Re: Genitive relationships (WAS: Construct States)

On Tue, 2 Mar 1999 23:17:43 -0300 FFlores <fflores@...> writes:
>Edward Heil <edheil@...> wrote:
>> >Cool...my conlang, Rokbeigalmki, has the same thing.  It's also
>known
>> as
>> >a "construct state".
>Also, how do you indicate genitival relationships
>in your conlangs? Myself, I tend to use the good ol'
>genitive case, but in Ciravesu I simply resorted
>to juxtaposition (head-final).
>
>--Pablo Flores
Rokbeigalmki has a simple "of" preposition/case-prefix, _tza'_, and
construct states.  However, when the construct state is used, it connects
the objects closer.

_waju tza'ris_ = "house of learning"

_^waju^ris_ = "house of learning" >> "school"

In "present" Rokbeigalmki, the construct is formed by shifting the accent
to the last vowel of each word, and making it long.

/'wa(dZ)u (ts)a ris/          (/r/ = alveolar flap, things in parenthesis
are "single sound" affricates)

>>>>>     /wa'(dZ)u:'ri:s/          (notice the two accented syllables)
In "ancient" Rokbeigalmki, the preposition/case-prefixes were case
endings,
_waju ris'tza_

and the construct state used a long binding vowel /o:/ which had the
stress, marked with a circumflex (which is why circumflexes are used in
construct cases even without the -o-)
_waju^oris_

In "really ancient" Rokbeigalmki, the case endings were either
fully-separate prepositions or postpositions, i'm not sure which.

Rokbeigalmki also has possessive-pronoun adjectives, which are used in
different ways for different meanings.
_tzii wajhwa_     /(ts)aj 'waZwa/ = "my home"
_wajhwa-a tzii-a_   ( {-a} = /?a/ , "the") = "my home"

Those two are the exact same thing, the choice between them being
whichever sounds better in the sentence.  Also, since adjectives can't
separate between a preposition/case-prefix (i'm still not sure what they
are exactly), the "the" form is used in phrases like _wa'wajhwa-a
tzii-a_, "to my house".

_wajhwa tzii_, however, means "a house of mine".


-Stephen (Steg)

___________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]