Kipin/Syntax/Noun phrases

Kipin Noun Phrases

Posession

Possession is head marked in Kipin. The possessum is marked for the person, number, and in third person, gender of the possessor

gotusso

sso

sa

1

My cat.

When the possessor is denoted by an explicit noun phrase, this follows the possessor.

ijeiwi gurfin

iwi |gurfin

yu |gurfin

3H |widow

The widow's hen

The possessor always appears in the unmarked case (nominative for Human and Animal nouns, absolutive for Inanimate nouns).

myijeiwi gurfin lutwifogurgnu

ije|iwi |gurfin |lu|twifo|gur|gnu
ije|yu |gurfin |lu|ce|gur|gnu	hen|3H |widow |1|see|RECENT|3A

I saw the widow's hen.

Adjectives

Attributive adjective precede the noun the qualify. They agree for gender and number but not case.

surfo kije

kije

leiutenant

Cowardly leiutenant

firsurfo sarkeseaer

surfo |sar|kesea|er

surfo| |sar|kije|ir

cowardly |H.Acc.P|leiutenant|H.P

cowardly leiutenants

sixel wexen

xel |wexen

pert |puffin

Pert puffin

pexel wasseampa

xel |wasseam|pa

xel |wexen|pa

pert |puffin|A.P

Pert puffins.

yealdor kipin

aldor |kipin|

aldor |kipin|

loud |voice

Loud voice

yenkoaldor kekonkolanhe

aldor |kekon|kolan|ye
aldor |kipin|kolan|yi	loud |voice|3IP|erg

Loud voices

Where multiple adjectives qualify the same noun, they are ordered with the ones representing the newest information first.

Relative clauses

Relative clauses precede the noun qualified and are formed by a gapping strategy. The relativised argument is the grammatical subject of the relative clause, and is omitted in the relative clause.

sicinhiximi mjilhen renardo

si|cinhi|xi|mi |mj|ilhen |renardo si|cinhi|xi|gnu |gnu|ilhen |renardo 3A|flatter|DP|3A |A.Acc|cock| fox

The fox who flattered the cock.

The noun thus qualified appears in the case proper to its role in the matrix clause.

erralseegno sicinhiximi mjilhen gnorennardo

er|ral|see|gno |si|cinhi|xi|mi |mj|ilhen |gno|renardo ir|ral|xi|gnu |si|cinhi|xi|ngu |ngu|ilhen |gnu|renardo 3PH|chase|DP|3A | 3A|flatter|DP|3A |A.Acc|cock |A.Acc|fox

They chased the fox who flattered the cock.

Note that in this example, the matrix clause conveys new information about the noun qualified by the relative clause, which is therefore defocussed. This is typical behaviour in sentences containing relative clauses, but will not necessarily be the case in all circumstances.

As adjectives are primarily verbal in nature, attributive adjectives may be regarded as a form of simple relative clause.