Early-Botiq grammar
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This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 3 Oct 2020, 13:18.
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3. EBQ grammar sketch
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?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.
The Botiq people lived in the northern mountainous area between the Xotl pass and the Ejai pass. They lived a nomadic, hunter-gatheres lifestyle. Some tribes migrated to the south, into the mawic territories, and adopted the agricultural lifestyle. Early-Botiq split off from
Proto-Botiq around 200 AF (after the great flood). Early-Botiq was heavily influenced by the Ejai and Old-Mawic languages. About 40% of the vocabulary are loanwords from Mawic languages.Most of the Botiqs were farmers or slaves, but some of them emerged into the higher classes by serving the rulers. They had their own separate class among the mawic nobility, called betiǧ in Old-Mawic, or bitiq in Ejai. In 832 AF the botiq warriors helped king Sektheg to unite the Mawic citystates in the west, and established the "Second" Mawic Empire. In 853 AF the bitiqs of the Ejai took over the power from the Lehal dynasty in a bloody civil war. This was the end of the Early-Botiq era.
A huge part of EBQ vocabulary are loanwords from
Mawic, and 
Ejai. Since the mawic people were more advanced, the botiqs borrowed the words related to agriculture, art, politics, and technology, such as:From Ejai:
From Old-Mawic:
| Consonants | Bilabial | Labio-dental | Alveolar | Post-Alveolar | Alveolo- palatal | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | Other | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | /m/ m | /n/ n | /ɲ/ ny | [ŋ] | [ɴ] | |||||||||||||||
| Plosive | /p/ p [pʰ] | /b/ b | /t/ t [tʰ] | /d/ d | [ȶ] | [ȡ] | /k/ k [kʰ] | /g/ g | /q/ q [qʰ] | /ɢ/ ĝ | ||||||||||
| Fricative | /f/ f | /v/ v | /s/ s | /z/ z | /ʃ/ š | /ʒ/ ž | [ɕ] | [ʑ] | [ç] | /χ/ x | [ʁ] | /h/ h | ||||||||
| Affricate | /t͡s/ ts | /d͡z/ dz | /t͡ʃ/ tš | /d͡ʒ/ dž | [t͡ɕ] | [d͡ʑ] | /t͡ɬ/ tšl | |||||||||||||
| Lateral approximant | /l/ l | |||||||||||||||||||
| Lateral fricative | /ɬ/ šl | |||||||||||||||||||
| Approximant | /j/ y | |||||||||||||||||||
| Trill | /r/ r | |||||||||||||||||||
| Vowels | Front | Central | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | /i(:)/ i(i) | /y(:)/ ü(ü) | /u(:)/ u(u) [ũ] | ||
| Close-mid | /e(:)/ e(e) | /ø(:)/ ö(ö) | /o(:)/ o(o) [õ] | ||
| Mid | [ə̃] | ||||
| Open | /a(:)/ a(a) | /ɑ(:)/ ä(ä) [ɑ̃] | |||
| Diphtongs | [e͡i] | [o͡u] |
|---|
yellow= only allophones
The basic syllable structure is (C)V(C), where C could be any consonant. In
Early-Botiq words can not begin with consonant clusters. Internal consonant clusters are allowed up to three consonants, but that is rare. The majority stops at two.Cluster of voiced and unvoiced consonants are not allowed. The second consonant must assimilate to the first one. Voiced after unvoiced turns into unvoiced. Unoiced after voiced turns into voiced.
/r/ turns into /ʁ/ after /q/,/ɢ/,/χ/, and back vowels.
/q/,/ɢ/,/χ/ can not occour before front vowels. They turn into /k/,/g/,/kʰ/.
Before back vowels /k/,/g/,/kʰ/ turns into /q/,/ɢ/,/χ/.
Unvoiced obstruments such as /p/,/t/,/k/,/q/ become aspirated in word initial position followed by a vowel, and at the end of an consonant cluster if followed by a vowel.
Nasal consonants after back vowels turn into /ŋ/ except if followed by a bilabial, alveolar, or uvular plosive.
Nasal consonants before bilabial plosives (/p/, /b/) turn into /m/
Nasal consonants before alveolar plosives (/t/, /d/) turn into /n/
Nasal consonants before velar plosives (/k/, /g/) turn into /ŋ/
Nasal consonants before uvular plosives (/q/, /ɢ/) turn into /ɴ/
/d͡ʒ/ turns into /d͡ʑ/ before /i/ and /j/
/ʒ/ turns into /ʑ/ before /i/ and /j/
/t͡ʃ/ turns into /t͡ɕ/ before /i/ and /j/
/ʃ/ turns into /ɕ/ before /i/ and /j/
/s/ turns into /ç/ before /i/ and /j/
/t/ turns into /ȶ/ before /i/ and /j/ + another vowel
/d/ turns into /ȡ/ before /i/ and /j/ + another vowel
/χ/ turns into /ʁ/ in word final position.
/e/ turns into /ei/ after aspirated consonants except before /r/
/o/ turns into /ou/ after aspirated consonants except before /r/
Back vowels become nasalized before word final nasal consonants.
Nasal consonants turn into /ə̃/ in word final position if preceeded by another consonant.
Early-Botiq has a front-back vowel harmony. Front and back vowels can not occour in the same word. There is a neutral vowel i /i/, which appears together with front and back vowels. Sometimes it blocks the full harmony, like in the word: ütišluĝ (home). Ü /y/ is considered to be a front vowel, and u /u/ is a back vowel.
| Vowels | Front | Neutral | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | ü /y/ | i /i/ | u /u/ |
| Close-mid | e /e/ | ö /ø/ | o /o/ |
| Open | a /a/ | ä /ɑ/ |
At suffixation, we must use the suffix, that harmonizes with the last vowel, like: ütišluĝ (home) + -em/on (ergative affix) > ütišluĝ-on (home-ERG).
The basic, or most common word order of EBQ is (S)(O)V, but the animacy hierarchy does not allow inanimate nouns to be the subject of the sentence. If the subject would be in animate, we must use a passive construction, by adding -ov/ev passive marker.
Animate subject - animate object:
Heḑ boton eh mer hohoditšl.
Hedž boton eh mer hohoditšl.
/hed͡ʒ botoŋ eh mer hohodit͡ɬ/
3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it man.ERGErgative (case)
TRANS subject; agent one girl.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument 3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it.SUBJUnknown code-3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it.OBJObject (argument)-see.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future
The man sees a girl.
Animate subject - inanimate object:
Heḑ boton eh suxmul hoditšl.
Hedž boton eh suxmul hoditšl.
/hed͡ʒ botoŋ eh suχmul hodit͡ɬ/
3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it man.ERGErgative (case)
TRANS subject; agent one house.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument 3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it.SUBJUnknown code.3IThird person inanimate (person)
it, not he/she/they.OBJObject (argument)-see.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future
The man sees a house.
Inanimate subject - animate object:
Mesaskajev tig dilšir süxmülil.
Mesaskažev tig dilšir süxmülil.
/mesaskʰaʒev tʰig dilɕirsyχmylil/
2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).SUBJUnknown code-lead-PASSPassive voice (valency)
be verb-ed DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun path.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument house.LATLative (case)
movement, towards
The path takes you home.
As you can see only the animate subject (me[you]) is marked on the verb. Inanimate objects are always unmarked. We gave the verb a passive affix (-ev), that changes the meaning of the verb (saskaž) from I'm take to I'm being taken. Now the "subject" is path (dilšir). It is unmarked, because it is in absolutive case.
Well basicly this is how animacy hierarchy affects the word order in EBQ. There are other rules for inanimate words, butthey will be discussed in later chapters.
Order in the verb phrase:
[Subject prefix - Object prefix - Main verb - (Converb) - Tense/Aspect - (Adverb) - Mood - Negation] - [Subordinate phrase]
Tägooroiräj tšlöb rajñar ir, tameditšl qälur.
Tägooroiräž tšlöb ražnyar ir, tameditšl qälur.
/tʰɑɢo:roirɑʒ t͡ɬøb raʒɲar ir tʰamedit͡ɬ qʰɑluʁ/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I-work-CVBConverb
adverbial subordinator.while PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action can NEGNegative (polarity)
not | 1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBJUnknown code-2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).OBJObject (argument)-see PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action.PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech
While I was unable work, i saw you.
In early-botiq language internal inflection (like in English: sing, sang, song, ect...) is very common. In most cases they come together with suffixing, but sometimes without "visible" affixing. There is two kind of sound changes that apply to words.
Fronting:
Fronting happens when a suffix contains (or used to contain) /i/. Every vowel in the word must change to their "fronted equivalent", like: a>e e>i o>ö u>ü ä>a.
Rounding:
Rounding happens when a suffix contains (or used to contain) /y/. Every vowel in the word must change to their "rounded equivalent" or the closest rounded vowel, like: a>ö e>ö i>ü ä>ö u>ü.
The early botiq language was written in the
Ancient-Mawic script (the sãgwá) and later with the Ejai alphabet. It is really difficult to write botiq languages with sãgwá because of the internal inflections. Sãgwá is a logograph, where root words are marked as separate symbols. For example:leban
levan
city.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument
city
löwönüb
lövönüb
city.LOCLocative (case)
'in, on, at' etc
in/at (the) city
liwenil
livenil
city.LATLative (case)
movement, towards
to (the) city
The logographs can not mark internal changes, so the inflected forms are written with the ḑgáwthál letters. Sãgwá was only used in the earlier times, when there was no better way to write. Later they adopted the Ejai alphabet, which was more suitable for the botiq languages.
Here's a text in early-botiq, written in the ejai alphabet.
Ejai alphabet:
Ox, gi aḑineg, tä-zixnoz qulsull mit gi riblöföküb ij-evatkegü. Mo-sälbom tšleb mit dor riblöföküb mit eh šegaraz tig namb söldöüb kürag tig sösiryonräj. Tä-zix qälur tig tangaz tig iquz sösilvosub,me-ta-tüd-er qälur tig: tä-käšäsqär ij-sösiryon.
Romanisation:
Ox, gi adžineg, täzixnoz qulsull mit gi riblöföküb iževatkegü. Mosälbom tšleb mit dor riblöföküb mit eh šegaraz tig namb söldöüb kürag tig sösiryonräž. Täzix qälur tig tangaz tig iquz sösilvosub,metatüder qälur tig: täkäšäsqär ižsösiryon.
IPA:
/oʁ gi ad͡ʑineg tʰɑʁçiχnos qʰulsul: mit gi ribløføkyb iʒbevatkʰeigy | moʁsɑlpʰouŋ t͡ɬeb mit doʁ ribløføkyb mit eh ʃegaraz tʰig namb søldøyb kʰyrag tʰig søçirjoŋrɑʒ | tʰɑʁçiʁ qʰɑluʁ tʰig tʰaŋgaz tʰig iquz søçilvosubme::ʰa::ʰy::ʰei: qʰɑluʁ tʰig tʰɑʁkʰɑʃɑsqʰɑʁ iʒbzøzirjoŋ/
English:
Oh little prince, bit by bit I came to understand the secrets of your sad little life. For a long time you had found your only entertainment in the quiet pleasure of looking at the sunset. I learned that new detail on the morning of the fourth day, when you said to me: I am very fond of sunsets.
Both subject and object is marked on the verb as prefixes. The first prefix is the subject, the second is the object.
The personal prefixes for intransative verbs, or for inanimate objects are:
| 1First person (person) speaker, signer, etc; I | 2Second person (person) addressee (you) | 3HThird person human (person) humans (or possibly sentients) | 3NHThird person non-human (person) nonhuman (or possibly nonsentient) | 3IThird person inanimate (person) it, not he/she/they | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SGSingular (number) one countable entity |
ta/tä- | me/mo- | he/ho- | ti- | no marking |
| PLPlural (number) more than one/few |
ižda/iždä- | ižme/ižmo- | ižhe/ižho- | iždi- |
Personal prefixes for transative verbs are more complicated. The subject and the object prefixes are fused together due to historic sound changes. You can check them out in this grammar table.
Transative verb, 1S Subject - 2S object:
tä-mo-ditšl
Tä-mo-ditšl.
/tʰɑŋodit͡ɬ/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBJUnknown code-2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).OBJObject (argument)-see.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action
I see you.
Transative verb, 2S Subject - 1S object:
mo-tä-ditšl
Mo-tä-ditšl.
/motɑdit͡ɬ/
2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).SUBJUnknown code-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.OBJObject (argument)-see.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action
You see me.
Transative verb, 1S Subject - 3SN object:
tä-ti-ditšl heḑ tšav
Tä-ti-ditšl hedž tšav.
/tʰɑtidit͡ɬ hed͡ʒ t͡ʃav/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBJUnknown code-3SNThird person singular non-human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee (it, cf. he/she).OBJObject (argument)-see.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving dog.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument
I see the dog.
Transative verb, 1S Subject - 2S object:
tä-tä-ditšl
Tä-tä-ditšl.
/tʰɑtɑdit͡ɬ/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBJUnknown code-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.OBJObject (argument)-see.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action
I see myself.
This can be used to create reflexive sentences.
Transative verb, 1S Subject - 3I object:
tä-ditšl tig suxmul
Tä-ditšl tig suxmul.
/tʰɑdit͡ɬ tʰig suχmul/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBJUnknown code.3IThird person inanimate (person)
it, not he/she/they.OBJObject (argument)-see.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living things house.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living thingsTR argument
I see the house.
Inanimate object is not marked on the verb.
Tense and aspect are marked as auxiliary verbs. Each of them has a past and a non-past form. They are placed after the marked verb.
| PASTPast tense (tense) action occurred before moment of speech | NPSTNon-past (tense) present, continuous and future | |
|---|---|---|
| PFVPerfective (aspect) completed action | qälur | qär |
| CONTContinuative (tense/aspect) continuous or durational action | tšlür | Unmarked |
| PERFPerfect (aspect/tense) have verb-ed | tšlöb | tšleb |
| HABHabitual (aspect) done often or out of habit | -üb tšlür | -üb |
Perfective:
Heḑ bod he-lötül qär.
Hedž bod he-lötül qär.
/hed͡ʒ bod he::ø:y: qʰɑʁ/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving man 3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it-fall NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future.PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action
The man is/will be fallen.
(It happened in the immediate past, or will happen in the future, but the action is finished, complete.)
Heḑ bod he-lötül qälur.
Hedž bod he-lötül qälur.
/hed͡ʒ bod he::ø:y: qʰɑluʁ/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving man 3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it-fall PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech.PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action
The man fell.
(It happened in the past, and the action was complete, finished.)
Continous:
Heḑ bod he-šansax.
Hedž bod he-šansax.
/hed͡ʒ bod he::a::a:/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving man 3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it-walk.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future
The man is/will be walking.
(It happens in the present, or the future, but the action is not finished, it is continous.)
Heḑ bod he-šansax tšlür.
Hedž bod he-šansax tšlür.
/hed͡ʒ bod he::a::a: t͡ɬyr/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving man 3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it-walk CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action.PSTPast (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech
The man was walking.
(It happened in the past, but the action is not finished, it is continous.)
Perfect:
Heḑ bod he-lötül tšleb.
Hedž bod he-lötül tšleb.
/hed͡ʒ bod he::ø:y: t͡ɬeb/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving man 3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it-fall PERFPerfect (aspect/tense)
have verb-ed
The man have fallen.
(It happened in the past, but reflects to the present state.)
Pluperfect:
Heḑ bod he-lötül tšlöb.
Hedž bod he-lötül tšlöb.
/hed͡ʒ bod he::ø:y: t͡ɬøb/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving man 3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it-fall PLUPPluperfect (tense)
anterior action
The man had fallen.
(It happened earlier in the past, but reflects to the later past state.)
Habitual:
Heḑ bod hölötülüb.
Hedž bod hölötülüb.
/hed͡ʒ bod høløtylyb/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving man 3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it.fall-HABHabitual (aspect)
done often or out of habit.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future
The man falls (often).
Heḑ bod hölötülüb tšlür.
Hedž bod hölötülüb tšlür.
/hed͡ʒ bod høløtylyb t͡ɬyr/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving man 3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it.fall-HABHabitual (aspect)
done often or out of habit PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech
The man used to fall (often).
Combining tenses and aspects in subordinate phrases:
Tököšösqörüb tšlür kür tig sösiryon.
Tököšösqörüb tšlür kür tig sösiryon.
/tʰøkøʃøsqʰøryb t͡ɬyr kʰyr tʰig søçirjoŋ/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.love.HABHabitual (aspect)
done often or out of habit PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech watch.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun sunset.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument
I used to love watching the sunset.
(Once I loved it, but now I don't, however I'm still doing it regularly. Reflecting to an other action that was happening in the past, but also happening in the present)
Tököšösqörüb tšlür ijdakür tšlür tig sösiryon.
Tököšösqörüb tšlür iždakür tšlür tig sösiryon.
/tʰøkøʃøsqʰøryb t͡ɬyr iʒdakyr t͡ɬyr tʰig søçirjoŋ/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.love.HABHabitual (aspect)
done often or out of habit PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech 1PFirst person plural (person)
we (inclusive or exclusive)-watch PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun sunset.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument
I used to love (how) we were watching the sunset.
(Once I loved it, but now I don't like to remember those times.)
Mood is expressed by using auxiliary verbs like in English can, should, need, must, ect...
ražnyar - can
Ta-süez rajñar.
Ta-süez ražnyar.
/tʰa::ye: raʒɲar/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I-sing can
I can sing.
luz - must
Ta-šir luz.
Ta-šir luz.
/tʰa::i: luz/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I-go must
I must go.
They come after the main verb, but before the tense/aspect auxiliary, because the auxiliary is needed to be marked.
In past-continous
Ta-šir luz tšlür.
Ta-šir luz tšlür.
/tʰa::i: luz t͡ɬyr/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I-go must PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action
I must be going.
To weaken the auxiliary, we use a tentative prefix šü/šu-.
šuluz - need/should
Ta-šir šuluz.
Ta-šir šuluz.
/tʰa::i: ʃuluz/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I-go TNTTentative
weakens modality (e.g. must → should)-must
I need to go.
The negator word goes to the end of the verb phrase.
Early-botiq verbs use converb suffixes to express adverbial subordination like:
-šar/šär - in order to
Tä-šir livenil ixeg yitic-šär.
Tä-šir livenil ixeg yitits-šär.
[tʰɑʁɕir livenil ikʰeig jitit͡spʃɑʁ]
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBJUnknown code-go.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action city.LATLative (case)
movement, towards science.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument study.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future-CVBConverb
adverbial subordinator.to
I go to the city (in order) to study science.
If the subject of the two verbs is the same, you don't need to mark both of them, only the first one.
-or/er - when
He-veleyl qälur he-ta-ditšl-er.
He-veleyl qälur he-ta-ditšl-er.
[he::e:e:: qʰɑluʁ he::ʰa::ʰit͡::ʰei:]
3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee-smile PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech.PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action 3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee.SUBJUnknown code-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.OBJObject (argument)-see-CVBConverb
adverbial subordinator.when
He smiled when he saw me.
-iräž/-iraž - while
Ta-süez bizdeg-iraj.
Ta-süez bizdeg-iraž.
[tʰa::ye: bizdegbiraʒ]
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I-sing.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action dance.CVBConverb
adverbial subordinator.while
I sing while I dance.
-la/lä - like/as
Tä-gooro me-ta-tüd-la qälur.
Tä-gooro me-ta-tüd-la qälur.
[tʰɑʁkʰou:ro me::ʰa::ʰy:::a qʰɑluʁ]
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I-work 2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).SUBJUnknown code-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.OBJObject (argument)-say-CVBConverb
adverbial subordinator.as PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech.PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action
I work as you told me.
-žir - without
Ho-hudlud qälur he-ta-tüd-jir.
Ho-hudlud qälur he-ta-tüd-žir.
[hoʁhudlud qʰɑluʁ he::ʰa::ʰy:::i:]
3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it-leave PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech.PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action 3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it.SUBJUnknown code-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.OBJObject (argument)-speak-CVBConverb
adverbial subordinator.without
He left without telling me.
-žil - for/because
Ta-saaed kiilz-jil.
Ta-saaed kiilz-žil.
[tʰa::a:e: kʰi:lzbʑil]
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I-read.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action be_bored.CVBConverb
adverbial subordinator.for
I read because I'm bored.
Beside the unmarked active, there are two other voices in EBQ.
Passive - -ov/ev
In EBQ passive construction is most commonly used when the subject is an inanimate noun.
Ta-tešl-ev qälur hun-on.
Ta-tešl-ev qälur tig hun-on.
[tʰa::ʰei::ʰei: qʰɑluʁ humpʰouŋ]
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.OBJObject (argument)-hit-PASSPassive voice (valency)
be verb-ed PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech.PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action tree-ERGErgative (case)
TRANS subject; agent
The tree hit me. (Lit.: I was hit by the tree.)
Causative - -al/äl
The english equivanent of the EBQ causative is "to make somebody, to do something".
Tämo-käšäsqär-äl heḑ-t.
Tämo-käšäsqär-äl hedž-t.
[tʰɑŋoʁkʰɑʃɑsqʰɑʁpʰɑl hed͡ʒbd]
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBSubject (argument)-2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).OBJObject (argument)-love-CAUSCausative (valency/mood)
cause an action to occur, force another argument to act 3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee-COMComitative (case)
'together with'
I will make him/her love you.
Sometimes causative gives another meaning to the verb. For example zix (to learn) + -al = zixäl - to teach. The causative affix also turns intaransitive verbs into transitive.
Animacy is very simple, only two classes exist in Early-Botiq. Animate nouns are animals, people, and things, that can perform actions on their own. Anything else is inanimate.
There are many restrictions on inanimate nouns.
- 1. Inanimate nouns can not be the subject of the sentence
- 2. Dative, genitive, comitative and the vocative cases can not apply to inanimate nouns
- 3. Inanimate object is not marked on verbs
| case | marking | dog (front vowel word) | cat (back vowel word) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABSAbsolutive (case) TRANS object, INTR argument |
Unmarked | tšav | näsräx |
| ERGErgative (case) TRANS subject; agent |
-em/on | tšafem | näsräxon |
| DATDative (case) indirect object; recipient, beneficiary, location |
+dž (+ Rounding) | tšövdž | näsräxdž |
| GENGenitive (case) possessive |
fronting | tšev | nasrax |
| LOCLocative (case) 'in, on, at' etc |
+ub/üb+Rounding | tšöfüb | näsräxub |
| LATLative (case) movement, towards |
+il+Fronting | tšefil | nasraxil |
| ABLAblative (case) away from |
+žil+Fronting | tševžil | nasraxžil |
| SUPESuperessive (case) 'on top of' |
+un/üm+Roundung | tšöfüm | näsräxun |
| INEInessive (case) 'inside' |
+raž/räž | tšavraž | näsräxräž |
| INSInstrumental (case) 'with', 'using' |
+už/üž+Rounding | tšöfüž | näsräxuž |
| COMComitative (case) 'together with' |
+t | tšavt | näsräxt |
| VOCVocative (case) 'O [addressee]' |
+ed/od | tšafed | näsräxod |
EBQ has three levels of formality, and all these levels demand the use of different 2nd person pronouns.
Level I: Basic
The pronoun is med. It is used between people in the same class, in non formal environments, or towards people of lower classes, children, ect...
Level II: Formal
The pronoun is dinki, comes from
Mawic dinki - dinki - your highness. Used towards people of higher classes, or people we respect, parents, teachers, officials, or in formal environmentsLevel III: High-formal/honorific
The pronoun is difixi, comes from
Mawic difiǧi - difiǧi - your majesty. Used towards the head or top members of higher classes, such as kings, queens and other members of the royal family, governors, high-priests, generals, ect...In EBQ personal pronouns are inflected to noun cases too.
Absolutive:
| Number/Person | 1First person (person) speaker, signer, etc; I | 2Second person (person) addressee (you) | 3HThird person human (person) humans (or possibly sentients) | 3NHThird person non-human (person) nonhuman (or possibly nonsentient)/3IThird person inanimate (person) it, not he/she/they |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SGSingular (number) one countable entity |
tar | med | hedž | tig |
| PLPlural (number) more than one/few |
iždar | ižmed | ižhedž | iždig |
Ergative:
| Number/Person | 1First person (person) speaker, signer, etc; I | 2Second person (person) addressee (you) | 3HThird person human (person) humans (or possibly sentients) | 3NHThird person non-human (person) nonhuman (or possibly nonsentient)/3IThird person inanimate (person) it, not he/she/they |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SGSingular (number) one countable entity |
tarem | metem | hedžem | tixon |
| PLPlural (number) more than one/few |
iždarem | ižmetem | ižhedžem | iždiqon |
Dative:
| Number/Person | 1First person (person) speaker, signer, etc; I | 2Second person (person) addressee (you) | 3HThird person human (person) humans (or possibly sentients) | 3NHThird person non-human (person) nonhuman (or possibly nonsentient)/3IThird person inanimate (person) it, not he/she/they |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SGSingular (number) one countable entity |
töldž | mödž | höddž | tidž |
| PLPlural (number) more than one/few |
iždöldž | ižmödž | ižhöddž | iždidž |
Genitive:
| Number/Person | 1First person (person) speaker, signer, etc; I | 2Second person (person) addressee (you) | 3HThird person human (person) humans (or possibly sentients) | 3NHThird person non-human (person) nonhuman (or possibly nonsentient)/3IThird person inanimate (person) it, not he/she/they |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SGSingular (number) one countable entity |
ter | mit | hidž | tix |
| PLPlural (number) more than one/few |
ižder | ižmit | ižhidž | iždix |
Ablative:
| Number/Person | 1First person (person) speaker, signer, etc; I | 2Second person (person) addressee (you) | 3HThird person human (person) humans (or possibly sentients) | 3NHThird person non-human (person) nonhuman (or possibly nonsentient)/3IThird person inanimate (person) it, not he/she/they |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SGSingular (number) one countable entity |
telžil | mišil | hidžžil | tišil |
| PLPlural (number) more than one/few |
iždelžil | ižmišil | ižhidžžil | iždišil |
Lative:
| Number/Person | 1First person (person) speaker, signer, etc; I | 2Second person (person) addressee (you) | 3HThird person human (person) humans (or possibly sentients) | 3NHThird person non-human (person) nonhuman (or possibly nonsentient)/3IThird person inanimate (person) it, not he/she/they |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SGSingular (number) one countable entity |
teril | mitil | hidžil | tixil |
| PLPlural (number) more than one/few |
ižderil | ižmitil | ižhidžil | iždixil |
Comitative:
| Number/Person | 1First person (person) speaker, signer, etc; I | 2Second person (person) addressee (you) | 3HThird person human (person) humans (or possibly sentients) | 3NHThird person non-human (person) nonhuman (or possibly nonsentient)/3IThird person inanimate (person) it, not he/she/they |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SGSingular (number) one countable entity |
talt | met | hedžt | tit |
| PLPlural (number) more than one/few |
iždalt | ižmet | ižhedžt | iždit |
Just like in English, Early-Botiq adjectives need the verb "to be", to use them.
He-tšlür zen.
He-tšlür zen.
/he:t͡:y: zen/
3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it-COPCopula
used to link the subject of a sentence with a predicate tall
He is tall.
Adjectives come before the noun, and they do not agree with the number, case, ect...
Tig xuz ijsuxmul.
Tig xuz ižsuxmul.
/tʰig χuz iʒzuχmul/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.NHUMNon-human (gender/class) big PLPlural (number)
more than one/few-house.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument
The big houses.
Nouns, adverbs, verbs used as adjectives also stay unmarked.
Tä-ho-ditšl šansax-max ij-böd daĝ.
Tä-ho-ditšl šansax-max iž-böd daĝ.
/tʰɑhodit͡ɬ ʃansakʰkʰkʰkʰakʰ iʒb:ød daɢ/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBSubject (argument)-3SHThird person singular human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee (he/she).OBJObject (argument)-see walk-AGEAgent (role)
cause or initiator of event/action PLPlural (number)
more than one/few-man.GENGenitive (case)
possessive father.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument
I see the walking men's father.
Ta-tüd tig bötiĝ šlilvey.
Ta-tüd tig bötiĝ šlilvey.
/tʰa::ʰy: tʰig bøtiɢ ɬilvej/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBSubject (argument)-speak DEFDefinite
"the" botiq language.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument
I speak the botiq language.
Beside comparative (ki-), and superlative (kix-), EBQ has negative comparative (la/lä-) and negative superlative (lal/läl-) prefixes too.
xuz - big
kixuz - bigger
kixxuz - biggest
läxuz - less big / smaller
lälxuz - least big / smallest
There are some irregular adjectives too.
lexar - good
kinuv - better
kiqnuv - best
länuv - less good / worse
lallexar - least good / worst
To express comparative sentences, like "...-er than ...", EBQ uses the Ablative case.
Ta-tšlür ki-zen miḑil.
Ta-tšlür ki-zen midžil.
/tʰa:t͡:y: kʰi::e: mid͡ʑil/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I-be COMPComparative (comparison)
e.g. 'better'-tall 2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).ABLAblative (case)
away from
I'm taller than you.
To express comparative sentences, like "... as ...", EBQ marks the verb "to be" with the -la/lä (- like/as) converb.
Ta-tšlür-la zen med.
Ta-tšlür-la zen med.
/tʰa:t͡:y:::a zen med/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I-be-CVBConverb
adverbial subordinator.as tall 2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument
I'm as tall as you.
Superlative sentences are simple. The superlative adjective needs the definite article before it.
Ta-tšlür heḑ kix-zen.
Ta-tšlür hedž kix-zen.
/tʰa:t͡:y: hed͡ʒ kʰikʰkʰkʰsen/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I-be DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.HUMHuman (gender/class)
human or belonging to human SUPSuperlative (comparison)
English 'most', '-est'-tall
I'm the tallest.
-r / -able:
-ag/äĝ / -ing: nominaliser turns verb into noun, the act of doing the verb.
-er/or / -less:
-l / -ly:
-rad/räd / -ness:
-t / adjectival suffix for animate things: denoting fullness or saturation like wet or hairy
-s / adjectival suffix: denoting likeness
-ir / adjectival suffix for inanimate things: denoting fullness or saturation like wet or hairy
-gid / adjectiviser: (result of a verb, -ed in english)
-qär/kar / verbal affix: Noun to verb
-dž / verbal affix: for adjectives turns adjectives into verbs, being the adjective
-g/ĝ / result:
-max/mäx / agent suffix:
-š / object:
gi- / diminunitive:
-al/äl / causative marker:
-uz/üz / material affix:
-suz/süz / like
-üx/ux / collective affix:
-xuz/xüz / big affix:
-y / away:
-žir / without:
-fellid / group of:
-av/äv / tool:
In most cases Early-Botiq uses gapping strategy, with no word joining the clauses, like:
Boton, ta-he-ditšl qälur käšls, he-šir qälur süxmülil.
Boton, ta-he-ditšl qälur käšls, he-šir qälur süxmülil.
/botoŋ tʰa::e::ʰit͡: qʰɑluʁ kʰɑɬs he::i: qʰɑluʁ syχmylil/
man.ERGErgative (case)
TRANS subject; agent | 1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBSubject (argument)-3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee.OBJObject (argument)-see PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech.PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action yesterday | 3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee-go PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech.PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action house.LATLative (case)
movement, towards
The man, I saw yesterday, (he-) went home.
Ta-he-ditšl heḑ bod, he-tšlür ter daĝ.
Ta-he-ditšl hedž bod, he-tšlür ter daĝ.
/tʰa::e::ʰit͡: hed͡ʒ bod he:t͡:y: tʰer daɢ/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBSubject (argument)-3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee.OBJObject (argument)-see 3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it man.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument | 3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee.SUBSubject (argument)-be 1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.GENGenitive (case)
possessive father.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument
I see the man (who) is my father.
Ta-he-tüd heḑ bodḑ, hiḑ bor-on eh zufädmäx he-tšlür.
Ta-he-tüd hedž boddž, hidž bor-on eh zufädmäx he-tšlür.
/tʰa::e::ʰy: hed͡ʒ bodd͡ʒ hid͡ʒ boʁpʰouŋ eh zufɑdmɑʁ he:t͡:y:/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBSubject (argument)-3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee.OBJObject (argument)-speak man-DATDative (case)
indirect object; recipient, beneficiary, location | 3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee.GENGenitive (case)
possessive son-ERGErgative (case)
TRANS subject; agent one soldier 3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee.SUBSubject (argument)-be
I speak to the man whose son is a soldier.
Ta-rajñar, ta-lötül tšleb.
Ta-ražnyar, ta-lötül tšleb.
/tʰa::a::a: tʰa::ø:y: t͡ɬeb/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBSubject (argument)-know | 1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBSubject (argument)-fall PERFPerfect (aspect/tense)
have verb-ed
I know that I have failed.
Me-tšlür šüykid bod vüḑübtüd.
Me-tšlür šüykid bod vüdžübtüd.
/me:t͡:y: ʃyjkʰid bod vyd͡ʒybdyd/
2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).SUBSubject (argument)-be hard man.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument predict.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future.CONTContinuative (tense/aspect)
continuous or durational action
You’re a hard man to predict.
Early-Botiq uses the locative cases to mark the nouns, like LOCLocative (case)
'in, on, at' etc, LATLative (case)
movement, towards, ABLAblative (case)
away from, SUPESuperessive (case)
'on top of', INEInessive (case)
'inside', and adpositions, like around, above, under, behind, before, ect...
The formula is the next:
Subject + Verb + Location + Case ending / Adposition
With noun cases:
Tig nagü ti-tšlür keejneey-raj.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür keežneey-raž.
/tʰig nagy tʰi:t͡:y: kʰei:ʒne:j::a:/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.NHUMNon-human (gender/class) horse.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument 3SNThird person singular non-human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee (it, cf. he/she).SUBSubject (argument)-be stable-INEInessive (case)
'inside'
The horse is in the stable.
Tig nagü he-tšlür kööjnööyüb.
Tig nagü he-tšlür kööžnööyüb.
/tʰig nagy he:t͡:y: kʰø:ʒnø:jyb/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.NHUMNon-human (gender/class) horse.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument 3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it.SUBSubject (argument)-be stable.LOCLocative (case)
'in, on, at' etc
The horse is at the stable.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür kiijniiyil.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür kiižniiyil.
/tʰig nagy tʰi:t͡:y: kʰi:ʒni:jil/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.NHUMNon-human (gender/class) horse.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument 3SNThird person singular non-human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee (it, cf. he/she).SUBSubject (argument)-be stable.LATLative (case)
movement, towards
The horse (belongs) to the stable.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür kiijniiyjil.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür kiižniiyžil.
/tʰig nagy tʰi:t͡:y: kʰi:ʒni:jʑil/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.NHUMNon-human (gender/class) horse.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument 3SNThird person singular non-human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee (it, cf. he/she).SUBSubject (argument)-be stable.ELAElative (case)
'out of, from'
The horse is from the stable.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür kööjnööyüm.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür kööžnööyüm.
/tʰig nagy tʰi:t͡:y: kʰø:ʒnø:jym/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.NHUMNon-human (gender/class) horse.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument 3SNThird person singular non-human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee (it, cf. he/she).SUBSubject (argument)-be stable.SUPESuperessive (case)
'on top of'
The horse is on the stable.
With adpositions:
Tig nagü ti-tšlür keejneey vüḑüb.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür keežneey vüdžüb.
/tʰig nagy tʰi:t͡:y: kʰei:ʒne:j vyd͡ʒyb/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.NHUMNon-human (gender/class) horse.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument 3SNThird person singular non-human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee (it, cf. he/she).SUBSubject (argument)-be stable.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument before
The horse is in front of the stable.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür keejneey köšlüb.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür keežneey köšlüb.
/tʰig nagy tʰi:t͡:y: kʰei:ʒne:j kʰøɬyb/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.NHUMNon-human (gender/class) horse.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument 3SNThird person singular non-human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee (it, cf. he/she).SUBSubject (argument)-be stable.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument behind
The horse is behind the stable.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür keejneey nosräj.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür keežneey nosräž.
/tʰig nagy tʰi:t͡:y: kʰei:ʒne:j nosrɑʒ/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.NHUMNon-human (gender/class) horse.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument 3SNThird person singular non-human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee (it, cf. he/she).SUBSubject (argument)-be stable.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument above
The horse is above the stable.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür keejneey yonräj.
Tig nagü ti-tšlür keežneey yonräž.
/tʰig nagy tʰi:t͡:y: kʰei:ʒne:j joŋrɑʒ/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.NHUMNon-human (gender/class) horse.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument 3SNThird person singular non-human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee (it, cf. he/she).SUBSubject (argument)-be stable.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument under
The horse is under the stable.
Tig nagü he-tšlür keejneey öltüxraj.
Tig nagü he-tšlür keežneey öltüxraž.
/tʰig nagy he:t͡:y: kʰei:ʒne:j øltʰyχʁaʒ/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.NHUMNon-human (gender/class) horse.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument 3SNThird person singular non-human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee (it, cf. he/she).SUBSubject (argument)-be stable.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument beside
The horse is beside/next to the stable.
Tig ij-nagü ijdi-tšlür keejneey dolädräj.
Tig iž-nagü iždi-tšlür keežneey dolädräž.
/tʰig iʒbnagy iʒdi:t͡:y: kʰei:ʒne:j dolɑdrɑʒ/
DEFDefinite
"the".ARTArticle
indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.NHUMNon-human (gender/class) PLPlural (number)
more than one/few-horse.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument 3PNThird person plural non-human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee, they/them.SUBSubject (argument)-be stable.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument around
The horses are around the stable.
Yes/No questions: Not marked, only the intonation changes.
Ti-tšlür eh tšav.
Ti-tšlür eh tšav.
/tʰi:t͡:y: eh t͡ʃav/
3SNThird person singular non-human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee (it, cf. he/she).SUBSubject (argument)-be one dog.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument
It is a dog.
Ti-tšlür eh tšav?
Ti-tšlür eh tšav?
/tʰi:t͡:y: eh t͡ʃav/
3SNThird person singular non-human (person)
neither speaker nor addressee (it, cf. he/she).SUBSubject (argument)-be one dog.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument
Is it a dog?
What, who, how... questions: The question word (how, what, who, ect...) comes after the verb like an adverb.
Me-tšlür itil?
Me-tšlür itil?
/me:t͡:y: itil/
2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).SUBSubject (argument)-be how
How are you?
He-zix qär issor?
He-zix qär issor?
/he::i: qʰɑʁ is:oʁ/
3SAThird person singular animate (person)
he/she/etc, not it.SUBSubject (argument)-learn PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future when
When will he learn (it)?
Tä-mo-yutšlor qär tšil!
Tä-mo-yutšlor qär tšil!
/tʰɑʁmoʁjut͡ɬoʁ qʰɑʁ t͡ɕil/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBSubject (argument)-2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you).OBJObject (argument)-kill.NPSTNon-past (tense)
present, continuous and future PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action want
I want to kill you!
Ta-tir qälur, ta-saaed ter saatšaav.
Ta-tir qälur, ta-saaed ter saatšaav.
/tʰa::ʰi: qʰɑluʁ tʰa::a:e: tʰer sa:t͡ʃa:v/
1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBSubject (argument)-decide PASTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech.PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action | 1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.SUBSubject (argument)-read 1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I.GENGenitive (case)
possessive book.ABSAbsolutive (case)
TRANS object, INTR argument
I decided to read my book.
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