3.
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GRAMMAR
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This chapter on
grammar includes every thing above the level of phonology
but excludes discussion of the transformation of one
type of sentence into another like negation, passivisation,
etc. In other words, no separate section is assigned
for discussing morphological constructions as distinct
from the syntactical constructions; rather at a number
of places, the discussion overlaps. Therefore, immediately
after the grammatical classes are set up, each of the
grammatical classes along with its grammatical categories
(wherever available) that occur with the major classes
like the nouns, verbs, etc. are discussed. This is followed
by a brief discussion of the invariable grammatical
classes followed by the different types of phrases,
clauses and sentences.
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3.1.
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Grammatical classes:
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A grammatical class may be
defined as a class of words/stems sharing a pattern of behavior in
inflection or in syntax or both. Thus stems/words which follow a
particular pattern of usage but do not follow any other pattern may be
described as belonging to a grammatical class. In this language, the
primary division of the grammatical classes would be based on the
variability of the stems/words. Thus depending upon whether or not a
word/stem is capable of taking a suffix, the words/stems in this
language can be primarily divided into two, viz., variables and
invariables. The variables form a class of words which are capable of
taking suffixes and the invariables form another class of words which
are incapable of taking suffixes. Each of these sub-classes can be
further sub-divided into a few sub-classes as in:
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A. Variables: |
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1. nominals
(a) nouns
(b) pronouns
(c) numerals
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2. verbs |
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B. Invariables: |
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3.
adjectives
4. demonstratives
5. adverbs
6. intensifiers
7. post-positions
8. particles
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A brief discussion of these
various grammatical classes along with the basis for setting up of
these classes follows.
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A. VARIABLES:
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On the basis of certain shared features, i.e., the ability of
taking certain types of suffixes as opposed to others, the sub-class
of variables can be broadly sub-divided into two viz., the nominals
and the verbs. Whereas the verbs are infected for tense, mood, aspect
etc., a feature not found with any other grammatical class, the nouns,
the pronouns, the demonstrative and the numerals form a class of
nominals sharing the privilege of taking case suffixes and/or
preceding the post positions which the verbs are in cable of.
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Nominals
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On the paradigmatic axis, the
nouns, pronouns and the numerals constituting the nominals share the
feature of showing case relations. Whereas the plural marker cannot
co-occur with the numerals, the nouns and the pronouns share the
feature of showing opposition in number. Thus the first sub-division
of the nominals is that of the numerls on the one hand and pronouns
and nouns on the other. Since the pronouns show the same inflectional
characteristics with the nouns but have he anaphoric function of
substituting a noun/noun phrase, a noun can be distinguished from a
pronoun only on the syntagmatic axis. The definitions of these members
follow.
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(a) Nouns :
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The nouns on the paradigmatic
axis are capable of showing case relations and opposition in number and
on the syntagmatic axis, a noun is the nucleus of a NP, as in:
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| suali |
‘girl’ |
| sualik |
‘the girl (acc)’ |
| sualipora |
‘from the girl’ |
| sualikhan |
‘girls’ |
| gaste |
‘in the plant’ |
gas l got |
‘with a plant’, etc. |
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Noun phrase: otu beya
suali ‘that bad girl’
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An extremely limited number
of nouns also show opposition in gender, for instance:
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| mama |
‘uncle’ |
mami |
‘aunt’ |
| murga |
‘cock’ |
murgi |
‘hen’ |
| chokra |
‘boy’ |
chokri |
‘girl’, etc. |
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