| 245 |
ai 1 |
okho2 |
hrü-o |
bu-e3
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| |
I1 |
am buying3 |
[a] fish2
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In the first four examples, the meaning is typically plural
in the absence of the cardinals kali ‘one’ kaxi ‘two’ etc. or the definite
singular na-
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whereas in the last two examples, number being irrelevant to
the message, it could be any one of the three possible. Singular is marked by -na for human masculine11
and nonhuman - animate or inanimate - nouns. When it functions
independently, it closes relative participles converting them into
participial nouns, but when it attaches to absolute nominals, it is
unilaterally dependent on the individuating clitics. Thus,
|
| *246 |
|
larübvü - na
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|
‘ ? ‘ |
| |
|
|
{
hi } |
|
| 246
|
a. |
larübvü-
na - |
{
üi } |
‘ the book’ |
| |
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|
{
sü } |
|
| |
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|
| *247 |
|
omüi -na |
|
‘ ? ‘ |
| |
|
|
{
hi } |
|
| 247
|
a. |
omüi - na - |
{
üi } |
‘the man’ |
| |
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|
{
sü } |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| *248
|
[i] |
larücü-na |
|
‘ ? ‘ |
| |
|
|
{
hi } |
|
| 248
|
[i]a |
larücü-na - |
{
üi } |
‘the school’ |
| |
|
|
{
sü } |
|
|
11.
|
It needs to be stressed that some
use this [loosely ?] as a marker of common gender so that for them sentences
like |
| hinahi kolamüipfüpüi-koe ‘this is a plains woman’ |
ni1 kasa-na-sü2
vu3 -sü4 nie o5
ho6 pfoo-koe7
ai 8 sü9 moe10 |
It seems4 your1
friend2 came3 , I8
don’t10 know9 male7
or6 female5 are fine.
|
| *248
|
[ii] |
oja - na
12 |
|
‘ ? ‘ |
| |
|
|
{
hi } |
|
| 248
|
[ii]a |
oja - na - |
{
 i
} |
‘the teacher’ |
| |
|
|
{
sü } |
|
| |
|
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|
| 249
|
a |
modo kapi-na |
|
‘teacher’ |
| |
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b. |
larü amodo-na |
|
‘learner’ |
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c. |
ota kata-na |
|
‘cultivator’ |
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d |
oho
kase-na |
|
‘paddy-pounder’ |
| |
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e |
korü-na |
|
‘writer’ |
| |
|
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| |
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|
{
hi } |
|
| 250 |
|
vo-lo-na - |
{
i
} |
‘the male pig’ |
| |
|
|
{
sü } |
|
| |
|
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| |
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|
{
hi } |
|
| 251 |
|
vo-ni-na - |
{
i
} |
‘the female pig’ |
| |
|
|
{
sü } |
|
| |
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|
| |
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|
{
hi } |
|
| 252 |
|
si-ni-na - |
{
i
} |
‘the female dog’ |
| |
|
|
{
sü } |
|
| |
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|
| |
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|
{
hi } |
|
| 253 |
|
osü ilo-na - |
{
i
} |
‘the female deer’ |
| |
|
|
{
sü } |
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|
Singular is marked also by-o for human masculine.
As mentioned earlier, the two differ slightly: behaviourally,denotatively
and connotatively.Since there are no behavioral grounds
to distinguish between -na which attaches to nonhuman nouns
and -na that attaches to human nouns -both are
unilaterally dependent on individuates - -o rather
than -na is the masculine counterpart of -püi,
the feminine gender marker. -o and -püi
pattern the same way in that they can attach to absolute
nominal on their own, unlike -na :
|
12
|
This form is felicitous if it is to
mean ‘teacher’s child/offspring’
|
