SYNTAX |
1.1
In Mising, a morpheme is the lowest level of grammatical hierarchy.
The occurrence of each and every morpheme in syntactic structure is
determined by the form class to which it belongs and by the function
which it performs. Thus, there is a correlation between form and function.
Any complete utterance, when divided on functional basis, gives rise
to, at successive levels, suffixes, words, phrase(s) and clause(s).
It indicates a system of grammatical hierarchy which is arranged at
systematic levels. These levels are-morphemes, works, phrase's, clause's
and sentences. The study of the arrangement of morphemes into words,
words into phrases, phrases into clauses and clauses into sentence
is the subject matter of syntax. |
Thus,
the syntactic structure can be represented as follows : |
|
A single
word in Mising may constitute a sentence. Words enter into morphological
process (es) to form a phrase. Phrases form clauses and clauses form
sentences. A single clause can also be a full sentence. Some times
a verb phrase alone acts as a clause or a sentence. |
1.2. Phrase level construction * |
Words
combine into phrases, thus the constituents of phrase level constructions
are words. Phrases do not have predicate tagmemes. A Mising phrase
is a close-knit group of words. While analyzing it, realtors are to
be separated from words, if any, and then head and modifying morph(emee)s
are identified. Phrases serve nominal, adjectival, adverbial and verbal
functions at clause level. |
On formal
basis, there are two types of phrases - |
(1)
Exocentric |
(2)
Endocentric |
1.2.1
Exocentric |
It is
also known as a realtor axis phrase. In such constructions, none of
the constituents of phrase is either head or sub-ordinate. Constituents
have equal status. Function words known as realtors serve as the second
constituent of the construction. In Missing, realtors are always post
positions or free words which are adverbs. These realtors are of two
types |
(a)
Adverbial relators |
(b)
Adjectival relators. |
1.2.1.1
Adverbial realtor axis phrase : |
Adverbial
relators are either bound realtors or free realtors. Bound realtors
are post positions. |
Bound
realtors - |
pė - at |
l
- in |
kelkke
- from/by |
kkki
- by |
klkke
- through |
sk
- with the help of/by means of |
Free realtors |
kėig - down |
anyļn - near |
dpila
- go |
émna - like this |
mapļ - without |