the river"
- shos mi - sky from(interlinear) - "from the sky"
Definiteness
Definiteness is not always marked, one can mark the definiteness of a noun by using determiners.
Numerals, Determiners
The demonstrative pronouns are ni "this" and war "that", the demonstrative adverbs are s-ni "here" and s-war "there".
Note: In some daughter languages, the demonstrative pronouns are lost and as a result their functions are replaced by the demonstrative adverbs.
Adjectives
Adjectives precede the nouns they modify, there are no inflections for adjectives. For example:
- wanV sat
- big house(interlinear)
- "a big house"
- kuna mtoks
- tall tree(interlinear)
- "a tall tree"
Adjectives may act as verbs and occupy the predicative position, in which case they carry the meaning "to be ADJ". For example:
- ni sat wanV
- ni sat wanV
- this house be.big(interlinear)
- "this house is big"
- war mtoks kuna
- war mtoks kuna
- that tree be.tall(interlinear)
- "that tree is tall"
Nouns
Nouns don't decline, the same form is used for both of the singular and the plural.
Verbs
Verbs don't conjugate, finite verbs and infinite verbs have the same form, the distinction between finite verbs and infinite verbs are their positions in a sentence; however, verbs often take subject pronoun clitics due to the fact that they often occupy the second position of a sentence.
Persumbly, all verbs in earlier stages of
Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham end in an unstressed unknown vowel V, this final vowel dropped in the late Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham period, leaving a voiced consonant at the end of the stem.Clitics
When the subject of a sentence is a 1st or 2nd personal pronoun, they often are cliticised to the second constituent of a sentence, which is usually a verb or an adjective.
- mlas ram(V)n
- mlas ram(V)=n
- fish catch=2Second person (person)
addressee (you).SGSingular (number)
one countable entity(interlinear)
- "You(singular) catch fish"
- mlas ram(V)s
- mlas ram(V)=s
- fish catch=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity(interlinear)
- "I catch fish"
- mlas ram(V)ni
- mlas ram(V)=ni
- fish catch=2Second person (person)
addressee (you).PLPlural (number)
more than one/few(interlinear)
- "You(plural) catch fish"
- mlas ram(V)si
- mlas ram(V)=si
- fish catch=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I.PLPlural (number)
more than one/few(interlinear)
- "We catch fish"
The clitic form of personal pronouns are not used when they are not the subject of a sentence.
When there's only one noun phrase or adverbial phrase in a sentence, then it always precedes the verb regardless of the theta role of the phrase. For example:
The independent form of personal pronouns are always used when there are no other possible noun phrases or an adverbial phrases in a sentence. Therefore, as yem(V) "I sleep"(interlinear: 1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity sleep) is grammatical, while *yem(V)s(interlinear: sleep=1First person (person)
speaker, signer, etc; I.SGSingular (number)
one countable entity) is ungrammatical.
Note: in some daughter languages, the clitics are fully grammatised, giving rise to conjugation patterns of finite verbs.
Derivational Morphology
There were several noun-forming derivative prefixes in
Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham, however, they had become largely fossilized during the time of Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham:- abstract/place: s-
- body part: q-
- natural force/tree: m-
- person: n-
- liquid/collective/mass: r-(later became an infix)
Below are some verb-forming derivative prefixes and suffixes in
Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham:- causative prefix: s-
- causative suffix: -s
- dynamic prefix: a-
Below are some adjective-forming derivative prefixes and suffixes in
Proto-Qgam-Hux Kham:- adjectival circumfix: r- -a
- adjectival prefix/infix: r-/<r>
- adjectival suffix: -a
✎ Edit Article ✖ Delete Article
Comments
