The
suffix ‘neki ’ when added to the numeral root/bar-/’two’
takes/a-/before it and loses the first vowel /e/,e.g., barnaki. |
2.2.2. Indefinite
demonstrative: The three indefinite demonstrative roots are - /oko/,
/ja/ and /jeta/. All other words like /e a?/
‘other/, /isu/ ‘much’, /tara/ ‘several’,
/hu i/
‘little’, /on·o/
‘more’, etc., stand for quantity and they take such postpositions
like /ge/ or enter into reduplication/tara-tara/ and compounding /isu-pura?/,
so that they cannot be treated along with the three roots enumerated
above. They will find place among adjectives and numericals. |
| While /oko/ qualifies
both the animate and the inanimate, /ja/ and /jeta/ suffix/-n/ for
qualifying the inanimate. /ja/ and /jeta/ are also compounded to mean
‘some one’. |
| 2.2.2.1. Suffixation
for deriving indefinite demostrative pronouns: |
| The definite demonstrative
ni? (sometimes also only i?) is suffixed to oko, ja and jeta for this
purpose.
a? is suffixed for impersonal or neuter forms to
oko, jan and jetan.
|
| In case of oko taking
only i?, the vowel/i?/is softened to /e/ and the form becomes [okoe]
and so is for /jetae/. |
| All these forms are
used in plural sense also and as such do not take separate suffix
for number. |
| 2.2.3. Interrogative
demonstrative base: While/oko/is also used as interrogative, the exclusive
root for this is /ci/, which is also used as a question marker as
well as connective in sense of ‘that’ in a sentence. |
| 2.2.3.1. Derivation
of other demonstrative pronouns: |
|
-kan ‘kind or sort’
|
|
-lekan ‘like’ < leka ‘like’
+n ‘demonstrative’
|
| -imin
‘so much’ (animate) |
| -iminaN
‘so much’ (inanimate) < imin+a |
| These are the four
suffixes which are generally used to derive further demonstratives
from /ci/. cilekan/ is contracted to /cilkan/. |
| From /oko/ the derivations
possible according to § 2.2.2.2.1. like/okoe/and
okoa/ respectively for animate and inanimate are also used as interrogatives. |
| 2.2.3.2. Derivation
of interrogative pronouns: |
| (i) ni?, the
definite demostrative pronoun, is suffixed to /oko/ for the three
interrogative pronouns. |
|
Morphophological change-
|
| i? of ni? is dropped
while being suffixed to interrogative oko, for singular, plural and
dual. |
| The forms become
okon, okonki,
okonko. |
| (ii) A set
of indefinite interrogative pronouns can be formed by suffixing/e/,
but for dual and plural the stem okoe will take /ta/ before adding
/ki/or/ko/
e.g., okoetaki,
okoetako, where /ta/ has no morphological significance here. |
| 2.3.
Adjectives: |
| Specific
roots for adjectives are very few. Adjectives do not take number suffixes
nor they take genetives, but enter into morphological constructions
in making stems for nominal derivations as well as are themselves
derived from certain nouns |
