Kunke

General Description

Kunke is a nominative-accusative SOV language which combines:

1. trial number

2. inverse number marking

3. orientation prefixes

4. areal prefixes.

5. disjoint prefixes

Number and Orientation

Number

Number	Direct	Inverse
	-0	-aah

Orientation

Orientation	Vertical	Horizontal	Squatting
	osi-	osuw-	hii-

Commentary

Kunke has inverse number marking. Each stem is inherently singular, dual, or plural. The inherent number, called direct, is zero-marked and lexically determined. Both non-inherent numbers, called inverse are indicated by the inverse number suffix '-aah'. Stems consist minimally of an orientation prefix and a root.

The basic meaning of the root 'nasah' is 'long wooden thing' and it is inherently singular; thus 'osinasah' means 'tree', 'osinasahaah' 'trees (dual or plural)', 'osuwnasah' 'stick', 'hiinasah' 'branch'.

'Ruwsa' 'eyes' is inherently dual. 'Siuyosuwsuwsa' means 'eyes (dual). 'Siuyosuwsuwsuayaah' means 'eye(s) (singular and plural)'. 'Siuyosizhuwsa' means 'downward eye; modesty', 'siuhiizhuwsa' 'upward-glancing eyes; insolence'.

'Runwu' 'water' is inherently plural. 'Osuwsunwu' means 'water (flat)', 'osizhunwu' means 'water (vertical)', and 'hiizhunwu' means 'water (squatting)' 'Osuwsunwuyaah' means 'drop of water (in river)', 'osizhunwuyaah' 'raindrop', and 'hiizhunwuyaah' 'waterfall (because of the shift from horizontal to vertical').

Possessive Prefixes

Possessive Prefixes	Generic	1st	2nd	3rd	Reflexive	Reciprical	Areal	Disjoint	Inverse Disjoint
	siu-	nue-	iih-	asa-	uwi-	aek-	eur-	aas-	uos-

There are possessive prefixes in Kunke. One of them, 'siu-', seen above in words such as 'siuyosuwsuwsa' ‘eyes (du)’, is used with inalienably possessed objects, such as body parts and relatives. It is frequently used to create nouns.

The first, second, and third persons are represented by 'nue-', 'iih-', and 'asa-', respectively.

'uwi-' is the reflexive prefix.

'aek-' is the reciprocal prefix. Then it becomes less familiar to speakers of European languages.

'eur-' is an areal prefix, used when the possessor is areal, spatial, or temporal.

'aas-' is the disjoint prefix, used when both the subject and the possessor are both in the direct zero-marked form and are not identical.

'uos-' is the inverse disjoint form (a neologism on the basis of the plural disjoint prefix). It is used when the subject is inverse-marked, the possessor is not, and the possessor is not an individual included within the inverse-marked subject. Thus, from 'osizhena' ‘daughter’ from 'osi-rena':

'siuyosizhena' ‘daughter’

'nueyosizhena' ‘my daughter’

'iihosizhena' ‘your daughter’

'asayosizhena' ‘his/her daughter’

'uwiyosizhena' ‘his/her/their own daughter’

'aekosizhenayaah' ‘each other’s daughters’

'euzhosizhena' ‘area daughter; foundling; prostitute’

'aasosizhena' ‘his/her daughter (but not of the subject)’

'uososizhena' ‘his/her daughter (but not of a singular subject)’

If the inverse-marked subject is inherently dual or plural, the inverse disjoint prefix can only reflect the non-singular meaning of the inverse-marked subject. Thus, if the subject is 'osihoshetaah' ‘warrior/warriors (sg/du)’, from 'osi-horhet', 'uososizhena' can only refer to a daughter of someone who is a not a part of the group of the two warriors who are the subject of the sentence; if she were the daughter of one of these warriors, one would use 'asayosizhena'.

Genitives

Genitive	Alienable	Inalienable
	-ia	-iko

There are two genitive suffixes, one alienable '-ia', the other inalienable '-iko'. A piece of jewelry owned by the warrior’s daughter would produce 'iihosizhenayia hiikuaw' ‘your daughter’s jewelry’, but her neck, 'ruta', would produce 'iihosizhenayiko siuyosizhuta' ‘your daughter’s neck’.

Verbal Structure

Kunke verbs have the following structure:

switch reference-subject-root-object-tense.

Switch reference

Switch Reference	Remote Past	Past	Present	Future
Same Subject	une-	ohru-	uuh-	hue-
Different Subject	uno-	our-	uuw-	oha-

Switch reference is zero-marked on a free-standing verb. Switch-reference encodes tense as well change of subject.

Verbal Plurals

Verbal Affixes	Generic	1st	2nd	3rd	Reflexive	Reciprocal	Areal	Disjoint
Singular	ook-	nue-	iih-	asa-	uwi-	aek-	eur-	aas-
Duoplural	hue-	iti-	wao-	iho-	uwi-	aer-	iar-	uos-

Verbs, unlike nouns, have explicit duoplural forms for numbers and persons. The singular forms are the same as the possessive prefixes listed above, except for the Generic, which is different. The duoplural forms are different, except for the Reflexive, which is the same.

The verbal disjoint prefix must follow a switch reference prefix and precede the verb root if the subject is different from the previous sentence.

An areal suffix after the verb root refers to the number (singular or duoplural) of the direct object. A verbal disjoint suffix after the verb refers to the number (singular or duoplural) of the omitted direct object.

Tense Suffixes

Tense Suffixes	Remote Past	Past	Present	Future
	-iet	-iur	-iun	-ihu

Sentence Examples

osihoshet osuwsena ihoyosuwasayiet aasosuwwehsi uneyihosisoyeuzhiet

osi-horhet osuw-rena iho-osuw-asa-iet aas-osuw-wehsi une-iho-siso-eur-iet

VERT-warrior SQU-daughter 3pl-see-RPST DJT-HORZ-building RPST.SAME-3pl-seize-AREA-RPST

The warriors saw the housemaid and seized her house.

osihoshetaah osuwsena ihoyosuwasayiet uososuwwehsi uneyihosisoyeuzhiet

osi-horhet-aah osuw-rena iho-osuw-asa-iet uos-osuw-wehsi une-iho-siso-eur-iet

VERT-warrior-INV SQU-daughter 3pl-see-RPST INV.DJT-HORZ-building RPST.SAME-3pl-seize-AREA-RPST

The two warriors saw the housemaid and seized her house.

osihoshetaah osuwsena asayosuwasayiet asayosuwwehsi uneyasasisoyeuzhiet

osi-horhet-aah osuw-rena asa-osuw-asa-iet asa-osuw-wehsi une-asa-siso-eur-iet

VERT-warrior-INV SQU-daughter 3sg-see-RPST 3-HORZ-building RPST.SAME-3sg-seize-AREA-RPST

The warrior saw the housemaid and seized her house.

osihoshet osuwsenayaah ihoyosuwasayiet asayosuwwehsi uneyihosisoyeuzhiet

osi-horhet osuw-rena-aah iho-osuw-asa-iet asa-osuw-wehsi une-iho-siso-eur-iet

VERT-warrior SQU-daughter-INV 3pl-see-RPST 3-HORZ-building RPST.SAME-3pl-seize-AREA-RPST

The warriors saw the housemaids and seized their house.

osihoshetaah osuwsenayaah ihoyosuwasayiet asayosuwwehsi uneyihosisoyeuzhiet

osi-horhet-aah osuw-rena-aah iho-osuw-asa-iet asa-osuw-wehsi une-iho-siso-eur-iet

VERT-warrior-INV SQU-daughter-INV 3pl-see-RPST 3-HORZ-building RPST.SAME-3pl-seize-AREA-RPST

The two warriors saw the housemaids and seized her house.

osihoshetaah osuwsenayaah asayosuwasayiet asayosuwwehsi uneyasasisoyeuzhiet

osi-horhet-aah osuw-rena-aah asa-osuw-asa-iet asa-osuw-wehsi une-asa-siso-eur-iet

VERT-warrior-INV SQU-daughter-INV 3sg-see-RPST 3-HORZ-building RPST.SAME-3sg-seize-AREA-RPST

The warrior saw the housemaids and seized their house.

osihoshet osuwsena ihoyosuwasayiet aasosuwwehsi unoyuosihosisoyeuzhiet

osi-horhet osuw-rena iho-osuw-asa-iet asa-osuw-wehsi uno-uos-iho-siso-eur-iet

VERT-warrior SQU-daughter 3pl-see-RPST 3-HORZ-building RPST.DIFF-PL.DJT-3pl-seize-AREA-RPST

The warriors saw the housemaid and someone else (duoplural) seized her house.

osihoshet osuwsena ihoyosuwasayiet aasosuwwehsi unoyaasasasisoyeuzhiet

osi-horhet osuw-rena iho-osuw-asa-iet asa-osuw-wehsi uno-aas-asa-siso-eur-iet

VERT-warrior SQU-daughter 3pl-see-RPST 3-HORZ-building RPST.DIFF-SG.DJT-3sg-seize-AREA-RPST

The warriors saw the housemaid and someone else (singular) seized her house.

osihoshet osuwasiwaah ihosisoyiazhihu

osi-horhet osuw-asiw-aah iho-siso-iar-ihu

VERT-warrior HORZ-field-INV 3pl-seize-AREA.PL-FUT

The warriors will seize the fields’

Lexicon

asiw (sg) - osiwasiw 'vine trellis'; osuwasiw 'field'; hiiyasiw 'vineyard'

hoshet (< hor-het) (pl) - osihoshet 'band of warriors'; osihoshetaah 'warrior(s)'

kuaw (pl) - hiikuaw 'jewelry'

nasah (sg) - osinasah 'tree'; osinasahaah 'trees'; osuwnasah 'stick'; hiinasah 'branch'

asa - to see

rena (sg) - osizhena 'daughter'; osuwsena 'housemaid'; euzhosizhena 'foundling; prostitute'

runwu (pl) - osizhunwuyaah 'raindrop'; osuwsunwu 'water'; osuwsunwuyaah 'drop of water (in river)'; hiizhunwuyaah 'waterfall'

ruta (sg) - osizhuta 'neck'; hiizhuta 'limb'

ruwsa (du) - siuyosizhuwsa 'modesty'; siuyosuwsuwsa 'eyes'; siuyosuwsuwsa 'eye(s) (sg/pl)'; siuhiizhuwsa 'insolence'

siso - to seize

wehsi (sg) - osiwehsi 'tower'; osuwwehsi 'building'; hiiwehsi 'buttress'