Seuna serial verb construction

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

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

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

he returned your call = wire-speakori gwə

In the above examples, mə represents "come", gə represents "go" and gwə represents return". The normal final vowel has been replaced with the shwa. In Seuna, the only place that you find the shwa is in non-initial verbs in SVC's. The person/mood/tense information is only given on the initial verb.

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

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

she ran across the street = ranori cwɘ street

he walked along the street = walkori dwɘ street

the barrel roled down the hill = barrel roleori jɘ hill

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

she crossed the street = cwori street

he went along the street = dwori street

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

Some more example ;-

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

he broke into the bathroom = breakori pə bathroom

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

she hit it with an axe = timpori it useə axe

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

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

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

Index

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