6.6.3.
|
The Complex Sentence |
The complex sentence is built up of a main clause
which is preceded by one or more subordinate clauses.
|
| ni1
lo2
-li3
ai4 e5
lo6 le7 |
| if
3 you (sg.)1
go down2
, I4
will7
go down 6
too5 |
| |
pfo-no1
kolamüi2
-ko0
 o3
ai4
sü-we5 |
| I4
know5
that3
he1
(is) a plainsman2 |
|
(all sentences in 6.5. exemplify the structure
of the complex sentence).
|
|
SOME IDIOPHONES
|
|
Idiophones, the linguistic expressions which (seek
to) imitate in sound the nonlinguistic sounds
made by objects are treated by the language as
manner adverbs, for the ideophones follow the
verb root, as a rule, like true manner adverbs
do in Mao. |
1.
|
ee |
|
(i)
|
descriptive
of the gurgling, brawling sound made by flowing
water |
| odzü
kru ee-e |
| ‘water is
brawling along’ |
|
|
(ii)
|
descriptive
of the sound of wind wafting across |
| cü-khri
mohru-ee-e |
| ‘(the) wind
is blowing across (ideophone not translated)’ |
|
|
(iii)
|
descriptive
of the sound produced when urinating |
| mahibo
mozü-ee-e |
| ‘Mathibo
is passing water (ideophone not translated)’ |
|
2.
|
vüi |
‘descriptive of the sound of something being fried,
of the noise of spitting oil in the pah’
|
| tel-no se-vüi-lo |
| ‘fry with oil’ (ideophone
not translated) |
|
3.
|
kaka |
‘descriptive of the sound made by hens after laying
eggs’
|
| hokrü-nahi koke
kaka-we |
| ‘the hen is ....’
|
|
