pi: Adjectival and Adverbial Clauses

[qiihoskeh]

Last Edited: 2006.Nov.20 Mon

"Participial" Clauses

Strictly speaking, what the language has probably aren't participles, but special finite forms.

The "active participle" uses a null subject prefix, e.g.
to-li-biz-d-e takpañ golp-e.
TO-3AS-here-Loc-Ind Act.tree Act.big-Ind
"Here's the big tree."
where golpe (and for that matter, takpañ) is an active participle.

The "passive participle" is formed using u- as the object prefix, e.g.
to-li-biz-d-e takpañ bi-u-kamb-e.
TO-3AS-here-Loc-Ind Act.tree 1XS-Pas-see-Ind
"Here's the tree I saw."
where biukambe is a passive participle. Note that u- can be either a direct object or an indirect object prefix if the verb is trivalent. Examples:
ki-bi-u-tân-e "what you gave me"
ki-u-ji-tân-e "to whom you gave it".

These are made into adverbs by putting a- before any actant prefixes, e.g. abiukambe.

Relative Clauses

There are different kinds of relative clauses:

1. those formed with the adverbs uz "where" or un "when"


2. those where the argument of an argument is relativized

These are formed as follows:

1. The adverbs occur first in the clause. These relative clauses are adverbial; the adjectival counterparts are formed using tuz and tun (the forms of these words may change). Example:
   
   si-golp-e takpañ tuz bi-li-kamb-e cipcip.
   3IS-big-Ind Act.tree where 1XS-3AS-see-Ind Act.bird
   "The tree where I saw the bird is large."
   
   cipcip, bi-ji-kamb-e uz ki-ji-hask-e.
   Act.bird, 1XS-3TS-see-Ind where 2XS-3TS-hear-Ind
   "I saw the bird where you heard it."
   


2. The clause is formed like a main clause except that it's introduced with the conjunction net and uses the prefix te- in place of the pronominal prefix. Example:
   
   si-golp-e takpañ net bi-li-kamb-e cipcip te-yûm-e.
   3IS-big-Ind Act.tree NET 1XS-3AS-see-Ind Act.bird Act.TE-on_top_of-Ind
   "The tree I saw the bird on top of is large."