|
(Ref. 2.0.1.). Since unmarked forms
are often ambiguous, the recognition of zero morphs is avoided as much as
possible.
|
Suppletion :
|
When a morpheme has different
phonetic realizations, `allomorphs’ in different environments, it is
suppletion. A few cases of suppletion are found in tense suffixes of verbs.
|
Future tense has three allomorphs : /ne/,
|
/yą/ and /b  /
in different environments
|
When morphemes undergo these morphological processes,
they may also undergo phonetic changes. Such morphophonemic changes are very
few and rare. They are dealt with individually while describing the
morphemes that undergo the changes in the appropriate sections.
|
2.1.
|
Noun:
|
2.1.1.
|
Nature of Nouns :
|
A noun in Mishmi is defined as a
member of an open set of words which can be inflected for case as already
mentioned. Nouns form by far the largest class in the Mishmi language. Nouns
can occur as predicates in a Mishmi sentence. Nouns include terms referring
to flora and fauna; to parts of the bodies of human and of other animals;
parts of trees, and so on; to mineral and environmental phenomena (`earth’,
`water’, `silver’, etc.); to geographical
|
formations (`forest’, `mountain’,
`plain’ and so on); and celestial bodies (`sun’, `moon’); to noises (`roar’,
whistle’), song styles and language; to artefacts (`baskets’, `game traps’)
and institutionalized parts of the environment (‘village’, `hut’, `track’);
to age andf sex groups (`boy’, `girl’, `man’); to kinship relations
(`husband’, `father’); to particular places, spirits and people (proper
names); to pronouns (`I’, `you’); to time qualifiers (`yesterday’, `year’,
`before’) and place qualifiers (parts of compass, abstract concepts of
location like across, near, in front of and so on). Other abstract concepts
are expressed primarily through verbs and adjectives which can yield derived
nouns.
|
2.1.2.
|
Classification of Nouns :
|
Common nouns are classified into mass
nouns and count nouns based on their ability of taking number-inflexion.
|
2.1.2.1.
|
Mass Nouns :
|
They cannot be inflected for number.
They are always in singular.
|
| /kékąp/ |
`paddy’ |
| /macéyk/ |
`water’ |
| /kara/ |
`rain’ |
/tapg/
|
`sand’
|
|
|
|
