Seuna serial verb construction

The serial verb construction (from now on - SVC) is used when two or more verbs can be thought of as representing one single action.

The two basic types of SVC

In a SVC the tense and person is (active voice only ? what about subjunctive ?) marked on the final verb only. The non-final verbs have the form of a shorn maSdar + "i" if the verbs happen one after the other. If the verbs all happen at the same time, the non-final verbs have the form of a shorn maSdar + "ai".

If the maSdar is a monosyllable, "eu" is added instead of "i".

Here are two examples demonstrating these two forms ;-

1) They caught cooked and eat three fish => catch(i) cook(i) eat(uri) three fish

2) They are going home singing and laughing => sing(ai) laugh(ai) go(ure) home.

Now if the actions do not occur strictly one after the other, "i" can not be used. If in the above example, they caught cooked and eat one fish on the first day and two fish on the second day, you would have to use "ai" instead of "i".

3) The boss wrote letters, met supplicants all afternoon.

The two types mixed

4) They will wash iron and fold the shirt => wash(i) iron(i) fold(uru) shirt

however if we had

5) She will wash iron and fold the dirty clothes => wash(i) iron(ai) fold(uru) shirt

However the above construction is a bit unusual. Although correct, most people would used two "i"s or two "ai"s.

SVC's with two different objects

In all the above examples the SVC's have only on object.

However it is possible for a SVC to have two objects. For example ;-

5) They drink champagne eat caviar => solbai siampena humpuro kawia (i.e. they lead the life of Riley)

What we have two subjects

If we have two different subjects we can not use a SVC. (or at least what I am calling a SVC here).

However we can have two clauses bound tightly together by using the sequential and the simultaneous tenses. Actually the table of tenses given in the chapter "Verbs 1" was incomplete. The full table is given below.

general	-o
past	-i
present	-e
future	-u
perfect	-a
past perfect	-ia
future perfect	-ua
simultaneous	-ai
consequential	-eu

A verb ending in "ai" or "eu" takes its tense from the next verb following it.

In the case of "ai", the first verb happens at the same time as the second verb.

In the case of "eu", the first verb happens immediately before the second verb.

WE NEED A GOOD 2 SUB, 2 VERB, 2 OBJECT EXAMPLE HERE

solbureu siampena humpuro kawia = they drink champagne and then eat caviar

solburai siampena humpuro kawia = they drink champagne and eat caviar (i.e. it is understood that the two actions are alternating)

We can see that many different time structure are handle by morphology in Seuna.

the 9 SVC verbs of motion

Going back to example 1)

Here nia is a second verb indicating motion. Verbs of motion often occur as the non-initial element in SVC's. In this position the motion verb is not so pertinent as the main verb but it certainly clarifies/colours the event described in the clause.

There are nine verbs of motion which are very commonly used as such.

along	lia	to follow	l???
past	swia	to pass	sw???
across	dia	to cross	d???
through	dwia	to go through	dw??
up	sia	to ascend	s???
down	jia	to descend	j???
back	wia	to return	w???
away from speaker	gia	go	g??
towards speaker	nia	come	n???

Some examples ;-

he telephoned (to this location) = wire-speakori nia

he telephoned (from this location) = wire-speakori gia

to returned a call = wire-speak wia

These eight words often corespond to prepositions in English. As with prepositions they are often followed by nouns to which they relate.

the copula in SVC

In Seuna "he painted the green house" would mean the same as "he painted the house green" because of word order. Therefor to avoid confusion we must say "he painted the house to be green". "to be" in this position is treated as a normal second element in a SVC. It is represented by ya which is a sort of modified ia.

other stuff

Note ;- In the Seuna writing system ia is represented by the active verb symbol (i.e. "r") unadorned with a vowel subscript.

Some more example ;-

he broke into the bathroom = breakori enter the bathroom

normally when the first verb is a word of motion, the word "enter" is not used.

donori pidwolo = "S/he walked in the house" or "S/he walked into the house"

However with "break", which is not a verb of motion, you use "enter".

prepositions not supplanted by the SVC, but by case

As mentioned above, the second element in many SVC are functionally equivalent to prepositions in English.

Other English prepositions are functionally equivalent case tags in Seuna.

Having a second verb in SVC's was considered but it was decided to go the "case" route.

case marking	English equivalent preposition	2nd element of SVC (thought of but not used)
-ji	for	"to give" or "to help"
-u	with	"to use"
-ho	with	to accompany
-fi	at	to be at
-le	than	to surpass

Also the cases -le, -yo and -wa ; could maybe have been reoplaced by verbs meaning "come", "go", "arrive there", "arrive here", "reach", etc. etc.

other verbs commonly used as SVC elements

meaning when independent verb	Form when independent	Meaning when 2nd element of SVC	Form when 2nd element
to oppose	w???	against	wia
to do carelessly	f???		fia
to botch	b???	mis-	bia

to hurry,

to gather, to scratter

to repeat, ............... (again)

to enter, to exit

to stop off .................. for a time on a journey(when second element "to take five"??)

to connect, to disconnect ... on and off

to stay ......................continue, keep on

arrive, leave ................... to start, to stop ??

deliberate and accidental actions

swela by itself means "to pounce on","to jump on", to swoop down on", "to fall on"

toko by itself means "to fall"

sweli after a verb means that that verb was done deliberately

toki after a verb means that that verb was done accidentally

The four verb forms in Seuna

The verb dono (meaning, to walk) is used as an example.

1) dono is the "source form", which is the same as the infinitive in English.

2) donia is the "lagging form" and is the form used in non-initial elements of SVC's.

3) donais (Let's walk) is one of the "weak forms". All forms that have an "s" in the suffix are weak forms.

The above form is used in situations in which the subjunctive form is used in some European languages.

4) donori (S/he walked) is one of the "strong forms". All forms that have an "r" in the suffix are strong forms.

Rubbish

In this construction one verb comes first and then the second verb follows. (there is a hint of SVC in English when you hear things like "go see" : however that is about as far as it goes in English)

In Seuna the first verb is given the full markings for tense, etc. etc. but the second verb has its final vowel deleted and the ending i added (if the verb is monosyllabic, the ending ia is added). For example ;-

1) donore nia = "S/he is walking in this direction" .... S/he is walking come

Some examples ;-

2) They caught cook eat three fish

Index

Seuna serial verb construction

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