NewLang/Nouns

From Allocosm

Noun Phrase

Form

[DET | QUAN | DET QUAN] (POSS PRONOUN) NOUN (POSSESSOR) (ADJ)* (REL CLAUSE)

Noun phrases will start with some sort of inflected word. Usually this is the determiner - if no locational deixis is indicated a 'dummy' or 'default' determiner is used.

If there is a quantifier but no specific determiner, the default determiner is not used and the quantifier will be inflected. If there is a non-default determiner, the quantifier will appear uninflected following the determiner. Possessive pronouns, if any, will come next, followed by the noun itself.

The noun itself is usually uninflected except if there is a possessor. If there is a possessor (that is not covered by a possessive pronoun, that is), it will appear immediately following the noun.

Following that, optionally, will be adjectives (which are from a closed class or are participles). Further description will be in the form of relative clauses.

Noun Classes

See Noun Classes for more information.

Nouns are all categorized into various noun classes based on semantic meaning. Some nouns are simply in one class or the other (and requires memorization), while others contain a noun classifier infix. These marked nouns are usually the result of derivation from the unmarked verbs - the infix is added, putting the new lexeme into a new class with a different meaning.

Number

Nouns can either be singular or plural. In most cases, this is not marked on the noun itself, however. Rather it is marked on the determiner, or in the case of a noun in the direct case, on the verb itself.

Determiners

  • Determiners are the first element of the noun phrase (if present)
  • The determiner is obligatory unless the noun is in the direct case or the noun is a topic.
  • If a quantifier is present, the determiner is unmarked for number (i.e. uses the singular form) no matter the actual number. In this situation, the determiner is only marked for case and noun class.

The determiner indicates the case, number, and pragmatic distance (this, that, the other). The determiner also agrees with the noun class of the noun.

There is also an 'unspecified' determiner which is used for nouns that are not unique in the specific context. (This is different than definiteness. see the Wikipedia article on specificity for more explanation.)

Notes, in the following tables:

  • The determiners are listed in singular/plural pairs
  • VC in the determiner means the thematic infix of the class the determiner governs (that is, a vowel and a consonant)
  • Just V means just the vowel of the thematic infix of the class the determiner governs
  • Below each template will be example for the word geta, which is Class 3 and the thematic infix is -et-

Default determiners

When there is no spatial deixis (i.e. it isn't 'this', 'that', 'the other' or 'something'), a default determiner is used. Note that no default determiner is needed in the Direct case, as the details are marked on the verb itself.

Direct (unmarked) --
Ergative lzV / lzVCi
lze / lzeti
Accusative nV / nVCo
ne / neto
Locative sV / sVCV
se / sete
Instrumental tV / tVCa
te / teta
Dative riV / riVCi
rie / rieti

Determiners with spatial deixis

Determiners with a spatial dexis are inflected differently than default. There three spatial options: Proximal (this), Medial (that), and Distal (the other). There is also an 'unspecified' version for nouns that are not specific.

For the direct case, the base determiner is just placed before the noun, uninflected (e.g. ke geta, tan geta, etc.).

Proximal Medial Distal Unspecified
Direct (unmarked) ke tan baru xema
Ergative lzikeV / lzVCike'
lzike'e / lzetike
lzitanV / lzVCitan
lzitane / lzetitan
lzibarV / lzVCiba
lzibare / lzetiba
lziemV / lzVCie
lzieme / lzetie
Accusative nokeV / nVCoke
noke'e / netoke
notanV / nVCotan
notane / netotan
nobarV / nVCoba
nobare / netoba
noxemV / nVCoe
noxeme / netoe
Locative sVkeV / sVCVke
seke'e / seteke
sVtanV / sVCVtan
setane / setetan
sVbarV / sVCVba
sebare / seteba
sV(x)emV / sVCV(x)e
sexem / setexe
Instrumental takeV / tVCake
take'e / tetake
tatanV / tVCatan
tatane / tetatan
tabarV / tVCaba
tabare / tetaba
taxemV / tVCaxe
taxeme / tetaxe
Dative rikeV / riVCike
rike'e / rietike
ritanV / riVCitan
ritane / rietike
ribarV / riVCiba
ribare / rietike
rienemV / rienVCie
rieneme / rienetie

Quantifier Inflections

If the quantifier is the first word in the noun phrase, it is inflected for case and noun class. (Number is not needed because of the quantifier). Like with above determiners with deixis, in the Direct case, the quantifier is put just uninflected. The examples use the number teyon "five" and is with the noun geta.

Direct --
Ergative lzi+(quantifier)+V
lziteyone
Accusative no+(quantifier)+V
noteyone
Locative sV+(quantifier)+V
seteyone
Instrumental ta+(quantifier)+V
tateyone
Dative rin+(quantifier)+V
rinteyone

Possession

Possession is indicated by the noun (the possessed) being suffixed with -mvi/-vi followed by the possessor.

segena-mvi geta
ball-POSS dog
the dog's ball

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are:

1st Person Singular via
1st Person Plural vi
2nd Person Singular vima
2nd Person Plural vimano
3rd Person Sentient Singular vian
3rd Person Sentient Plural vonin

3rd person non-sentients do not have their own possessive pronouns. Instead, possession for them is handled by normal possession using the thematic affix as the possessor

segena-mvi   et
ball-POSS 3s(CL3)
its ball

Adjectives

See NewLang/Adjectives for more information.

Adjective come in two forms: a closed class of simple adjectives, and participles. If both types occur, then the simple occur first then the participles.

Relative clauses

TBD