Pro-verbs (was: new parts of speech/cases)

On Tue, 30 Apr 2002 21:12:42 -0500 Danny Wier <dawier@...>
writes:
> So y'all's conlangs... what do you have that might relate?
> ~Danny~
-

Well, in Rokbeigalmki i use independent subject-tense complexes.
Rokbeigalmki conjugates verbs (for those who haven't been here long and
therefore haven't seen me mention this a million times already :-P ) by
attaching a 'subject-tense complex' to the front of the verb/noun root.

Subject-tense complexes are formed from a pronoun and a vowel/diphthong
that carries the time meaning of the verb:

|az| "i" + |ii| (future) = |azii-| "i will..."
|imz| "they (f.) + |u| (past) + |oi| (present-routine) = |imzuzoi-| "they
(f.) used to..."

The second example is a compound complex, with two tenses.  Other
examples of compound tenses besides the "past-routine" include the
"immediate-immediate"  |a|+|a|, the "counterfactual 'would-have-been'"
|ii|+|u|, and the "routine-immediate" |oi|+|a|.  The basic tenses are:

|u|  /u/  = past
|oi|  /Oj/  = present-routine
|a|  /a/  = present-immediate
|ii|  /aj/  = future
and
|e|  /E/  = imperative, which isn't 'really' a tense but acts like one

So, some random verb conjugations could include:

|azii-farit|  /azaj Parit/  = "i will jump"
|uzuzoi-daplek-ad|  /uzuzOj daplEk?ad/  = "it used to be (routinely)
dropped"
|emze-kihsht|  /EmzE ki-St/  = "(you-all) leave!"
|omzaza-elyeb|  /omzaza EljEb/  = "they (m.) are coming (right this
instant)"

And when you drop the verb, using just the subject-tense complex,
accented on its last syllable, you get the Rokbeigalmki pro-verbesque
construction, as in the exchange:

|pawa eza-netz?|  /pa?wa Eza nEts)/  = "where are you situated?"
|ta'waju-a aza.|  /ta?wadZ)u?a aza:/  = "i'm in the house."

or...

|ha'yagh-a ozii-elyeb?|  /ha?jaG?a ozaj EljEb/  = "will the fisherman
come?"
|oziiza.|  /ozajza:/  = "he's about to."

These pro-verbesque verbless subject-tense complex constructions can
mean, besides "whatever verb was used before", |tezat| "be", |tzat|
"exist", |mwe| "go", |(da)waz| "go/make", and |netz| "be located at".

These verbless subject-tense complexes always have to come at the end of
the sentence, or at least before a pause.  And they're supposed to be
marked with accent-marks on their final vowel.


-Stephen (Steg)
 "bre'dauvídh, ktish-a tze-a, ozii-elyeb;
  ozíí - i ozii-dagair amsh..."

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