Re: A bit of Varai

Afian <yann_kiraly@...> wrote:

>2. Unconjugated verbs
>Verbs aren't conjugated for simplicity (and since I see no reason why they
>should be).
How are you planning to express the various nuances that other
languages use verb inflections for?  There are several possibilities,
most obviously adverbs and adverbial particles, or auxiliary verbs.
But you can also show some of the distinctions other languages use
mood, aspect, and tense inflection for using distinctive
prepositions or postpositions, or case inflections.
(E.g., see Jeffrey Henning's recent post about Minhyan,
specifically the bit about the temporal case.)

In gjax-zym-byn I have very little verb inflection; verbs
take four endings to distinguish stative, active, reflexive
and reciprocal.  I use auxiliary verbs for some things other
languages use verb mood and aspect inflection for, but most
tense, aspect and mood distinctions are made with adverbial
particles or distinctive postpositions on the subject and/or object.
(In some cases the postpositions carry the entire weight of the
sentence and no verb is needed at all; an "adverbial" particle
might in such sentences follow a posposition.)

lju-txaj-zox    pq tu-i.
read-OPP-V.ACT  3P AGENT-at
He's writing.

lju-txaj-zox    mje  pq tu-i.
read-OPP-V.ACT  past 3P AGENT-at
He was writing.

lju-txaj-zox    pq tu-o.
read-OPP-V.ACT  1P AGENT-to
He begins to write.

The last could also be expressed with an auxiliary verb,

giqn-zox    lju-txaj-zox   pq tu-i.
begin-V.ACT read-OPP-V.ACT 3P AGENT-at

Or the "begin" morpheme could be compouned into the verb.

lju-txaj-giqn-zox    pq tu-i.
read-OPP-begin-V.ACT 3P AGENT-at

OPP = opposite (one of two opposite-deriving suffixes in gzb;
{txaj} derives a complement in a pair of relationship words or verbs,
while {cox} is more like the common use of Esperanto "mal-" for
deriving opposite adjectives/adverbs.)

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- Jim Henry
http://www.mindspring.com/~jimhenry/conlang.htm