Béu : Chapter 6 : Derivations

Welcome to béu

..... How words change class

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ia & ua ... noun => adjective

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keŋko = salt => keŋkia = salty, having salt

keŋko = salt => keŋkua = lacking salt, saltless

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ia & ua ... verb => adjective

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The passive participle is formed by affixing -ia to the infinitive. For example ...

laudo = to wash/launder : laudia = washed ... [ laudias = item that has been washed. nò laudias = laundered clothes ]

kludau = to write : kludia = written ... [ kludias = the one that is written => a note ]

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The obligation participle is formed by affixing -ua to the infinitive. For example ...

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Actually the form -ua by itself can be a participle when it qualifies a noun. For example ...

laudo = to wash/launder : laudua = to be washed ... [ lauduas = a soiled item of clothing : nò lauduas = a pile of clothes to be washed ]

toili kludua = the book that must be written

kluduas = that which must be written => an (school) assignment

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u ... adjective => adjective

u ... verb => verb

mai & mi ... adjectives => nouns

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gèu = green : geumai = greenness

naike = sharp : naikemi = sharpness

Note ... the affix changes depending on whether the word is a monosyllable or a non-monosyllable.

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a => ai ... noun => adjective

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aŋgwa = harmony => aŋgwai = graceful, elegant, poetic

bawa = men => bawai = male, masculine

gala = women => galai = female, feminine

sekla = the material called "glass" => seklai = made of glass ... [Additional information about sekla ... seklau = spectacles, seklas = a glass]

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ʔà = one => ʔài = same, identical => ʔàis = the same one

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... Noun = Verb

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bakwenda = bicycle

jene bakwendori nambon = Jane bicycled home

bakwendako = to bicycle

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... Adjectives => Verbs

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gèu = green : geuko = to make green

naike = sharp : naikeko = to sharpen

keŋkia = salty : keŋkiko = to salt, to add salt

Note ... when the adjective ends is a diphthong (and is non-monosylabic) the last vowel is dropped.

For example ...

geukari = I turned it green ... notice that ʃì "it" can be dropped because geuko is V2.

geukari tí = I turned myself green

tezari gèu = I became green

The difference in meaning of the above two examples, is that tezari gèu says nothing about volition (or effort) while geukari tí has connotations of both.

jwari geuko = I was made green

The above has suggests volition (and effort) but by a third party.

Note ... -ko is possible an eroded version of gàu ... "to do".

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verbs to adjectives

.. -ble & -klo

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These are two useful affixes. They appear in certain words that are quite common.

bwí = to see

bwible = visible

bwiklo = worth seeing

flò = to eat

floble = edible

floklo = delicious

solbe = to drink

solbeble = drinkable

solbeklo = delicious

gàu = to do, to make

gauble = do-able

gauklo = worth doing

mài = to get, to receive

maible = possible (a possibility)

maiklo = significant, sizeable

It is not hard to see that these two affixes are related to the two verbs klói "to like" and blèu "to hold"

There are actually two words derived from these verbs using these two affixes.

kloible = likeable, cute (usually used in connection with young kids)

bleuklo = worth-holding, sexy, hot (used for nubile/attractive adults, both sexes)

I think that these two words complement each other. I think that the last two derived adjectives are rather neat.

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.. The active participle

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Sometimes also called the habitual participle.

The active participle is formed by affixing -ana to the infinitive. For example ...

kludau = to write : kludana = "writing" or "fond of writing"

solbe = to drink : solbana = drinking

and because of the strong tendency of adjectives to also serve as nouns ...

kludana = the one who is always writing => writer/author

solbana = "he who drinks" or "a drinker"

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.. The present participle

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The present participle is formed by affixing -la to the infinitive. HOWEVER in this case the final vowel of the infinitive is not deleted. Rather it is kept but if it is a diphthong it drops its second half. For example ...

kludau = to write : kludala = "writing just now"

solbe = to drink : solbela = "drinking at this moment"

and because of the strong tendency of adjectives to also serve as nouns ...

kludala = "the one writing just now" or just "the writer"

solbela = "the one now drinking" or just "the drinker"

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... Verbs => Nouns

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Actually verbs in their infinitive form can be considered nouns also. For example ...

dó = to do, to make ... but it can also be translated as "deed" or "action".

If an action can result in (or be strongly connected to) some physical object. In that case the name of the physical object is derived from the verb by deleting the final vowel of the infinitive and adding "u". For example ...

dó = to make, to produce : dú = a product, an artifact

nàu = to give : nù = a gift

solbe = to drink : solbu = a drink

The -u ending always gives a countable noun ... also tangible, sort of.

To produce uncountable nouns the suffix -van is often used. For example ...

nauvan = tribute, tax

dovan = products

solbevan = drinks

yái = to have : yaivan = possessions, property

glà = to store : glavan = reserves

Note ... yú is not a noun, but a particle that indicates possession, occurs after the "possessed" and before the "possessor.

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..... Positive and Negative Connotations

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In three places in the grammar the vowel ia seems to be associated with positivity and ua with negativity. [ Refer to 3.14, 6.1.2 and 6.1.5 ]

We also get a hint of this in the affix -u which negates some adjectives. This affix also negates some verbs.

Perhaps also the past tense -i (positive with respect to realization) and the past tense -u (negative with respect to realization) is an extention of this pattern.

However it must be noted that the most positive word of all ʔaiwa and the most negative word of all aiya have opposite symmetry ... if you associate wa with ua and ya with ia.

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The give and get construction

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náu = "to give" or "to allow" / "to let".

mài = "to receive" / "to get"

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1) jonos nori toili jenen = John has given a book to Jane

2) jonos nori jene toilitu = John gave Jane a book

3) jenes more toili (jonovi) = Jane has received a book (from John)

The above 3 examples describe the same action but from two different perspectives.

Note ... in each of these 3 examples, all 3 arguments are marked differently

The words kyò "show" and fyá "tell" follow the same pattern as 1) and 2) ... at least when the object is a noun and not a complement clause.

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The passive construction

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jene jwore timpa (hí jono) = jane has been hit (by john) ... where jwore is from jwè "to undergo"

Notice that when the subject receives a noun, then it will take the ergative case. However when the subject receives an infinitive verb, then no ergative case is affixed.

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The reciprocal construction

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The reciprocal particle is bèn

jonos jenes timpur bèn = "John and Jane are hitting each other" = "John and Jane hit one and other"

Note ... lè "and" is not used when two nouns in the ergative case occur adjacent to each other.

The particle also comes after adjectives occasionally. For example ...

jono lè jene ʔài bèn = John and Jane are the same.

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The allow or let construction

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náu is used to express "to allow" or "to let".

John has let Jane go => jonos nori gò jene jò

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The causative construction

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gàu = "to do" or "to make"

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(pás) gari gò jono doika = I made john walk

(pás) gari gò jonos timpa jene = I made John hit Jane ... in this sort of construction, jono, timpa and jene must be contiguous and jono should be to the left of jene.

(pás) gari gò ós timpa glá = I made him/her hit the woman

(pás) gari tá (ò) donor = I made him/her walk

Is the below OK ?

mari náu jò = I received permission to go = I received to give to go.

gari jene doika = I made Jane walk

jene jwori gàu doika = Jane has been made to walk

nari jene doika = I allowed Jane to walk

jene mori doika = Jane has been allowed to walk

jene nawori doika = "Jane has been made to walk" ??? OR "Jane has been allowed to walk"

jene jwore gàu doika = "Jane has been made to walk"

jene more (gò) doika = "Jane has been allowed to walk"

(pà) jwari gàu solbe moze (hí jono) = I was made to drink the water (by John)

moze jwore solbe (hí jene) = The water has been drunk (by Jane)

Who/what is responsible

1) pintu lí mapa = the door became closed ... this uses the adjective form of mapa and the "copula of becoming" láu.

Agent => Anything ... It could be that the agent was the wind ... or even some evil spirits ... use your imagination.

2) pintu bwori mapau = the door was closed ... this is the standard passive form. (By the way ... I don't mean pintu rì mapa when I say "the door was closed")

Agent => Human and the action deliberate ... It strongly implies that the agent was human but is either unknown or unimportant.

Now lets consider gèudu = "to turn green" ... ambitransitive, S and A ... as in English.

1) báu lí gèu = The man became green ... this uses the adjective form of gèu and the "copula of becoming" láu. This form has no implication as to the humanness of the agent.

Agent => Anything and the action could be accidental.

2) báu bwori geudu = The man was made green ... this is the standard passive form. It strongly implies a human agent but the agent is either unknown or unimportant.

Agent => Human and the action deliberate

3) báus tí geudori = The man made himself green ... this form implies that there was some effort involved and definitely a deliberate action.

Agent => The man and the action deliberate

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..... Direct quotes in print

I must think further on this

Direct speech is enclosed in "moonmarks". These bits of direct speech are also highlighted. Usually the first speaker's words are highlighted in blue and the second speaker's words are highlighted in yellow. The highlighted area is lozenge shape. Every "textblock" the protagonists are reset ??. In a story, after the scene is set ... that is the time of speaking and the identity of the speakers have been established, then their names are dropped from the text and the kloi "speak" is also dropped. However somebody reading the text out loud would give this information from their understanding of the situation.

^* Occasionally very narrow blocks can not be avoided. And of course in mathematical/scientific tracts the tracts are all over the place ... interspersed with diagrams and what have you.

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..... The sides of an object

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sky nambon = above the house

awe (rá) nà sky nambon = the bird is above the house .... sometimes nà can be left out as well ... awe sky nambon = the bird is above the house (a phrase) the NP (the bird above the house) ....

earth nambon = under the house

face nambon = front of the house

arse nambon = behind the house

kà = side

aibaka = a triangle

ugaka = a square

idaka = a pentagon

elaka = a hexagon

ò atas nambo = he/she is above the house ... however if "house" is understood, and mention of it is dropped, we must add ka to atas ... for example ...

ò ataska = he/she is above

daunika = underneath

liʒika = on the left hand side

luguka = on the right hand side

noldo, suldo, westa, istu niaka, muaka faceside backside etc. etc.