New Language: Njaama (Verbal System--Longish)
| From: | David Peterson <digitalscream@...> |
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| Date: | Monday, October 14, 2002, 7:22 |
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I've been working on a new language for awhile, which I finally decided to
call Njaama [ndZa:(2)ma(1)], and I just worked out the verb paradigm (for the
time being), so I thought I'd share it.
First, Njaama's not necessarily isolating, but it's pretty close to it.
It's a pitch accent language. It only has two tones (high and low), so I'm
just putting a 1 or a 2 in parentheses after the syllable to indicate.
There are prenasalized stops which I'll just indicate as [nd], [mb] and [Ng]
(oh, for the name of the language, the first part is written /ndy/, which
comes out [ndZ]). The nasal just triggers nasalization, but I don't want to
fiddle with ~'s 'cause they look funky. Post-vocalic [n] also triggers
nasalization.
Things to know: wa(1) = "I"; ja:(2) = "you" (accusative); wa(1)nta(2) = "we"
(exclusive, dual). [!] = dental click; [O] = back, open-mid, rounded vowel;
[C'] = ejective. There are rules for tone assignment, and underlying tone,
but they don't need to be mentioned here. /j/ > [Z] / _[i]; /w/ > [v] /
_[O, u].
Okay, so here are the verbs:
Verbal Infixes:
Class I Verbs (Verbs describing emotions and sensory experience), ka:(1)nE(2)
"to see":
1.) Imperfect: --, wa(1) ka:(1)nE(2) ja:(2) (I see, I can see, I
am/was/will be
seing, I will see you)
2.) Perfect: -Et-, wa(1) kE(1)ta:(1)nE(2) ja:(2) (I saw, I have seen,
I did
see, I will have seen
you)
3.) Intransitive: -um-, wa(1) ku(1)ma:(1)nE(2) (I do see, I can see)
4.) Passive: -a(1)w-, wa(1) ka(1)wa:(1)nE(2) (I'm seen, I'm being
seen, I was
seen, etc.)
5.) Antipassive: -ip'-, wa(1) ki(1)p'a:(1)nE(2) (I do/can/am see[ing]
something)
6.) Causative: -Ol-, wa(1) kO(1)la:(1)nE(2) ja:(2) (I cause you to see,
I was
causing you to see…)
7.) Imperative: -VC-, ka(1)ka:(1)nE(2) (see!) [Note: The vowel in the
reduplicated infix is
always short.]
8.) Uncertain: -u(2)!-, wa(1) ku(1)!a:(1)nE(2) ja:(2) (I
think/believe/'m almost
sure I'll see you
[when
combined with
the perfect
tense, it renders
the
meaning, "I
think/believe I
saw you"])
9.) Reflexive: -u(2)s-, wa(1) ku(1)sa:(1)nE(2) (I see myself)
10.) Reciprocal: -O(2)m-, wa(1)nta(2) kO(1)ma:(1)nE(2) (We [two] see each
other)
Class II Verbs (Verbs describing actions carried out by one person alone),
ja(2)NdZi(1) "to cry":
1.) Imperfect: --, wa(1) ja(2)NdZi(1) (I cry, I'm crying, I do cry, I
was crying,
I will cry)
2.) Perfect: -Et-, wa(1) jE(2)ta(2)NdZi(1) (I cried, I did cry, I have
cried, I
had cried, I will have
cried)
3.) Transitive: -E(1)k-, wa(1) jE(2)ka(2)NdZi(1) (I cry something [e.g.,
tears])
4.) Involuntary: -a(1)w-, wa(1) ja(2)wa(2)NdZi(1) (I'm caused to cry, I'm
brought to
tears [the causer is
rendered in
the same way as for a
passive in
class I])
5.) Beneficiary: -ip'-, wa(1) Zi(2)p'a(2)NdZi(1) (I cry [for something]
[the thing
cried for can be expressed
prepositionally in the
same way an
oblique argument can])
6.) Causative: -Ol-, wa(1) jO(2)la(2)NdZi(1) ja:(2) (I cause you to cry,
I was
causing you to
cry...)
7.) Imperative: -VC-, ja(2)ja(2)NdZi(1) (cry!)
8.) Irrealis: -u(2)!-, wa(1) ju(2)!a(2)NdZi(1) (I might cry, I could
cry, I'm
able to cry, I would cry)
9.) Intensive: -u(2)s-, wa(1) ju(2)sa(2)NdZi(1) (I cry heavily)
10.) Associative:-O(2)m-, wa(1)nta(2) jO(2)ma(2)NdZi(1) (We cry for each
other, we
cry together)
Class III Verbs (Verbs describing actions involving an agent and patient),
ma:(2)lE(2) "to hug":
1.) Stative/Habitual: --, wa(1) ma:(2)lE(2) (I'm a hugger, I'm one
who hugs)
2.) Perfect (Habitual): -Et-, wa(1) mE(2)ta:(2)lE(2) (I used to be a
hugger,
one who hugs)
3.) Transitive: -E(1)k-, wa(1) mE(1)ka:(2)lE(2) ja:(2) (I hug
you, I
was hugging
you, etc.)
3.) Perfect (Transitive): -E(1)!-, wa(1) mE(1)!a:(2)lE(2) ja:(2) (I
hugged you, I
have
hugged you)
5.) Passive: -a(1)w-, wa(1) ma(1)wa:(2)lE(2) (I'm hugged,
I'm being
hugged, I was
being
hugged, etc.)
6.) Antipassive: -E(1)k- (no object), wa(1) mE(1)ka:(2)lE(2)
(I hug
something/one)
7.) Causative (Habitual): -Ol-, wa(1) mO(2)la:(2)lE(2) ja:(2) (I cause
you to be
a
hugger)
8.) Causative (Transitive): -O(1)lk-, wa(1) mO(1)lka:(2)lE(2) ja:(2) (I
cause you
to hug
[someone--can be
expressed
obliquely])
9.) Imperative: -VC-, ma(2)ma:(2)lE(2) (be a hugger!),
mE(1)mE(1)ka:(2)lE(2) (hug
[him/her/it]!)
10.) Uncertain (Habitual): -u(2)!-, wa(1) mu(2)!a:(2)lE(2) ja:(2) (I
think/believe/'m
almost
sure
you're
a hugger)
11.) Uncertain (Transitive): -E(1)ku(2)!-, wa(1) mE(1)ku(2)!a:(2)lE(2) ja:(2)
(I
might/could hug
you [with
perfect,
I think I
hugged you])
12.) Reflexive: -u(2)s-, wa(1) mu(2)sa:(2)lE(2) (I hug
myself)
13.) Reciprocal: -O(2)m-, wa(1)nta(2) mO(2)ma:(2)lE(2) (We
[two] hug
each
other)
[Note: Ditransitive verbs are Class III, by default. Rather than their
indirect objects being expressed as indirect objects, though, they are direct
objects. So, the verb "to give" in Njaama is "to give to", so you'd say
something like, "I give to you by means of a book", for the English "I give a
book to you".]
Class IV Verbs (Adjectival, stative verbs), lO:(2)NgE(2) "to be tall/high":
1.) Nonpast/Imperfect: --, wa(1) lO:(2)NgE(2) (I am tall, I will be tall)
2.) Past/Perfect: -Et-, wa(1) lE(2)tO:(2)NgE(2) (I was tall)
3.) Inchoative: -um-, wa(1) lu(2)mO:(2)NgE(2)(2) (I get/grow
taller, I become
tall)
4.) Passive: -a(1)w-, wa(1) la(1)vO:(2)NgE(2)(2) (I'm made tall,
I'm
caused to be
tall)
5.) Antipassive: -ip'-, wa(1) li(2)p'O:(2)NgE(2) (I make something
tall)
6.) Causative: -Ol-, wa(1) lO(2)lO:(2)NgE(2) ja:(2) (I cause you
to be tall)
7.) Imperative: -VC-, lO(2)lO:(2)NgE(2) (be tall!) [Note: The
vowel in the
infix is always
short.]
8.) Uncertain: -u(2)!-, wa(1) lu(2)!O:(2)NgE(2) ja:(2) (I
think/believe/'m
almost sure
you're tall)
9.) Intensive: -u(2)s-, wa(1) lu(2)sO:(2)NgE(2) (I am really,
really tall)
10.) Reciprocal: -O(2)m-, wa(1)nta(2) lO(2)mO:(2)NgE(2) (We [two]
make each
other tall)
Verbal Category Switching Prefixes:
1.) To Switch to Class I: a(l)-, wa(1) a(2)ja(2)NdZi(1) ja:(2) (I am sad
for/because of you)
2.) To Switch to Class II: hO(w)-, wa(1) hO(1)ka:(1)nE(2) (I keep watch,
I keep a
vigil)
3.) To Switch to Class III: i(j)-, wa(1) i(1)kE(1)ka:(1)nE(2) ja:(2) (I
look at you)
4.) To Switch to Class IV: sE(n)-, wa(1) sE(2)ja(2)NdZi(1) (I am a
sad/hurt)
It looks a lot better in my word processing document with IPA and everything.
:(
-David
"imDeziZejDekp2wilDez ZejDekkinel..."
"You can celebrate anything you want..."
-John Lennon