Seuna serial verb construction

The serial verb construction (SVC) is used when two verbs (on occasion it can be more than two verbs) can be thought of as representing one single action.

In this construction one verb (usually the most prominent semantically) comes first and then the second verb directly follows. For the second verb, the final vowel is deleted and the ending ia added. For example ;-

donori mia = he walked here .... we could also say mori donia but this more emphasizes the fact that he walked rather than use another means of travel.

Two words very commonly used as second verbs in SVC are mia and gia : mai meaning that the action happened towards the speaker, and gia meaning that the action happened away from the speaker. For example ;-

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

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

to returned a call = wire-speak gwia

Five words very commonly used as second verbs in SVC are sia up, tia down, fia through, dwia along and cwia across, However often used as first verbs when the second element is mia or gia.

Note that the words palia (to enter) and malu (to exit) are most often used as first verbs.

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

Often Seuna uses SVC where English would use a preposition. For example ;-

she ran across the street = ranori cwɘ street

he walked along the street = walkori dwɘ street

the barrel roled down the hill = barrel roleori jɘ hill

the above three example can be stated with less detail by missing out the means of locomotion.

she crossed the street = cwori street

he went along the street = dwori street

the barrel went(somehow) down the hill = barrel jori hill

Some more example ;-

she ran screaming out of the house = runori screamə fə dwolo

he broke into the bathroom = breakori pə bathroom

she took an axe and hit it = oyori axe timpə it

she hit it with an axe = timpori it useə axe

Notice that in the above two examples, the two verbs of the SVC do not stand next to each other.

the English word "against" is the shwa form of "oppose" in Seuna.

the English word "for" is the shwa form of "give" or the shwa form of "help" in Seuna.

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

Index

1. Introduction to Seuna
2. Seuna : Chapter 1
3. Seuna word shape
4. The script of Seuna
5. Seuna sentence structure
6. Seuna pronouns
7. Seuna nouns
8. Seuna verbs (1)
9. Seuna adjectives
10. Seuna demonstratives
11. Seuna verbs (2)
12. Asking a question in Seuna
13. Seuna relative clauses
14. Seuna verbs (3)
15. Methods for deriving words in Seuna
16. List of all Seuna derivational affixes
17. Numbers in Seuna
18. Naming people in Seuna
19. The Seuna calendar
20. Seuna units