User:Bukkia/sandboxIII
Kī́rtako is one of the languages belonging to Piti language family. It stems directly from Proto-Piti language. It is spoken in the classic period and gives rise to a separate branch, named Kī́rtako languages. Two languages belong to this group and stem from Kī́rtako. It has an alphabetic script.
Typological structure
Kī́rtako is a morphologically agglutinative language, with an additional but strongly marked introflexive feature, realized in verbal roots.
The basic word order is essentially SOV (Subject-Object-Verb).
phū́kali mū́ke lī́lopɑt (the) person sees (the) cow
The entire system is set according to typological parameters of the modifier-head (or head-final) type:
- object - verb
- noun - postposition
- adjective - noun
- relative clause - noun
Phonology
This chapter gives an extensive description of Kī́rtako phonological features.
Consonants
The consonant system distinguishes 20 phonemes, traditionally arranged in the following scheme:
| plosive | voiceless | ||||||
| voiced | |||||||
| aspirated | |||||||
| nasal | |||||||
| liquid | |||||||
| fricative | velar | ||||||
| sibilant | |||||||
| alveolar | |||||||
| alveolar | |||||||
| approximant | |||||||
| affricate | |||||||
The group of the plosive consonants distinguishes three sub-groups: voiceless, voiced, and aspirated, even though the voiced sub-group includes only the phoneme [g].
The group of the fricative consonants is overall well developed, although less rich, like the group of the nasal and of the liquid consonants. The glottal consonant, [ʔ], while formally a plosive, is traditionally included in the fricative group. The phonemes [j] and [w] have a full consonantal value and they are never regarded as semivowels.
Vowels
There are 6 vocalic phonemes, which exhibit other forms of distinction:
[iː˧˩] |
[uː˧˩] |
ī̀ |
ū̀ | ||||||||
[eː˧˩] |
[oː˧˩] |
ḕ |
ṑ | ||||||||
[aː˧˩] |
ā̀ |
||||||||||
5 vowels have a short form and a long form. Each long form distinguishes two types: one with a rising tone and one with a falling tone.
The open-back phoneme, [ɑ], makes no distinction, neither in length nor in tone.
Stress
The stress is firmly on the first syllable of the word root.
[ˈkɑ.wo.kow]
Monosyllabic words, often with a grammatical meaning, are meant to be unstressed and cliticized to the word which they are grammatically bound to.
Polysyllabic words, which are generally composed by more than a word root, usually turn one of the stresses in a secondary one. The stress on the first root is the most likely to become secondary, while also the second stress may become the secondary, albeit in very rare cases.
[ˌpi.ke.ˈmeː˩˧.ʔi]
Tones
The long vowels make a distinction in tone, between a rising [Vː˩˧] tone and a falling [Vː˧˩] tone. Every long vowel has a tonal feature, which is always marked in the script.
pikemḗʔi [ˌpi.ke.ˈmeː˩˧.ʔi]
The vowels with the falling tone are found mostly at the end of words, due to the loss of a previous final consonant. They can be found, quite infrequently, in a medial position inside of a word, mostly in loanwords.
ʔimḗɣɑme - ʔimḕ [ˌʔi.meː˩˧.ɣɑ.me] - [ˌʔi.meː˧˩]
Syllabic structure
The basic syllable structure in Kī́rtako is (C)V(C). There are, however, some constraints:
- A word cannot consist of an exclusively vowel syllable, V, but such a syllable, V, can be found at the beginning of a multisyllabic word:
*[a] [u.ˈma.tsoː˩˧.ta]
- A word can consist of only one syllable of type VC, and a polysyllabic word can begin with such a syllable:
[om] [ˈer.tu]
- A CVC-type syllable is usually found at the end of a word, while is quite infrequent within the word or at its beginning. Monosyllabic words with such a syllabic structure are known to exist.
[ˈkɑ.wo.kow] [ˈkiː˩˧r.ta.ko] [ˈkoː˩˧w]
- CV-type syllables are allowed in every position within a polysyllabic word. Monosyllabic words with this structure are limited in number, but relevantly used.
[ˈko.wɑ.ka.ka] [ˈnɑ]
Clusters of more than two consonants are prohibited, both in syllabic onset and in coda.
Diphthongs
There are no diphthongs of any kind; the phonemes [j] and [w] have always full consonantal value.
Morphology
This chapter gives an extensive description of Kī́rtako morphological features.
Nouns
Nouns in Kī́rtako language end almost exclusively in a vowel. A certain number of nouns, mostly loanwords, may unusually ends in a consonant; in this case a euphonic vowel, -ɑ-, in added at the end of noun before the normal declension endings.
Nouns are grouped into two declension classes: animate nouns or first class and inanimate nouns or second class. The first class generally includes nouns indicating animate beings, namely capable of intentional motion or action, while the second class includes inanimate objects or entities. As a rule, we can sketch out the following scheme:
- 1st class: human beings, animals, deities
- 2nd class: plants, objects, ideas, feelings, senses, perceptions
A noun is not irreversibly included in one of the two classes, as nouns lack clear morphological marks for each class.
For example, the word sɑño, light, shifts from a class to the other during the history of the language, as the noun ñowe, love, depending on the overall cultural perception of the noun’s animateness degree.
Despite the general lack of morphological markers in the basic forms, being thus unable to distinguish the two classes, the declension patterns depend on which class a noun belongs to.
There are two morphological numbers for almost all nouns, singular and plural.
Cases
Kī́rtako nouns do decline, according to an active-stative system with 9 cases:
| Agentive | This case marks primarily the subject of a transitive verb. It is also used to mark the subject of an intransitive verb, which displays a certain degree of activity, will or intention in performing the said action or in being in a certain state. It can be used only with nouns belonging to the 1st class. |
| Passive | This case marks primarily the direct object of a transitive verb. It is also used to mark the subject of an intransitive verb, which displays no degree of activity, will or intention in performing the said action or in being in a certain state. It is regarded as the base form of the noun, and it is used as the vocative form. |
| Ablative | This case marks primarily a natural and unintentional belonging (for example, body parts), without any sign of will of possession, or an inverse belonging. It also marks the point of origin of a movement (motion from a place). It is also used to mark the direct object of an infinitival form of a verb, marking thus the direct object of the negated form of a transitive verb. |
| Genitive | This case marks an intentional possession, from subjects with a clear and active will. It can be used only with nouns belonging to the 1st class. |
| Dative | This case marks primarily the indirect object. It can also mark the final point of a movement (motion toward a place), and, in a broad sense, the final purpose of an action or a state. |
| Causative | This case marks the reason or the cause, which are the source of an action or a state. |
| Instrumental | This case marks the tool or the instrument which are used to perform an action or to be in a certain state. It can be used only with nouns belonging to the 2nd class. |
| Abessive | This case marks the tool or the instrument which are absent while performing an action or being in a certain state. It can be used only with nouns belonging to the 2nd class. |
| Locative | This case marks the place where an action is performed, or a certain state exist (stative location). It can also have a temporal value. It can be used only with nouns belonging to the 2nd class. |
The cases are usually classified in 4 groups:
- Primary main cases: agentive, genitive
- Secondary main cases: passive, ablative
- Primary oblique cases: dative, causative
- Secondary oblique cases: instrumental, abessive, locative
Other types of clause complements are conveyed using various postpositions, which can select one or more cases.
Noun declension
Nouns are declined for case and number by adding the following endings to the base form of the noun:
| -li | -noli | |||
| - | -no | - | -no | |
| -šu | -nošu | -šu | -nošu | |
| -ra | -nora | |||
| -ɣɑ | -noɣɑ | -ɣɑ | -noɣɑ | |
| -khu | -nokhu | -khu | -nokhu | |
| -khɑ | -nokhɑ | |||
| -gil | -nogil | |||
| -tsar | -notsar | |||
Some examples are shown below: a 1st class noun, papu, father, and a 2nd class noun, sṓgo, house.
| papuli | papunoli | |||
| papu | papuno | sṓgo | sṓgono | |
| papušu | papunošu | sṓgošu | sṓgonošu | |
| papura | papunora | |||
| papuɣɑ | papunoɣɑ | sṓgoɣɑ | sṓgonoɣɑ | |
| papukhu | papunokhu | sṓgokhu | sṓgonokhu | |
| sṓgokhɑ | sṓgonokhɑ | |||
| sṓgogil | sṓgonogil | |||
| sṓgotsar | sṓgonotsar | |||
As for the rules, the endings for the secondary oblique cases cannot be added to a 1st class noun, while the endings for the primary main cases cannot be added to a 2nd class noun.
Adjectives and pronouns
Adjectives closely resemble the noun form, mostly ending in a vowel and showing the same exceptions of nouns. Pronouns, instead, may exhibit different forms in the root form.
Adjectives
Attributive adjectives are always placed before the nouns they specify, while predicative adjectives are always placed after them.
jṓpā́ wī́ro (the) young man
wī́ro jṓpā́ (ʔɑñ) (the) man is young
As the verbal copula, ʔɑñɑme, to be, can be omitted when the subject is expressed in the clause, the attributive or predicative role of an adjective can be inferred only by its own position.
All adjectives agree in case and number with the noun they specify, being declined with the nominal endings. They thus display a complete declension set, not belonging inherently to one of the two classes.
jṓpā́ra wī́rora rḗʔo sṓgo pinkotsar wɑkitsar mḗʔis the young man’s new house is located in the nearby village
Declension of qualifying adjectives
Example: rḗʔo, new
| rḗʔoli | rḗʔonoli | |
| rḗʔo | rḗʔono | |
| rḗʔošu | rḗʔonošu | |
| rḗʔora | rḗʔonora | |
| rḗʔoɣɑ | rḗʔonoɣɑ | |
| rḗʔokhu | rḗʔonokhu | |
| rḗʔokhɑ | rḗʔonokhɑ | |
| rḗʔogil | rḗʔonogil | |
| rḗʔotsar | rḗʔonotsar | |
Comparison of qualifying adjectives
Adjectives have two comparison forms, comparative and superlative. They are formed by adding the following endings: Example: rḗʔo, new
| -rṓ | |
| -rṓtu |
These ending are always placed before the case endings. The second comparative term is in the ablative case and is followed by the postposition phɑw.
wī́ro ʔṓnašu phɑw jṓpā́rṓ (ʔɑñ) the man is younger than the woman
ʔṓna owtunošu phɑw jṓpā́rṓtu (ʔɑñ) the woman is the youngest of/among us
Personal pronouns
Personal pronouns display a marked dichotomy between the first two persons (1st and 2nd) and the 3rd person.
Both the first and the second person have indeed two different roots, exhibiting thus a mixed declension; more than one form for each case is created on both roots. On the other hand, the third person has only one root.
| owtu | ertu | ɑktuli | owtuno | ertuno | ɑktunoli | |
| jo | nɑ | ɑktu | jono | nɑno | ɑktuno | |
| owtušu | ertušu | ɑktušu | owtunošu | ertunošu | ɑktunošu | |
| jošu | nɑšu | jonošu | nɑnošu | |||
| owtura | ertura | ɑktura | owtunora | ertunora | ɑktunora | |
| jora | nɑra | jonora | nɑnora | |||
| joɣɑ | nɑɣɑ | ɑktuɣɑ | jonoɣɑ | nɑnoɣɑ | ɑktunoɣɑ | |
| jokhu | nɑkhu | ɑktukhu | jonokhu | nɑnokhu | ɑktunokhu | |
| ɑktukhɑ | ɑktunokhɑ | |||||
| ɑktugil | ɑktunogil | |||||
| ɑktutsar | ɑktunotsar |
First and second person forms are meant as referents for 1st class entities; the endings for the secondary oblique cases are thus not used with them. Conversely, the third person forms display a complete declension, in which the case forms are used whether the referred name belongs to the 1st or the 2nd class.
In the pre-classical period another form for the third person, nigtu, is also used. This form is used in an obviative relationship with the form ɑktu, but it has already disappeared in the classical period.
1st and 2nd person pronouns have two forms in the ablative and in the genitive case. These forms are distinguished between broad forms (owtušu, ertušu,...) and narrow forms (jošu, nɑšu,...), which have a different use:
- In the ablative case:
- Broad form: it is used as the ablative form of the pronoun, in the main meanings of the case and with postpositions. It is also used to mark belonging (according to the role of the ablative case), playing the role of an indeclinable possessive adjective or pronoun.
ertunošu papu ʔalolī́ponow we saw your father
- Narrow form: it is mostly used as a direct object form for verbal infinitives and in negative sentences.
nɑšu hṓthī́niñɑme ʔaʔī́sow I wasn't looking for you
- In the genitive case:
- Broad form: it is used to mark strictly possession, playing the role of an indeclinable possessive adjective or pronoun..
ertunora sṓgo ʔalolī́ponow we saw your house
- Narrow form: it is mostly used with postpositions.
nɑra ʔḕ kogiwow I'm going to come with you
Especially in the genitive case these roles are not unchangeably fixed, but they can shift meaning during the entire history of the language: is it indeed not impossibile to find the narrow forms with a possessive role in the later period.
Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns
The forms of the possessive adjectives are the following:
- that: ɑktuko
- this: niktuko
Demonstrative pronouns exhibit, instead, different forms:
- that one: ɑwo
- this one: niwo
Interrogative pronouns
Basic interrogative pronouns display two different forms: one for animate entities (who?) and one for inanimate entities (what?).
- what: šɑ
- who: šā́
Both pronouns can be declined, with the nominal declension endings, according to their animacy class.
šā́ɣɑ om pike ʔakowɑker whom did you give water to?
However, while the animate class pronoun keeps its original meaning when declined, the inanimate class pronouns usually acquire new meanings, depending on the selected case:
- šɑtsar: where (static location)
- šɑɣɑ: where (motion toward)
- šɑšu: where... from (motion form)
- šɑkhu: why (cause)
All forms can, nevertheless, keep their original meaning of “what”:
šɑšu lolī́piñame om ʔaʔī́ser what didn’t you see?
The various meanings of the declined forms can be usually inferred by the context of the sentence.
There are also other interrogative adjectives and pronouns (and adverbs):
- šā́ko: which (animate)
- šɑko: which (inanimate)
- šɑjuʔṓ: when
- šā́mine: how much (animate)
- šā́mineko: how much / many (animate)
- šɑmine: how much (inanimate)
- šɑmineko: how much / many (inanimate)
- šɑmɑgi: how
Example:
šā́minekono gū́ʔetino totirer how many horses do you own?
Inside of an interrogative clause, pronouns usually stay in their syntactical position, according to their role, but in the later period they tend to be moved at the beginning of the sentence. In addition, like other parts of the sentences, can be followed by postpositions:
šā́ɣɑ gū́ om tsɑgewuger whom are you talking about?
Relative pronoun
There is only one form of relative pronoun:
- hī́
This form displays a complete declension, in which the case forms are used whether the referred name belongs to the 1st or the 2nd class.
Indefinite adjectives and pronouns
There are three basic forms of indefinite adjectives:
- jḗʔo: every
- mṓwū́: some, any
- hḗsu: no
The form of the adjective mṓwū́ is diachronically irregular; in the pre-classical period is indeed regularly mowū́. In the same period these adjectives do not agree with the nouns they specify, and they are usually found in an undeclined form.
This kind of adjectives can usually mark both an undefined quality and a quantity regarding the nouns they specify. When marking quantity, they always agree with their name in singular number. When marking quality, however, they can also agree with nouns in the plural.
jḗʔo wɑki every village (all the villages)
There are, also, two basic forms of indefinite pronouns:
- pā́mo: much, many, a lot
- sī́pā́: few, a little, a few
These pronouns usually mark an undefined quantity of the entities, indicated by the nouns they specify. They exhibit a particular construction: these indefinite pronouns stay always in the singular number, while the nouns they specify are declined always in the ablative case. In this construction a greater role is played by the distinction between countable and uncountable nouns. Countable nouns are usually required in the plural number, while uncountable nouns are required in the singular number by this kind of pronouns.
pā́mo mā́sonošu many mice, a lot of mice
sī́pā́ pikešu a little water
The syntactic role of the noun cluster is conveyed by the indefinite pronouns, which are thus properly declined. The number of the cluster, however, is not expressed by them and stays in the singular. The verb of the sentence, if needed, agrees with the indefinite subject noun cluster in the singular number.
pā́moli wī́ronošu rā́no mṓtsatɑt a lot of men are collecting milk
The declension class of the two pronouns, nevertheless, depends on the class of the nouns they specify.
There are, also, several other forms of indefinite pronouns (and adverbs), mostly derived by merging the indefinite adjectives with other nouns or pronouns:
- jḗšɑ: everything, all, all things (inanimate - 2nd class)
- jḗšā́: everyone, everybody (animate - 1st class)
- jḗphū́ka: everyone, each one (animate - 1st class)
- jḗrā́ʔi: everything, each thing (inanimate - 2nd class)
- jḗjuʔṓ: every moment, always (invariable)
- jḗjuʔṓɣɑ: per sempre (invariable)
- mṓwū́šɑ: something (inanimate - 2nd class)
- mṓwū́šā́: someone, somebody (animate - 1st class)
- mṓwū́phū́ka: someone, somebody (animate - 1st class)
- mṓwū́rā́ʔi: something (inanimate - 2nd class)
- mṓwū́pošɑ: something (inanimate - 2nd class)
- mṓwū́pošā́: someone, somebody (animate - 1st class)
- mṓwū́juʔṓ: sometimes (invariable)
- mṓwū́pojuʔṓ: sometimes (invariable)
- hḗšɑ: nothing (inanimate - 2nd class)
- hḗšā́: no one, nobody (animate - 1st class)
- hḗphū́ka: no one, nobody (animate - 1st class)
- hḗrā́ʔi: nothing (inanimate - 2nd class)
- hḗjuʔṓ: in no moment, never (invariable)
These pronouns, except the invariable ones, can be declined according to their animacy class.
Adverbs
There is a limited number of pure adverbial forms, like ʔū́mtu, inside, or ʔḗhlo, together, mostly akin to postpositions, both for their origin and their meaning.
Generally, adjectives can be used as adverbs by simply putting them before the verb in their undeclined form (which works well also with temporal indefinite adjectives).
Another way to derive an adverbial form from an adjectives is the construction ADJ-tsar mɑgitsar, which means in a ADJ way, AGG-ly. This construction has, however, a strongly marked meaning and usage.
The adverbial use of the adjectives can involve the comparison forms.
Numerals
The numeral system relies on a decimal base.
The first ten cardinal numbers are noun-like forms on their own:
- 1: šā́ʔo
- 2: ʔaki
- 3: mikṓ
- 4: gṓwe
- 5: pā́ge
- 6: thū́wa
- 7: hašɑ
- 8: kuʔe
- 9: tsṓju
- 10: phḗʔo
Numerals from 11 to 19 are built with the construction NUM + phḗʔo + nā́. Examples:
- 11: šā́ʔophḗʔonā́
- 15: pā́gephḗʔonā́
The numerals for (one) hundred and (one) thousand are noun-like forms on their own:
- 100: ñā́tu
- 1000: wiʔā́
The nouns of the multiples of tens, hundreds and thousands are built with the construction NUM + re + phḗʔo/ ñā́tu/wiʔā́:
- 30: mikṓrephḗʔo
- 600: thū́wareñā́tu
- 9000: tsṓjurewiʔā́
Numbers above the multiples of thousands have no own name and are specified by the lesser numerals. Composite numbers are built by just putting them aside, without any conjunction, in descending order:
- 1985: wiʔā́ tsṓjureñā́tu kuʔerephḗʔo pā́ge
All cardinal numerals are meant as invariable forms. Ordinal numerals are formed by adding the adjectival ending -ko to the cardinal numeral form:
- 1st: šā́ʔoko
- 15th: pā́geko
If the numeral form is composite, the ending is added only to the last numeral form:
- 25th: ʔakirephḗʔo pā́geko
Postpositions
In the Kī́rtako language a noun cluster can be followed by a postposition, which gives a new meaning to the case of the selected noun cluster. Thus, every possible clause complements can be effectively expressed.
All postposition are always placed after the noun they specify. Most postposition share a similar origin with the adverbial forms, while some postposition originated from fixed case forms of nouns.
General list of postpositions
Each postposition tends to follow a noun cluster, which is declined in one grammatical case. Thus it is said that each postposition governs a specific case.
Most postpositions govern only one case, while some other postpositions govern more than one, while slightly altering their meaning depending on the selected case (like kī́g).
| case | meaning | |
| ʔḕ | + genitive | with, together with (marking company) |
| hā́k | + ablative | from, native to (marking origin) |
| jɑl | + ablative | from, coming from (marking a departure point) |
| sū̀ | + dative | for, aiming to (marking purpose) |
| kī́g | + instrumental | by, with, by means of (marking instrument) |
| + ablative | by way of, using (marking exploiting) | |
| phes | + ablative | without, in the absence of (marking absence) |
| kṓw | + dative | towards, in the direction of (marking direction) |
| phɑw | + ablative | in relation to (marking relation) |
| mɑg | + passive | in comparison to, like, as (marking comparison) |
| gū́ | + dative | about, regarding, concerning (marking topic, theme) |
| pḗr | + dative | through, throughout, across (marking from a side to the other) |
| phun | + locative/genitive | after (temporal value) |
| roš | + locative/genitive | before (temporal value) |
| wū́g | + ablative | away, away from (marking distancing) |
| pṓtu | + dative | against, in opposition to (marking opposition) |
Some postpositions conveying location or motion make use of different case to specify a static location (locative or passive case), a motion towards a place (dative case) or a motion from a place (ablative case). Such postpositions are called locative postpositions:
| case | meaning | |
| ʔū́m | + locative/passive/dative/ablative | inside of |
| sā̀ | + locative/passive/dative/ablative | outside of |
| wim | + locative/passive/dative/ablative | under |
| git | + locative/passive/dative/ablative | over, on |
| pig | + locative/passive/dative/ablative | near |
| phṓr | + locative/passive/dative/ablative | in front of, opposite |
| šom | + locative/passive/dative/ablative | behind |
| tī́n | + locative/passive/dative/ablative | between, among |
| ʔī́r | + locative/passive/dative/ablative | around |
A clear explanation of each postposition is presented in the following section.
ʔḕ
The postposition ʔḕ conveys the meaning of the complement of company. It specifies an entity, together with which a certain action is performed or a certain state exists.
sṓgoɣɑ owtušu kogā́tinora ʔḕ ʔaʔḗmiɣow I went home with my friends
This postposition always governs the genitive case.
It never conveys the instrument, by which the action is performed; this function is expressed by the instrumental case or by the postposition kī́g. Thus, this postposition is never used with a 2nd class noun.
hā́k
The postposition hā́k conveys the meaning of the complement of origin. It specifies the original point of an action or a state.
jo Kī́rtašu hā́k (ʔɑñow) I am from Kī́rta. (It is my birthplace)
This postposition always governs the ablative case.
It can however convey, especially in later texts, the general meaning of motion from a place, in other words, the beginning point of a motion of any kind. Such use is often confused with the postposition jɑl.
sṓgošu hā́k ʔawɑpū́kow I departed from the house. (my motion began from that place)
In the classical period, this last role is played directly by the ablative case alone.
sṓgošu ʔawɑpū́kow I departed from the house. (my motion began from that place)
jɑl
The postposition jɑl conveys the meaning of the complement of provenience. It specifies the beginning point of an action or a state which can have more than one direction.
Kī́rtašu jɑl kigowow I came from Kī́rta. (my travel began in that city)
This postposition always governs the ablative case.
It can however convey, especially in later texts, the general meaning of motion from a place, in other words, the beginning point of a motion of any kind. Such use is often confused with the postposition hā́k.
sṓgošu jɑl ʔawɑpū́kow I departed from the house. (my motion began from that place)
In the classical period, this last role is played directly by the ablative case alone.
sṓgošu ʔawɑpū́kow I departed from the house. (my motion began from that place)
sū̀
The postposition sū̀ conveys the meaning of the complement of purpose. It specifies an entity, which is the final goal why a certain action is performed or a certain state exists.
hḗmɑ ɑktušu kogā́tiɣɑ sū̀ ʔatitorugow I bought some bread for my friend
Generally the purpose is implicitly meant to be positive, being thus of benefit to the subject or to someone else. It is however possible that the meaning of the purpose is neutral or even negative for someone.
This postposition always governs the dative case.
The use of this postposition is very limited in pre-classical texts, where the purpose is conveyed directly by the dative case alone. This use of the case alone falls into a severe decline in the classical texts, while it disappears entirely in the later period, when the purpose is expressed only by the postposition sū̀.
owtušu mamuɣɑ kinusow → owtušu mamuɣɑ sū̀ kinusow I sing for my mother
It never conveys the cause, because of which the action is performed; this function is expressed by the causative case alone.
kī́g
The postposition kī́g conveys more meanings by governing more than one case. It conveys, firstly, the meaning of the complement of mean. It specifies an entity, through which a certain action is performed or a certain state exists. In this role it governs the ablative case.
ɑktu owtušu kogā́tišu kī́g pogikow I will send it through my friend
It never conveys the entity, together which the action is performed; this function is expressed by the postposition ʔḕ.
It may additionally convey the meaning of the complement of instrument. It specifies an object by which a certain action is performed, or a certain state exists. In this role it governs the instrumental case.
mā́so jū́wakhɑ kī́g ʔaʔilukokon the mouse was killed with a stone.
In this meaning it is never used with 1st class nouns.
The meaning of the complement of instrument is basically conveyed by the instrumental case alone.
mā́so jū́wakhɑ ʔaʔilukokon the mouse was killed with a stone.
Therefore, this postposition was almost never used in the pre-classical and in the classical period in this meaning. The only use in this sense was limited to stressing the role of the complement or to avoiding ambiguities. In the texts of the later period the use of this postposition with the meaning of instrument takes a firm hold and spreads significantly.
phes
The postposition phes conveys the meaning of the complement of absence or exclusion. It specifies an entity, without which a certain action is performed or a certain state exists.
sṓgoɣɑ owtušu kogā́tinošu phes ʔaʔḗmiɣow I went home without my friends
This postposition always governs the ablative case.
It can convey both the idea that the exclusion of the said entity is required to the action to be performed and the idea of the simple absence without any benefit for the final goal.
It never conveys the absence of the entity, by the means of which the action is performed; this function is expressed by the abessive case alone.
In this meaning it is scarcely used with 2nd class nouns, except in a broad sense.
kṓw
The postposition kṓw conveys the meaning of the complement of direction. It specifies a location or an entity, towards which a movement is aimed or a certain action is performed.
ɑktušu kogā́tinoli šupā́tɑkoɣɑ tirṓsiɣɑ kṓw ʔimḗɣonɑt his friends are going towards the royal palace
This postposition always governs the dative case.
It can however convey, especially in later texts, the general meaning of motion to a place, in other words, the ending point of a motion of any kind.
sṓgoɣɑ kṓw ʔaʔḗmiɣow I went home. (my motion ended in that place)
In the classical period, this last role is played directly by the dative case alone.
sṓgoɣɑ ʔaʔḗmiɣow I went home. (my motion ended in that place)
phɑw
The postposition phɑw conveys the meaning of the complement of relation. It specifies an entity, which is the other term in any kind of relations.
ɑktušu tatḗwili ɑktukošu tsetsešu phɑw hā́lo kojā́hɑme phɑgesɑt her child can write well compared to that child
It is therefore used to mark the second term in adjective comparisons. Comparison is indeed meant as a relation between two or more parties.
ertušu kogā́ti owtušu papušu phɑw ʔokḗrṓ (ʔɑñ) your friend is older than my father
This postposition always governs the ablative case.
It never conveys an entity, which is the second term in an equivalence comparison; this function is expressed by the postposition mɑg.
mɑg
The postposition mɑg conveys the meaning of the complement of equivalence. It specifies an entity, which is the second term in an equivalence comparison.
ɑktušu kogā́ti mɑg ʔoptsaʔɑt he works like his friend
This postposition always governs the passive case.
It never conveys an entity, which is the other term in any kind of non-equivalence comparison; this function is expressed by the postposition phɑw.
gū́
The postposition gū́ conveys the meaning of the complement of theme. It specifies an entity, which is the topic to which the conversation or the sentence refers.
owtušu kogā́tinoli ɑktunošu wɑkiɣɑ gū́ ʔatsɑgewugonɑt my friends were talking about their village
This postposition always governs the dative case.
pḗr
The postposition pḗr conveys the meaning of the complement of crossing. It specifies a location or an entity, through which a movement or a certain action is performed.
ponunoɣɑ pḗr ʔapetṓkow I walked through the fields
This postposition always governs the dative case.
phun
The postposition phun conveys a temporal relation of posteriority. It specifies the temporal location, after which a certain action is performed or a certain state exists.
ertušu kogā́tinora phun ʔakogiwekow I came after your friends
The temporal location does not distinguish among real entities, actions, ideas, feeling or cognitions, except by their case usage.
This postposition governs the genitive case, when used with a 1st class noun, and it governs the locative case, when used with a 2nd class noun.
roš
The postposition roš conveys a temporal relation of anteriority. It specifies the temporal location, before which a certain action is performed or a certain state exists.
ertušu kogā́tinora roš ʔakogiwekow I came before your friends
The temporal location does not distinguish among real entities, actions, ideas, feeling or cognitions, except by their case usage.
This postposition governs the genitive case, when used with a 1st class noun, and it governs the locative case, when used with a 2nd class noun.
wū́g
The postposition wū́g conveys the meaning of the complement of distancing or estrangement. It specifies a location or an entity, away from a certain action is performed or a certain state exists, or the idea of estrangement from such a location or entity.
ɑktušu kogā́tino sṓgošu wū́g siɣakɑt he will send his friend away from his house
This postposition always governs the ablative case.
pṓtu
The postposition pṓtu conveys more meanings. It conveys, firstly, the meaning of the complement of detriment. It specifies an entity, to the detriment of which a certain action is performed, or a certain state exists.
ɑktu ertušu kogā́tinoɣɑ pṓtu ʔakakigekow I did it against your friends
It may additionally convey the meaning of the complement of opposition or objection. It specifies an entity, against which a certain action is performed, or a certain state exists.
šupā́tɑɣɑ pṓtu tsegɑwugow I am going to speak against the king
It may moreover convey the meaning of motion against a place, in other words, the location against which a certain action is performed, or a certain state exists.
mā́soli ʔḗpsɑɣɑ pṓtu ʔakarṓʔɑt the mouse ran against the door
This postposition always governs the dative case.
Locative postpositions
Locative postpositions convey a spatial location, which can be either static or in motion. Such postpositions are characterised by a peculiar usage of the nominal cases. They can govern four different cases, while keeping the same meaning. The different cases express the relation between the main meaning of the postposition and the type of staticity or motion the subject of the said location may have. The meaning of the different cases are:
- Locative or passive case: static location
- Dative case: motion towards a place
- Genitive case: motion from a place
These postpositions tend to convey locations and spatial positions, being thus used mostly with 2nd class nouns. They can however convey an unreal location, imaginary or ideal. In such a case, they may be used with nouns of both classes, selecting different case to express the static location. They govern the locative case for 2nd class nouns and the passive case with 1st class nouns.
ʔū́m
The postposition ʔū́m conveys the meaning of internal location. It specifies a location inside of an enclosed place.
owtušu kogā́ti šupā́tɑkotsar tirṓsitsar ʔū́m ʔamḗʔis my friend was inside the royal palace
šupā́tɑkoɣɑ tirṓsiɣɑ ʔū́m ʔaʔḗmiɣow I went inside the royal palace
šupā́tɑkošu tirṓsišu ʔū́m kogiweker you will come from inside the royal palace
It never conveys generic location; this function is expressed by the locative case alone.
sā̀
The postposition sā̀ conveys the meaning of external location. It specifies a location outside of an enclosed place.
owtušu kogā́ti šupā́tɑkotsar tirṓsitsar sā̀ ʔamḗʔis my friend was outside the royal palace
šupā́tɑkoɣɑ tirṓsiɣɑ sā̀ ʔaʔḗmiɣow I went outside the royal palace
šupā́tɑkošu tirṓsišu sā̀ kogiweker you will come from outside the royal palace
wim
The postposition wim conveys the meaning of lower location. It specifies a location below another place.
mā́so phṓwutsar mektū́tsar wim ʔaʔɑñ the mouse was under the black table
mā́soli phṓwuɣɑ mektū́ɣɑ wim kṓraʔɑt the mouse is running under the black table
mā́soli phṓwušu mektū́šu wim ʔaʔḗmiɣekɑt the mouse ran away from under the black table
git
The postposition git conveys the meaning of upper location. It specifies a location above another place.
kojā́hukha rḗʔotsar mektū́tsar git ʔaʔɑñ the stylus is on the new table
kojā́hukha rḗʔoɣɑ mektū́ɣɑ git ʔathowḗsow I put the stylus on the new table
kojā́hukha rḗʔošu mektū́šu git rā́wuger you will take the stylus from (over) the new table
No distinction is made between the upper location with contact (“on the tabe”) or without contact (“over the house, above the house”).
pig
The postposition pig conveys the meaning of close location. It specifies a location near another place.
owtušu kogā́ti šupā́tɑkotsar tirṓsitsar pig ʔamḗʔis my friend was near the royal palace
šupā́tɑkoɣɑ tirṓsiɣɑ pig ʔaʔḗmiɣow I went close to the royal palace
šupā́tɑkošu tirṓsišu pig kogiweker you will come from nearby the royal palace
phṓr
The postposition phṓr conveys the meaning of frontal location. It specifies a location in front of another place.
owtušu kogā́ti šupā́tɑkotsar tirṓsitsar phṓr ʔamḗʔis my friend was in front of the royal palace
šupā́tɑkoɣɑ tirṓsiɣɑ phṓr ʔaʔḗmiɣow I went in front of the royal palace
šupā́tɑkošu tirṓsišu phṓr kogiweker you will come from opposite the royal palace
šom
The postposition šom conveys the meaning of back location. It specifies a location behind another place.
owtušu kogā́ti šupā́tɑkotsar tirṓsitsar šom ʔamḗʔis my friend was behind the royal palace
šupā́tɑkoɣɑ tirṓsiɣɑ šom ʔaʔḗmiɣow I went behind the royal palace
šupā́tɑkošu tirṓsišu šom kogiweker you will come from behind the royal palace
tī́n
The postposition tī́n conveys the meaning of middle location. It specifies a location between two or more places or entities.
owtušu kogā́ti šupā́tɑkotsar tirṓsitsar gitirṓsicarna tī́n ʔamḗʔis my friend was between the royal palace and the tower
šupā́tɑkoɣɑ tirṓsiɣɑ gitirṓsiɣɑna tī́n ʔaʔḗmiɣow I went between the royal palace and the tower
šupā́tɑkošu tirṓsišu gitirṓsišurna tī́n kogiweker you will come from between the royal palace and the tower
No distinction is made between the position between two places or entities (“between the eyes”) or among more places or entities (“among the candidates”).
It may additionally convey the meaning of an unreal middle position. In such a case, they may be used with nouns of both classes with no distinction, and it governs only the ablative case. In such role it may occasionally be used to express the second comparison term in the superlative adjectival construction.
ɑktu ertušu kogā́tinošu tī́n gitikorṓtu (ʔɑñ) he is the tallest of my friends
It never conveys the meaning of crossing; this function is expressed by the postposition pḗr.
ʔī́r
The postposition ʔī́r conveys the meaning of circular location. It specifies a location around another place.
tsetseno ʔokḗtsar ā́kritsar ʔī́r ʔahowī́kon the children sat around the old tree
tsetsenoli ʔokḗɣɑ ā́kriɣɑ ʔī́r kṓraʔonɑt the children are running around the old tree
tsetsenoli ʔokḗšu ā́krišu ʔī́r ʔawū́ʔḗmiɣonɑt the children came from (around) the old tree
Verbs
The verbal system of Kī́rtako language is based on the fundamental dichotomy between imperfective aspect and perfective aspect. This distinction is conveyed by two different verbal roots for every verbal meaning, the imperfective root (Rimp) and the perfective root (Rprf). The perfective root is usually derived from the imperfective one through an introflexive process of vowel switching:
CV1CV2C → CV2CV1C
Example:
Rimp = gagok- → Rprf = gogak-
Although considerably rare, there are some irregular perfective roots.
Another distinction is made, on a temporal level, between a non-past tense, generally called “present”, and a past tense, by means of the prefix ʔa-, known as augment, which conveys the past tense, while non-past actions are marked by its absence.
Rimp = gagok- → Rimp-past = ʔagagok-
There are three verbal moods and three non-finite forms:
- Moods: indicative, subjunctive, conditional
- Non-finite: infinitive, agentive participle, passive participle
The citation form of verbs is the present imperfective infinitive, marked by the ending -ɑme, added to the imperfective root in its present form. From such form the imperfective root can be inferred and can be changed in its perfective equivalent.
The following personal endings are then added to the various aspectual and temporal forms. In this way, verbs show their agreement with the clause subject in person and number:
| 1st sing. | |
| 2nd sing. | |
| 3rd sing. | |
| 1st plur. | |
| 2nd plur. | |
| 3rd plur. | |
The different moods are formed by adding the following infixes to the verbal root, before the personal endings:
- indicative: Ø
- subjunctive: -iñ-
- conditional: -ɑts-
The non-finite verbal forms are meant as nominal/adjectival forms of the same verbs. They do not use the personal endings, but they declined as nouns or adjectives with the nominal declension endings.
As verbal forms can, however, be formed on both roots and add the past prefix. They can also add the modal infixes before their typical endings.
The non-finite endings are:
- infinitive: -ɑme
- agentive participle: -ī́to
- passive participle: -uki
The infinitival form is meant as a 2nd class noun.
Conjugation of a regular verb
Example: lī́lopɑme, to see
Indicative mood
| 1st sing. | ||||
| 2nd sing. | ||||
| 3rd sing. | ||||
| 1st plur. | ||||
| 2nd plur. | ||||
| 3rd plur. | ||||
The indicative mood conveys mainly true and certain actions or state, or at least regarded as such. It is the most used verbal mood in main clauses.
Subjunctive mood
| 1st sing. | ||||
| 2nd sing. | ||||
| 3rd sing. | ||||
| 1st plur. | ||||
| 2nd plur. | ||||
| 3rd plur. | ||||
The subjunctive is mainly used as a dependent mood, with or without any subordinative conjunctions. In main clauses it may convey wish or exhortation, being thus used also as an imperative form.
Conditional mood
| 1st sing. | ||||
| 2nd sing. | ||||
| 3rd sing. | ||||
| 1st plur. | ||||
| 2nd plur. | ||||
| 3rd plur. | ||||
The conditional mood conveys mainly the intrinsic potentiality of an action or a state, both in main and in dependent clauses. It may also convey wish or hope.
For this reason the present tense usually refer to future actions, while the past tenses are used to refer to future actions in the past (the past perfective is routinely used as future in the past tense).
Non-finite forms
Infinitive
| imp. pres. | |||
| imp. pres. | |||
| imp. pres. | |||
| imp. pres. |
The infinitive is a nominal form of a verb. It is used as a verbal noun in sentences, and it can be declined. It is regarded as 2nd class noun.
In its subjunctive form it is often used as object or subject of other subordinative verbs, like the negative verbs, the modal verbs or in dependent clauses in their infinitival type.
Direct objects of the infinitival forms are declined in the ablative case.
Agentive participle
| imp. pres. | |||
| imp. pres. | |||
| imp. pres. | |||
| imp. pres. |
The agentive participle is an adjectival form of a verb. It is used as a verbal adjective in sentences, and it can be declined. It is linked to nouns which actively perform an action.
It is usually used to build relative clauses, in which the subject is the linked noun, and the direct object is declined in the ablative case:
ʔṓnašu ʔalolī́pɑtsī́toli wī́roli the man which might have seen the woman
As an adjectival form, it displays a complete declension, to agree with the class of the referred noun.
Passive participle
| imp. pres. | |||
| imp. pres. | |||
| imp. pres. | |||
| imp. pres. |
The passive participle is an adjectival form of a verb. It is used as a verbal adjective in sentences, and it can be declined. It is linked to nouns which undergo an action, or inactively are in a certain state.
Despite the lack of a verbal passive form, this participle is the closest form to such role. It can, however, be used only as an adjective and it is often used to build relative clauses, in which the object is the linked noun, and the subject is declined in the agentive case. In the earlier period it is not used in this role.
wī́roli ʔalolī́puki ʔṓna the woman seen by the man
As an adjectival form, it displays a complete declension, to agree with the class of the referred noun.
The third person
The are two forms for the third person verbal ending:
- -ɑt, called long form
- -Ø, called short form
These two forms have different uses:
- The long form, -ɑt, is generally used when the subject has an active or animate role, even if the expressed action may also be totally independent from its will. Examples:
sopali wī́ro ñamī́kɑt the dog is biting the man (agentive active role)
sopa hī́šakɑt the dog is falling (this role in not dependent from the subject’s will, but it is still animated)
- The short form, -Ø, is generally used when the subject has an inanimate role, and, preferably, with inherently inanimate subjects. Example:
sopa kḗwon the dog is sleeping (non-active and non-animated role)
It is also used in passive constructions:
wī́ro sopali ñamī́k the man is bitten by the dog
Such usage of both endings is not permanently fixed during the history of the language and some confusion can be found in the earlier period and, most of all, in the later period.
The long forms may also be found with intrinsically inanimate nouns, if they are subjects of an action which is regarded as semantically animate.
pike rḗtɑnɑt the water is flowing
When using the short forms, some verbs, especially those whose infinitival forms end in -ɣɑme or in -ʔɑme, may drop the final consonant of the verbal root, and undergo a shift in the vowel tone.
ʔimḗɣɑme → ʔimḕ andare → va
This phenomenon is not, however, a mandatory feature of every verb with these endings.
Negation
The verbal negation is conveyed by the negative verb ʔī́sɑme. As it has a monosyllabic root, it does not display a perfective root. Inside the sentence this verb is conjugated according to the person and the number of its subject and according to the required tense. It has the subjunctive infinitival form of the negated verb as direct object. The aspectual information is conveyed by the infinitival form. The object of the infinitive, is, as a rule, declined in the ablative case.
sopali wī́ro ʔañī́makɑt → sopali wī́rošu ñī́makiñɑme ʔaʔī́sɑt the dog bit the man → the dog didn’t bite the man
sopa kḗwon → sopa kḗwoniñɑme ʔī́s the dog is sleeping → the dog isn’t sleeping
As can be seen, the negative verbs can use both the third person endings, according to the rules and the animacy degrees conveyed by the negated verb.
Double negatives are generally not allowed; the presence of another negative element in the sentence inhibits the negative verb.
Syntax
This chapter gives an extensive description of Kī́rtako syntactical features.
Main clause and word order
Kī́rtako is an almost strictly SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) language.
wī́roli sopa lī́lopɑt the man is seeing the dog
The quite rich case system allows every other possible word order, but most of them prove to be very marked and infrequently used. The only word order with a clear role and a frequent usage is OSV (Object-Subject-Verbs), which marks the so-called passive construction.
sopa wī́roli lī́lop the dog is being seen by the man
The other elements in the sentence are usually placed in the order “place-manner-cause-time”, although they are basically freer than the main elements. An object in the dative case, when conveying the indirect object, tends to be placed before the direct object of the sentence.
A peculiar feature is the verbal infinitival agreement: when infinitival forms, as nominal forms of the verbs, take a direct object, are regarded as an expression of belonging, and the direct object is declined in the ablative case.
sopašu lī́lopiñɑme ʔī́sow I am not seeing the dog.
Moreover, as it can been seen in the example above, when an infinitival form is governed by a modal verb or by the negative verb ʔī́sɑme, the infinitive is always placed before the conjugated modal form.
Nouns
The noun cluster is formed by a noun, carrying the main meaning, and by other noun-type forms, namely adjectives, which specify this meaning or add other meaning to the main noun. Inside of a noun cluster, the noun can be replaced by a pronoun.
The noun usually closes the noun cluster, being preceded by every other specifying form. Thus, other elements conveying possession and belonging are always placed before the noun, as well as every attributive adjective.
wī́rora sṓgo the man’s house
owtušu lilā́ my hand
jṓpā́ ʔṓna the young woman
The role of the noun cluster in the sentence and its number are marked by case and number endings. These endings mark also other adjectival elements inside the noun cluster, resulting this in the process called nominal agreement.
Both attributive and predicative adjectives agree in case and number with the noun they specify. Other elements, which convey possession or belonging do not agree with the main nominal form.
jṓpā́li wī́roli sṓgoɣɑ ʔimḗɣɑt the young man is going home
jonora sṓgo our house
jṓpā́no ʔṓnano the young women
ʔṓnano jṓpā́no (ʔɑñon) the women are young
The agreement among nouns and adjectives is not a universal phenomenon. Indefinite adjectives, indeed, usually do not agree with the nominal form, neither in case nor in number.
The grammar role of noun clusters can be further specified by postpositions, which are placed after the cluster. Thus, it can be stated that the noun cluster can be closed by a postposition.
sṓgoɣɑ ʔū́m ʔimḗɣow I am going inside the house
The cases
The grammatical role of the noun cluster in a sentence is conveyed by some endings. These endings are bound to grammatical cases, with usually well-defined roles.
The cases in Kī́rtako language are 9:
- Agentive
- Passive
- Ablative
- Genitive
- Dative
- Causative
- Instrumental
- Abessive
- Locative
The grammatical roles and all possible differences in usage among similar cases are enlisted below:
Agentive
The agentive case features the endings -li in the singular and -noli in the plural.
The grammatical role of this case is marking the agent of the sentence, which is the active element of the action.
sopali wī́ro lī́lopɑt the dog is seeing the man
wī́roli sṓgoɣɑ ʔimḗɣɑt the man is going home
This is the only grammatical role played by the agentive case. The usage of this case as an agent marker is specified will be explained in a different section below.
As a marker of an agent, namely an element able to perform an action, this case cannot be used with 2nd class nouns, as they cannot be active agents of an action.
Passive
The passive case features the zero ending (shown with -Ø) in the singular and the ending -no in the plural. In the singular form it is the same as the basic root form of the noun.
The main role of this case is marking the patient of the sentence, which is the direct object of a transitive verb.
sopali wī́ro lī́lopɑt the dog is seeing the man
It also marks the unactive subject of a sentence, which is the unactive element of a state or the unactive participant of an involuntary action.
wī́ro ʔaɣašī́k the man fell
sopa kḗwon the dog is sleeping
ʔṓna jṓpā́ (ʔɑñ) the woman is young
The usage of this case as a patient or unactive subject marker is specified in another section below.
As the basic form of a noun, it is used as the natural vocative form.
mamu, kogiwiñer! mom, come!
It also represents the noun in its basic quality, namely its purest semantic meaning.
Genitive
The genitive case features the endings -ra in the singular and -nora in the plural.
The grammatical role of this case is marking voluntary possession. It conveys non-intrinsic conscious possession.
phū́kara sṓgo the person’s house (this person intentionally and consciously owns the house)
This is the only grammatical role played by the genitive case.
The difference between voluntary possession and involuntary possession or belonging, thus the different in usage between the genitive and the ablative case, will be explained in a different section below.
As a marker of voluntary possession, namely possession by an element with its own will, this case cannot be used with 2nd class nouns, as they usually convey semantically inanimate elements.
Ablative
The ablative case features the endings -šu in the singular and -nošu in the plural.
The main role of this case is marking belonging to someone or to something.
phū́kanošu wime the people’s world (this is an example of inverse belonging, since people actually belong to the word and not vice versa)
In a broader sense it conveys involuntary, or intrinsic possession, namely an unconscious and unintentional possession.
phū́kašu lilā́ the person’s hand (a person does not intentionally and consciously own his hand, that is an intrinsic possession)
The difference between involuntary possession or belonging and voluntary possession, thus the different in usage between the ablative and the genitive case, will be explained in a different section below.
As it conveys belonging, the ablative case also marks the noun clusters in their role as direct objects of non-finite verbal forms, namely nominal-adjectival types like the infinitive and the participles. This peculiar marking is called infinitival agreement.
wī́ro lī́lopon → wī́rošu lī́lopɑme the man is seen → the seeing of the man → the man’s vision
wī́roli jagetu rimusɑt → jagetušu rimusī́to wī́ro the man is tending the flock → the man tending the flock
Such role as a direct object is, thus, regarded as a belonging to the verbal form.
For this reason, the ablative case always marks the direct object of a sentence in which there is the negative verb. This verb requires an infinitival form, which introduces in turn a direct object in the ablative case.
sopa lī́lopow → sopašu lī́lopiñɑme ʔī́sow I am seeing the dog → I am not seeing the dog
It marks, also, the motion from a place, and, with some specific verbs, origin or source.
wɑkišu kigowow I come from the village (my journey started there)
wɑkišu hā́kigowow I come from the village (I was born there)
Difference in usage between genitive and ablative cases
Because of the different semantic and syntactical behaviour of both intrinsically animate and inanimate nouns, there is a strong difference in usage between the genitive case and the ablative case.
The genitive case conveys a meaning of intentional possession, namely possession by elements with will and intention and consciously done (although even animals are often included in this semantic group).
phū́kara sṓgo the person’s house → this person intentionally owns the house
The ablative case conveys a meaning of unintentional possession, namely possession by animate and inanimate elements, without any will and intention, and a meaning of intrinsic possession (as regarding, for example, to body parts), which is basically an unconscious possession, or a meaning of belonging, usually called inverse belonging.
phū́kašu lilā́ the person’s hand → this person does not intentionally or consciously own a hand; it belongs intrinsically to him/her
phū́kašu wime the person’s world → this person does not actually own the world, he/she belongs to the world
Because of its inherent meaning, the genitive cause cannot be used with 2nd class nouns, as they usually convey semantically inanimate elements, unable to match with the idea of a conscious or intentional possession.
Dative
The dative case features the endings -ɣɑ in the singular and -noɣɑ in the plural.
The main role of this case is marking the indirect object of the sentence, which is the recipient of the action.
phū́kali sopaɣɑ hḗmɑ kɑwokɑt the person is giving bread to the dog
In a broader sense it conveys motion to a place.
wɑkiɣɑ ʔimḗɣow I am going to the village
It may mark, also, the purpose or the goal of an action or a state.
owtušu mamuɣɑ kinusow I am singing for my mother
Causative
The causative case features the endings -khu in the singular and -nokhu in the plural.
The main role of this case is marking the cause of the sentence, which is the main underlying reason of an action or a state.
phū́kali sṓgoɣɑ ʔahnokhu ʔaʔḗmiɣɑt the person went home because of the rain
wī́roli ʔṓnakhu ʔalū́ʔḗmiɣɑt The man walked away because of the woman
In a broader sense it also marks the efficient cause.
sasī́gino tsū́thḗkhu ʔaʔosī́pon the plants spoiled because of the snow
This is an essential role in marking an unconscious agent, unable to display its own will and being thus intrinsically inanimate, inside of an agentive-inactive system. The supposed “agent” became thus the cause, while avoiding the role of subject of the sentence.
Some 2nd class nouns, although semantically inanimate, are able to elicit actions or changes in other elements. However, lacking their own will, they cannot play the role of active agent of the sentence and be marked by the agentive case.
Instrumental
The instrumental case features the endings -khɑ in the singular and -nokhɑ in the plural.
The grammatical role of this case is marking the instrument through which the action is performed, or a state is in being.
phū́kali mā́so jū́wakhɑ ʔaʔilukokɑt the person killed the mouse with a stone
It cannot convey the meaning of the complement of company.
This is a quite important role in marking an inanimate agent, unable to display its own will and even to make a motion, inside of an agentive-inactive system. The supposed “agent” became thus the instrument, while avoiding the role of subject of the sentence.
phū́ka jū́wakhɑ ʔaphū́wikon the person was hit by/with a stone ← A stone hit the person
As a marker of inanimate instrument, used to perform an action, this case cannot be used with 1st class nouns, as they usually convey semantically animate elements.
Abessive
The abessive case features the endings -gil in the singular and -nogil in the plural.
The main role of this case is marking the deprivation, namely the absence of the instrument through which the action is performed, or a state is being.
sopa hḗmɑgil ʔiluk the dog will die without bread
It cannot convey the meaning of the complement of absence of company.
It may also convey the lack of an inanimate entity, whose absence is aimless to the action or the state.
phṓɣagil jageli ʔajilɑkɑt the sheep without wool ran away
In this meaning the abessive case has a specifying role and it thus tends to be placed before the noun it specifies, similarly to other specifying elements of the noun cluster.
As a marker of inanimate instrument, used to perform an action, this case cannot be used with 1st class nouns, as they usually convey semantically animate elements.
Locative
The locative case features the endings -tsar in the singular and -notsar in the plural.
The semantic role of this case is marking the location, namely the place where an action is performed, or a state is in being.
ʔṓnali mā́so sṓgotsar ʔalolī́pɑt The woman saw a mouse in the house
It thus marks primarily the static location, namely the motionless position.
wɑkitsar mḗʔisow I am in the village; I am at the village
As a marker of places, this case cannot be used with 1st class nouns, as they usually convey semantically animate elements.
The active-stative alignment
The case system of Kī́rtako language is based on a morphological alignment called agentive-stative type (also called in Piti philological studies the agentive-passive alignment). This kind of alignment is essential different from the nominative-accusative alignment, which is widespread among most European languages, and from the even rarer ergative-absolutive alignment.
In an agentive-stative alignment the choice of the case relies on the intrinsic ability of the subject to be an active agent in the sentence or not. Unlike the ergative-absolutive alignment, subjects of an intransitive verb can also be agentive subjects, if the action is performed with a certain degree of animacy or intentionality. This usually also depends on the semantic nature of the verb itself. Let’s see two examples:
- to jump: this verb is considered as grammatically intransitive, but the described action involves an activity and a will from the subject. Thus, the alignment selects the agentive case for such subjects.
- to fall: this verb is considered as grammatically intransitive, but the described action involves no active engagement or no active will from the subject. It is more regarded as an incidental event, even if it implies some kind of motion. Thus, the alignment selects the passive case for such subjects.
The system selects only the passive case for direct objects of transitive verbs. Potential confusion is avoided, as the agentive case and the passive case cannot be selected for two kinds of elements which may be in the same sentence.
The general usage rule for these cases is:
- Subject of a transitive verb: agentive case
- Active subject of an intransitive verb: agentive case
- Inactive subject of an intransitive verb: passive case
- Direct object of a transitive verb: passive case
Examples:
sopaliAGEN wī́roPASS ñamī́kɑt the dog is biting the man (sopali is the subject of the transitive verb ñamī́kɑme and is declined in the agentive case, while wī́ro is the object of the verb and it is declined in the passive case)
sopaliAGEN ʔimḗɣekɑt the dog is running away (sopali is the subject of the intransitive verb ʔimḗɣekɑme, for which it is an active subject. As such, it intentionally and actively performs the action, and it is declined in the agentive case)
sopaPASS kḗwon the dog is sleeping (sopa is the subject of the intransitive verb kḗwonɑme, for which it is an unactive subject. As such, it does not intentionally and actively perform the action, and it is declined in the passive case)
The rules of this system are interlaced with the class system. 2nd class nouns cannot be declined in the agentive case at all. Sentences in which these elements might be transitive or active subject are usually differently arrange, as such nouns cannot be in the agentive case:
the storm spoiled the harvest → the harvest spoiled because of the storm umatsṓta kumḗkhu ʔaʔosī́p
however, some natural entities can be perceived as animate, as having their own will, like sɑño, light, pike, water, ʔako, wind, and they may optionally be regarded as 1st class nouns. In such cases these nouns can be active subjects of transitive verbs and be declined in the agentive case.
Verbs
Among all elements of a sentence, the verb conveys the most features. Indeed, this element conveys such features like person, number, tense, aspect, and mood, as well as its own semantic meaning.
At the semantic level, the verb carries a basic meaning, which conveys an action, a situation, a feeling, or a state.
gɑgokɑme to bring
kḗwonɑme to sleep
mḗʔisɑme to be placed
thā́gɑme to know
Each verb is formed by a root form, called verbal root, to which affixes are added, both suffixes and prefixes. By means of these affixes, verbs are conjugated, according to the verbal conjugation.
Each verbal root has a counterpart, derived by the basic root through an introflexive process of vowel switching, conveying an aspectual change.
gagok- → gogak- to bringIMPF → to bringPRF
In terms of analysis, these are deemed as separated roots with a different aspectual value, but the same basic semantic meaning. They are called imperfective root and perfective root. Monosyllabic roots, however, do not display any aspectual counterpart. Any distinction according to tense, mood, person, and number is made through affixal endings.
Verbal aspect
Kī́rtako verbs primarily display a basic feature: the verbal aspect. They make this distinction between two aspects, called imperfective aspect and perfective aspect, by means of two different verbal roots, carrying the same semantic meaning, the imperfective root, and the perfective root.
The verbal aspect essentially describes the extension degree over time of an action or a state.
- Imperfective aspect: it marks incomplete actions, namely the incompleteness of an action or a state. It is used to mark ongoing actions or states, repeated actions or states during an extended time, or a prolonged action or state in time. It is also used to express an action or a state in themselves, without any reference to their completeness degree.
gagok-: to bring. The imperfective root conveys the action of bringing or carrying while the action itself is ongoing. It may convey the action of repetitively bringing, focusing on the repetitiveness or it may simply describe the action of bringing, without any reference to it being completed or not.
- Perfective aspect: it marks complete actions, namely the completeness of an action or a state. It is used to mark a completed and finished action or state.
gogak-: to bring. The perfective root conveys the idea of the action of bringing from the beginning to the end of the action itself, focusing on its conclusion and completeness. The different roles of the verbal aspect may vary depending on the semantic meaning of the verbal root. An action can be indeed described during its development or after its conclusion and keep its original meaning, because the single action is limited in time.
hḗmɑ ʔagagokow I was bringing some bread / I used to bring some bread / I brought some bread (repetitively)
hḗmɑ ʔagogakow I brought some bread (I finished the action / the bread is/was in the place where I put it)
In these examples both roots keep the same meaning of “bringing”.
Oppositely, states, conditions, and feelings tend to describe a verbal feature which has an ongoing nature, with a lengthened duration in time. Both aspects convey the same semantic meaning, but also have different semantic nuances:
sopa ʔañowekow I loved the dog / I used to love the dog (the described condition is long-lasting)
sopa ʔañewokow I loved the dog (the described condition is now over)
In these examples both roots have the broader meaning of “loving”. The perfective root, however, conveys a slightly changed meaning of “stopping loving”, “no more loving”.
The verbal aspect is tightly bounded with tense, as some functions of the verbal aspect cannot be expressed in certain verbal tenses.
Tense
Kī́rtako verbs can also display another feature: the tense. They make this distinction through a prefix, ʔa-, which is added to both aspectual roots. This prefix sets the action or the state in a past time, in relation to the time of the conversation, creating thus two separated tenses, called present and past tense.
gagok- → ʔagagok- to bringPRES → to bringPAST
The form not marked by the prefix is called present, although it may also convey actions or state always happening or in the future.
The tense is tightly bounded with the verbal aspect, as some functions of the verbal aspect cannot be expressed in certain verbal tenses.
The aspect-tense system
In the verbal system the feature of aspect is inseparably bounded with the feature of tense. They are fused in an interlaced aspect-tense system which is expressed by the verbal root and the temporal prefix. This system conveys different information regarding the action or the state, which are semantically expressed by the verb.
The aspect-tense system is as follows:
For the sake of ease in analysis, such forms are usually called verbal tenses. The main information, conveyed by the various verbal tenses is given below.
Imperfective present
The imperfective present conveys primarily ongoing actions or states, during the same moment when speech occurs.
hḗmɑ hḗmonow I am eating bread (in this moment, ongoing action)
It can also convey habitually recurring actions or states, which are repeated on an almost regular basis, including the same moment when speech occurs.
hḗmɑ jḗsɑti hḗmonow I eat bread every day (recurring action, present moment included)
It can, moreover, convey general truths, actions or states which are repeated on an indefinite basis, or perpetually recurring.
rū́roki kitatsar ʔū́khasɑt the sun shines in the sky (general truth)
With a time-referring element, like a temporal adverb, this tense can also convey future actions or state, which are set after the moment when speech occurs, ongoing or recurring in that future moment.
hḗmɑ rosɑti hḗmonow I will be eating bread tomorrow (in that moment, the action will be occurring)
hḗmɑ phuwɑkotsar jḗsɑti hḗmonow Next year I am going to eat bread everyday (the action is going to be repeated in future time)
Perfective present
The perfective present conveys basically complete actions or states, which are completed at the same moment when speech occurs.
hḗmɑ homḗnow I ate/have eaten bread (at this very moment, the action is completed)
An action is, however, not usually complete at the exact moment of the present, whereas it tends to be completed in the present or in the future. Thus, this tense usually conveys actions or state that will be completed or finished in a future time after the moment when speech occurs.
hḗmɑ homḗnow I am going to eat bread (the action is going to be completed)
Usage of inherent time-referring elements is therefore optional.
hḗmɑ phusɑti homḗnow I am going to eat bread tomorrow (the action is going to be completed)
As the inherent reference to future time is prevailing, and despite its name of perfective “present”, usage of time-referring elements is compulsory to convey the meaning of completeness at the same moment when speech occurs.
Imperfective past
The imperfective past conveys primarily actions or states, which are set before the moment when speech occurs, ongoing or recurring in that past moment.
hḗmɑ ʔaɣḗmonow I was eating bread (in that moment, the action was occurring)
It can also convey habitually recurring actions or states, which are repeated on an almost regular basis, but only in the past and excluding the moment when speech occurs.
hḗmɑ jḗsɑti ʔaɣḗmonow I used to eat bread every day (the action was repeated in past time)
Perfective past
The perfective present conveys basically complete actions or states, which are completed before the moment when speech occurs.
hḗmɑ ʔaɣomḗnow I ate bread (the action is or was completed)
Mood
Kī́rtako verbs display an additional feature: the mood, namely the way or the manner an action is performed, or a state is in being. They make this distinction through a certain number of suffixes, which are added to both aspectual roots. These suffixes create three separated moods, called indicative, subjunctive and conditional mood.
Each mood can display every possible aspectual and temporal form of the root. Usage of such forms, however, is not necessarily the same in each mood. The different usage and information conveyed by the moods are described below.
Indicative
The indicative is the main mood of Kī́rtako verbal system. It features the zero suffix ending (shown with -Ø), or, it can be said that it does not feature any suffix.
It primarily conveys a meaning of statement and certainty, regarding the referred information. At a syntactical level, it is used mostly in main clauses, as the basic form of information transfer. The usage of the verbal tenses is the same as explained in the specific section.
sṓgoɣɑ ʔimḗɣow I am going home (imperfective present)
owtušu ʔḗtsɑ phusɑti khṓwerow I will be listening to you voice tomorrow (imperfective present - future usage)
ʔaki thā́tsono homḗnɑt he’s going to eat two eggs (perfective present - future usage)
khatowī́tili pā́ktā́ ʔakhatowɑt the tailor was sewing the dress (imperfective past)
wɑkiɣɑ ʔakogiwekow I came to the village (perfective past)
The indicative mood may also be found in sentences which do not express any certainty. In such a case, this kind of information is conveyed by other elements in the sentence.
Subjunctive
The subjunctive mood features the suffix -iñ-. It has three main functions.
It conveys, primarily, a meaning of hope and wish, usually from the speaker, regarding the referred information. The usage of the verbal tenses is the same as explained in the specific section.
sṓgoɣɑ ʔimḗɣiñow I wish I am going home (imperfective present)
owtušu ʔḗtsɑ phusɑti khṓweriñow if I only be listening to your voice tomorrow (imperfective present - future usage)
ʔaki thā́tsono homḗniñɑt I wish he eats two eggs (perfective present - future usage)
khatowī́tili pā́ktā́ ʔakhatowiñɑt I wished the tailor were sewing the dress (imperfective past)
wɑkiɣɑ ʔakogiwekiñow if only I had come to the village (perfective past)
It also conveys a meaning of exhortation, regarding the referred information. In this meaning it is seldomly used in the past tenses. It usually expresses an exhortation only in the present and in the future.
sṓgoɣɑ ʔimḗɣiñow I better be going home (imperfective present)
owtušu ʔḗtsɑ phusɑti khṓweriñow I’ll better be listening to your voice tomorrow (imperfective present - future usage)
ʔaki thā́tsono homḗniñɑt let him eat two eggs (perfective present - future usage)
Such usages, in the allowed tenses, can be semantically overlapped, as an exhortation can be interpreted as a kind of wish from the speaker for the action to be performed or the state to be in being. The context will usually clarify the function of the subjunctive forms in a sentence.
As an exhortative form, the subjunctive is used to express the imperative form, which does not exist in Kī́rtako as an independent form. Such usage is specified in another chapter below.
Moreover, the subjunctive is mostly used dependent clauses. It is widely used as a subordinating form in such clauses. In this case it is usually used without the other modal meanings, and it simply replaces the indicative form, without inferring any other additional modal meaning.
sṓgoɣɑ ʔimḗɣow → tsɑgewow hī́ɑt sṓgoɣɑ ʔimḗɣiñow I am going home → I say I am going home (imperfective present)
Conditional
The conditional mood features the suffix -ɑts-. It has several functions. It conveys, primarily, a meaning of desire and wish, usually from the speaker, regarding the referred information. The usage of the verbal tenses is the same as explained in the specific section.
sṓgoɣɑ ʔimḗɣɑtsow I’d like to be going home (imperfective present)
owtušu ʔḗtsɑ phusɑti khṓwerɑtsow I’d like to hear (repeatedly) your voice tomorrow (imperfective present - future usage)
ʔaki thā́tsono homḗnɑtsɑt I’d like to eat two eggs (perfective present - future usage)
khatowī́tili pā́ktā́ ʔakhatowɑtsɑt I wanted the tailor to be sewing the dress (imperfective past)
wɑkiɣɑ ʔakogiwekɑtsow I did like to come to the village (perfective past)
It also conveys a meaning of will, regarding the referred information, usually from the subject of the sentence. The usage of the verbal tenses is the same as explained in the specific section.
sṓgoɣɑ ʔimḗɣɑtsow I want to be going home (right now) (imperfective present)
owtušu ʔḗtsɑ phusɑti khṓwerɑtsow I want to hear (repeatedly) your voice tomorrow (imperfective present - future usage)
ʔaki thā́tsono homḗnɑtsɑt he wants to eat two eggs (perfective present - future usage)
khatowī́tili pā́ktā́ ʔakhatowɑtsɑt the tailor wanted to be sewing the dress (imperfective past)
wɑkiɣɑ ʔakogiwekɑtsow I would have come to the village (perfective past)
Moreover, it conveys a meaning of potentiality, usually deemed as inherent in the action or the state themselves, regarding the referred information. The usage of the verbal tenses is the same as explained in the specific section.
sṓgoɣɑ ʔimḗɣɑtsow I may be going home (right now) (imperfective present)
owtušu ʔḗtsɑ phusɑti khṓwerɑtsow I may be hearing your voice tomorrow (imperfective present - future usage)
ʔahno hašī́kɑtsɑt it might rain (perfective present - future usage)
ʔaki thā́tsono homḗnɑtsɑt I may eat two eggs (perfective present - future usage)
khatowī́tili pā́ktā́ ʔakhatowɑtsɑt the tailor might have been sewing the dress (imperfective past)
ʔatsḗthū́sɑtsɑt it might have snowed (perfective past)
wɑkiɣɑ ʔakogiwekɑtsow I might have come to the village (perfective past)
It can also convey a meaning of possibility, usually from the subject of the sentence, regarding the referred information. The usage of the verbal tenses is the same as explained in the specific section.
sṓgoɣɑ ʔimḗɣɑtsow I could be going home (imperfective present)
owtušu ʔḗtsɑ phusɑti khṓwerɑtsow I could be hearing your voice tomorrow (imperfective present - future usage)
ʔaki thā́tsono homḗnɑtsɑt I could eat two eggs (perfective present - future usage)
khatowī́tili pā́ktā́ ʔakhatowɑtsɑt the tailor could have been sewing the dress (imperfective past)
wɑkiɣɑ ʔakogiwekɑtsow I could have come to the village (perfective past)
Such usages can be semantically overlapped, as a will can be interpreted as a kind of desire from the speaker for the action to be performed or the state to be in being. Furthermore, a possibility may be interpreted as a form of potentiality, from the subject or inherent in the action or the state. The context will usually clarify the function of the conditional forms in a sentence.
As said above, the conditional can convey a potentiality or a possibility, usually referring to a future moment in relation to the moment, we are speaking about. Thus, these forms can be used, even without any time-referring element, to express actions or states set in a future moment in relation to a past period, in both aspects.
khatowī́tili pā́ktā́ ʔakhatowɑtsɑt the tailor would have been sewing the dress (but it wasn’t happening)
wɑkiɣɑ ʔakogiwekɑtsow I would come to the village (but it didn’t happen)
This usage is known as “future in the past”.
