Poswa verbs
Poswa verbs have 8 conjugation classes corresponding to the final letter of the stem of the verb. The commonest final vowel is /a/, so -a is considered the first conjugation class. Each verb also conjugates for three persons (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and three tenses: past, present, and imperative. The "plain" future tense is derived from the imperative. Verbal moods are handled by inflecting the conjugated verb (which always ends in a vowel) with consonants that resemble noun inflections. It could thus be said that verbs in Poswa are merely a subset of nouns. Lastly, each verb can be inflected for transitivity, so from each verb stem can be formed 54 forms. [1]
Conjugation tables
-a
The verb luba "to change color, repaint" is used here as an example of an -a verb.
| VERB | Past | Present | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intransitive | 1st person | lubi | lubo | lubub |
| 2nd person | lube | lubae | lubi | |
| 3rd person | lubel | luba | lubob | |
| Transitive | 1st person | lubebi | lubabo | lubwub |
| 2nd person | lubebe | lubabae | lubwi | |
| 3rd person | lubebel | lubaba | lubwob |
Thus one can say Blebblobop lippipa lubabi, "I painted the wall green", but Lusafampi lubi žužum "I turned pink from embarrassment" after discovering you've painted over the windows as well.
-e/-i
As Poswa inherited the "a e i o u" vowel order from Pabappa, and places its vowels before its consonants, the second conjugation is the one representing verb stems ending in -e or -i. The verb wape "to help, provide for" is used here as an example of an -e verb. The endings would be the same if the verb ended in -i instead. Unlike the -a conjugation, the -e/-i conjugation always adds a syllable to the intransitive form and two syllables to the transitive form. This is because the final vowel of the verb stem does not collapse the way it does in the -a words.
| wape | Past | Present | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intransitive | 1st person | wapebi | wapebo | wapebub |
| 2nd person | wapebe | wapebae | wapebi | |
| 3rd person | wapebel | wapeba | wapebob | |
| Transitive | 1st person | wapebebi | wapebabo | wapebwub |
| 2nd person | wapebebe | wapebabae | wapebwi | |
| 3rd person | wapebebel | wapebaba | wapebwob |
-o/-u/-y
A more complicated setup is the third conjugation, that which reflects words ending in the rounded vowels /o/, /u/, and /y/ (a rounded schwa-like sound).
The verb subu "to conquer, take over" is used here as an example of an -u verb. The endings would be the same if the verb ended in -o or -y instead, but note that most verb stems ending in -o do not belong to this conjugation.
| subu | Past | Present | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intransitive | 1st person | subwi | subwo | subwub |
| 2nd person | subwe | subwae | subwi | |
| 3rd person | subwel | subwa | subwob | |
| Transitive | 1st person | subwebi | subwabo | subwub |
| 2nd person | subwebe | subwabae | subwi | |
| 3rd person | subwebel | subwaba | subwob |
-p
The first consonant-stem conjugation is the -p conjugation, because /p/ is the first consonant in the Poswa alphabet. Since all reflexive verbs end in /p/, this conjugation is more common than the other consonant conujgations. However, many verb stems that end in /p/ are normal verbs, not reflexives. The verb blop "to see, focus" is used below as an example of a non-reflexive /p/ verb. Note that, unlike the vowel conjugations above, the transitive form is not merely derived by inserting the infix "-ab-" into the intransitive form.
| blop | Past | Present | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intransitive | 1st person | blofi | blofo | blofub |
| 2nd person | blofe | blofae | blofi | |
| 3rd person | blofel | blofa | blofob | |
| Transitive | 1st person | blobbi | blobbo | blobbub |
| 2nd person | blobbe | blobbae | blobbi | |
| 3rd person | blobbel | blobba | blobbob |
-m
The -m conjugation is very simple. The verb pessam "to cuddle, hug, squeeze someone" is used here as an example of an -m verb.
| pessam | Past | Present | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intransitive | 1st person | pessambi | pessambo | pessambub |
| 2nd person | pessambe | pessambae | pessambi | |
| 3rd person | pessambel | pessamba | pessambob | |
| Transitive | 1st person | pessambebi | pessambabo | pessambwub |
| 2nd person | pessambebe | pessambabae | pessambwi | |
| 3rd person | pessambebel | pessambaba | pessambwob |
-s
The -s conjugation has a few slipups. The verb pipsis "to sleep in a tree, camp out" is used here as an example of an -s verb.
| pipsis | Past | Present | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intransitive | 1st person | pipsiši | pipsišo | pipsišub |
| 2nd person | pipsiše | pipsišae | pipsiši | |
| 3rd person | pipsišel | pipsiša | pipsišob | |
| Transitive | 1st person | pipsispi | pipsispo | pipsispub |
| 2nd person | pipsispe | pipsispae | pipsispi | |
| 3rd person | pipsispel | pipsispa | pipsispob |
-l
The -l conjugation appears to have arisen as a combination of two divergent ones. The verb pumpel "to drill, cut deeply" is used here as an example of an -l verb.
| pumpel | Past | Present | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intransitive | 1st person | pumpeži | pumpežo | pumpežub |
| 2nd person | pumpeže | pumpežae | pumpeži | |
| 3rd person | pumpežel | pumpeža | pumpežob | |
| Transitive | 1st person | pumpellwi | pumpellwo | pumpellwub |
| 2nd person | pumpellwe | pumpellwae | pumpellwi | |
| 3rd person | pumpellwel | pumpellwa | pumpellwob |
-o
The -o conjugation is considered a consonantal one, because it reflects a lost final /r/ that changed to /b/ in some words but coalesced with the preceding vowel in others. This is why most verb stems with final -o are not in the -o/-u/-y conjugation above, but rather in this one. The verb poto "to chase down, run and catch, as in war" is used here as an example of an -o verb.
| poto | Past | Present | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intransitive | 1st person | potabi | potabo | potabub |
| 2nd person | potabe | potabae | potabi | |
| 3rd person | potabel | potaba | potabob | |
| Transitive | 1st person | potolwi | potolwo | potolwub |
| 2nd person | potolwe | potolwae | potolwi | |
| 3rd person | potolwel | potolwa | potolwob |
Notes
- ↑ This seems low? I think there is a second conjugation which substitutes an -al- for all of the -ab- infixes, changing the meaning to passive (and can only be used with transitive verbs). Also, I just remembered that the -ab- changes to -eb- to mark yet another shade of meaning, and that there is probably an -el- too, so the transitive tables should actually be quadrupled.
