VOS: Alternate Explanation

[qiihoskeh]

Last Edited: 2006.Aug.04 Fri

Word Classification

Lexical nouns can function as syntactical verbs as well as syntactical nouns and lexical verbs and adjectives can function both as syntactical verbs and as syntactical adjectives. The word's valence is probably more important.

Monovalent Words

The monovalent words have a single argument, A1, specifying the word's subject. The actants for A1 are the prefixes. Monovalent words include intransitive lexical verbs, lexical adjectives, and most lexical nouns.

Divalent Words

Divalent words have an additional argument, A2, specifying either the words's object or its possessor. The actants for A1 are the suffixes. The divalent words include transitive lexical verbs and lexical nouns denoting relationships, such as kinship terms and words for body parts.

Trivalent Words

Trivalent words have a third argument, A3, specifying the direct object, with A2 now specifying the indirect object. A3 is normally inanimate and A2 here is normally animate; thus for each there are certain suffixes that rarely occur. The trivalent words include the ditransitive lexical verbs.

Argument Structure Classes

This will show which roles are matched with which arguments for each word class.

	A1	A2	A3
Trivalent	Donor	Recipient	Object
Divalent	Agent	Patient
	Perceiver	Image
	Mobile	Stabile
	Possessum	Possessor
Monovalent	Actor
	Subject

Actant Affixes

The following table shows the actants. Subjects are marked using prefixes and objects using suffixes. There are two subject paradigms, depending on whether the word has imperative mood or not. Entries such as m(u)- indicate that the vowel is dropped under certain phonological conditions. Note the multiple 3rd person actants. Their exact use depends on how the word functions in the sentence.

Person	Prefixes				Suffixes		Description	Number
	Other		Imperative
1st	1S-	m(u)-	1S-	m(u)-	-1S	-m(u)		singular
	1P-	me-	1P-	me-	-1P	-me		exclusive plural
	1N-	he-	1N-	he-	-1N	-he		inclusive plural
2nd	2S-	k(u)-	2.	(none)	-2S	-k(u)		singular
	2P-	ke-			-2P	-ke		plural
3rd	3.	(none)	3A-	c(i)-	-3A	-c(i)	Animate	any number
			3I-	l(u)-	-3I	-l(u)	Inanimate
	3H-	to-	3H-	to-			Head
					-3D	-n(u)	Dependent
any	U-	so-	U-	so-	.U	(none)	Unspecified
					-Rfx	-ri	Reflexive
					-Rel	-ro	Relative

There may also be distinct subject paradigms for Impersonal and Modal words.

3rd Person Actants

For each 3rd person actant (i.e. 3., 3A-, 3I-, 3H-, -3D, -3A, -3I), either an argument phrase appears or the actant coreferences an argument of the matrix or the argument is nullified. Which of these occurs depends on the actant, the other actants present, and the word form's syntactical usage.

* If 3H- appears, a corresponding argument phrase must appear.
* -3D always coreferences an argument of the matrix.
* 3A- and 3I- will always act like 3. in the same situation.

Main Usage

This applies to the syntactical verb of a main clause or a relative clause. There are no forms with 3H- or -3D and argument phrases always appear.

Conjunctive Usage

This applies to the syntactical verb of complement clauses and adverbial clauses and after conjunctive particles.

* 3. always coreferences an argument of the matrix.
* There are corresponding argument phrases for -3A and -3I.

Phrasal Usage

This applies to syntactical nouns and adjectives. One argument must be nullified. If 3. appears, A1 is nullified; in this case, if -3A or -3I appears, a corresponding argument phrases must appear. Otherwise, either -3A or -3I must appear with that argument nullified. If both appear, the one whose argument is nullified is the one whose gender is required by the situation; the other will have a corresponding argument phrase.

Examples

Monovalent Examples

3.(sleep) 3.(dog) 3.(brown)	"A brown dog is sleeping."	(1)
run perro tus

(1) 3.(sleep) is a main usage while 3.(dog) and 3.(brown) are phrasal usages. These latter two form a phrase serving as the argument required by the former.

Divalent Examples

1S-(heard).U	"I heard."	(2)
mu-hox.
U-(saw)-3I 3.(tree)	"A tree was seen."	(3)
so-naf-lu tokpa.
3.(heard)-3A Def-3.(dog) 3.John	"John heard the dog."	(4)
hox-ci ne-berro Hwaani.
1S-(want) CC-3.(sing)	"I want to sing."	(5)
m-pes la-sal.
1S-(want) CC-3H-(sing)	"I want John to sing."	(6)
m-pes la-do-sal Hwaani.
3.(see)-3A 3.(mother)-3D 3.John	"John saw his mother."	(7)
naf-ci madre-n Hwaani.
1S-3.(heard)-3A 3.John AND 3.(see)-3D	"I heard John and saw him."	(8)
mu-hox-ci Hwaani oh naf-nu.

CC- introduces a complement clause; thus in
(5) 3.(sing) is conjunctive usage and its subject is the same as for the auxiliary
(6) 3H-(sing) is also conjunctive usage and its required subject is 3.John
(7) -3D, in addition to 3. on (see), refers to John
(8) -3D refers to John here (3. on (see) is effectively 1S-)

Trivalent Examples

3.(gave)-3A-3I 3.(book) Def-3.(boy) 3.John	"John gave the boy a book."	(9)
mex-ci-l libro ne-jikko Hwaani.
1S-(heard)-3A Def-3.(boy) 3H-(gave)-3A-3I 3.(book) 3.John	"I heard the boy John gave a book to."	(10)
mu-hox-ci ne-jikko to-mex-ci-l libro Hwaani.
1S-(saw)-3I Def-3.(book) 3H-(gave)-3A-3I 3.(boy) 3.John	"I saw the book John gave to a boy."	(11)
mu-naf-lu ne-libro to-mex-ci-l cikko Hwaani.
2S-Ipf-(know)-3A Def-3.(man) 3.(gave)-3A-3I 3.(book) Def-3.(boy)	"You know the man who gave the boy a book."	(12)
k-pa-lah-ci ne-(man) mex-ci-l libro ne-jikko.

Comments

"VOS: Alternate Explanation" (Conlang-L's "Whatever Updated")

[(Anonymous)]

I got here after reading your "whatever updated" post on Conlang@Listserv.Brown.Edu.
The first part, at least, of this "alternate explanation", makes it easier IMO to understand the rest of this, as well as to understand the original explanation.
While it's still not perfect, it's way the heck better than anything I've done.
(Look in Frathwiki and/or Conlang.Wikia and/or Conworld.Wikia for Adpihi and/or for Reptigan and/or for "eldin raigmore".)
I admire it.