Theiling Online    Sitemap    Conlang Mailing List HQ   

Mujai verb system

From:Patrick Dunn <tb0pwd1@...>
Date:Tuesday, March 5, 2002, 3:08
What's the word for a verb system that marks for evidence rather than
tense or person?

Here's Mujai's system:

-kur indicates that a verb is transitive (takes an object) and that the
fact is well-known..

Gi masu.
He eats

Gi masukur sup.
He eats soup.

Without -kur, the verb is intransitive and expresses, as above, common
knowledge.

Paulu dans.
Paul dances.

-kuni indicates a transitive verb expressing a fact learned through
hearsay:

Gi masukuni sup.
(They say) he eats soup.

-ni is the intransitive form.

Paulu danzni
(They say) Paul dances.

-kurtu indicates an event of uncertain veracity, or something witnessed in
a dream, or something the speaker considers
metaphorical:

Gi masaukurtu sup.
(Perhaps, it seems as if) he eats soup.

-tu is the intransitive form.

Paulu danstu.
(Perhaps, it seems as if) Paul dances.

-kaa indicates a statement contrary to fact; it sometimes is used as a
formal negator.  It is used with both transitive and
intransitive verbs:

Paulu danskaa
Paul (doesn't really) dance.

Gi masukaa sup.
He (doesn't really) eat soup.

-ngar indicates a statement discovered through divination, divine
revelation, or logical deduction.  It is transitive.  The intransitive
form is -gnaa.  (-gnar and -gnaa change to -nar and -naa before alveolars
and -mar and -maa before labials and bilabials)

Paulu dansnaa
Paul (I deduce, god says) dances.

Gi masugnar sup.
He (must) eat soup.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prurio modo viri qui in arbore pilosa est.
                        ~~Elvis

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~