Although it is conceptualy possible to individuate each noun
of a two-noun NP formally, the individuator can be added only to the head
noun :
|
| 370
|
*a |
ashuli-hi larübvü-na- i |
‘Ashuli’s particular
book’ |
|
|
*b |
ashuli-i
larübvü-na-i |
‘Ashuli’s particular
book’ |
|
|
*c |
oja-sü na-sü |
‘the particular teacher’s
particular son’ |
|
|
*d |
kolamüipfonai
cü-hi |
‘the particular plainsman’s
particular house’ |
|
However, the phrase-ending individuator has both
the NPs in its scope :
|
|
e. |
kolamüipfo na
larübvü-i |
‘the particular plainsman’s
particular book[s]’ |
|
The GN marker -na, however, has only leftward
scope so that in the above example, the plainsman is one
but the books could be any number. In their English translations,
the following represent the possible configurations in Mao
:
|
| 1. |
the single particular plainsman’s single
particular book. |
| 2. |
the single particular plainsman’s single
or dual or plural particular book[s]. |
| 3. |
the single non particular plainsman’s
single/du/pl.
nonparticular book[s]. |
| *4 |
the nonparticular plainsman’s particular book[s]. |
|
Like true clitics, individuators can be added to
all word-classes. In 371 below, they are added to the adverb [b], the verb
[c] and, the noun [d] :
|
| 371
|
a. |
idu4
imeli2 ocü rü-e3
- |
‘it rained3
at Mao2 yesterday1
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
{
i
}1 |
|
|
|
b. |
idu-
{ } imeli2
ocü rü-e3 |
‘it rained 3
at Mao2 yesterday
1 |
| |
|
{
sü } |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
{
hi }17 |
|
|
|
c. |
idu1
imeli2 ocü rü-
{i
} -e3 |
it rained3
at Mao2 yesterday1
|
|
17sü*
plus the sentence-marker e results in se
|
|
{
hi }2 |
|
|
d. |
idu1
imeli - {i
} ocü rü-e3 |
‘it rained3
at Mao2 |
|
{
sü } |
yesterday1
|
|
Individuators have a temporal component to their
meanings in as much as hi refers to the time of the speech act,
 i refers to a past time, the time before
the speech act since both the interlocutors must have atleast seen/heard the
referent before the speech act. Thus,
|
| 372
|
a. |
oko - hi |
the story which is
here and now being told or something. |
|
|
b. |
oko - i |
the story parts of
which both the interlocutors |
| |
|
|
know having heard
them sometime before the speech act. |
|
With certain nouns whose referents can pass away with time,
this is the only relevant meaning the individuators assume.
In contrast with -hi and i,
sü refers to a time which is yet to come.
|
| 373
|
a. |
okhro le
li - hi |
‘in the current month
; in this month’ |
|
|
b. |
okhro le li -
i |
‘in the past month’ |
|
|
c. |
okhro le li -
sü |
‘in the month to come’ |
| |
|
|
|
| 374
|
a. |
ovo koso - hi |
‘the current work’ |
|
|
b. |
ovo koso - i |
‘the past/done work’ |
|
|
c. |
ovo koso - sü |
‘the work which will
be done/is yet to be done’ |
| |
|
|
|
| 375
|
a. |
mopfo ko-hi-no |
‘in the current year’ |
|
|
b. |
mopfo ko-i-no |
‘in the past year’ |
|
|
c. |
mopfo ko-s-no |
‘in the year which
is yet to come’ |
| |
|
|
|
| 376
|
a. |
hata-li-hi
|
‘in the current week’ |
|
|
b. |
hata-li-i
|
‘in the past week’ |
|
|
c.
|
hata-li-sü
|
‘in the week to come’
|
|
