pacouno mlalo eno puthono zölò
axa khamiye kize eno
khamiye a lo
ino wúkep sia ikemu (ino)
úmowà |
`work
in day time and sleep in night (imp)’
`some fish (are) big and some
(are) small’
`I had to go but (I) did not go’ |
nono wúkepusia ikemu (kusia)
(noye) úmowe kyá |
`you
had to go but (why) didn’t (you) go?’
(lit. you go must but (why) (you)
go not past what?) |
nono
hile ailo
ino wúnì
subordination : |
`you
stay here, I shall go’ |
pano
phi aye (pa) tolu nanì
1 2 3 4 5 6 |
`if
he reads (he) will pass’
3 1 2 4 6 5 |
ino
pa ithu luke pa z
ay
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
`when
I saw him he was sleeping’
4 1 3 2 5 7 6 |
panó ùno
lunì simo ayeiclì
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
`if
they don’t want give (imp)
4 1 3 2 6 7
(it to) me’ |
ino
o mo aye akmlahu
1 2 3 4 5 6
smla nanì
7 5 9 |
`if
I don’t sit upon the work will
4 1 7 3 2 6 5 9
not (be done)
8
(lit. I stay no if work the do not will) etc. |
|
|
The
subordination of one clause to another in a sentence can be indicated
in different manners. Usually it is signalled by some particle/markers
in the subordinate clause itself. The use of the subordinate conjunctions
like tie´uno
`so’ thyuno `after’ phi `yet’ etc. are the most
important formal devices employed to obtain a subordinate clause.
The subordinate clauses can therefore be grouped on the basis of
the class/type of subordinating conjunctions each clause has. |
|
In Sema, all the subordinaters that occur in the subordinate
clauses are simple ones like luke `when’mphilo `until’
etc., which are adverbs of time, aye `if’ (conditional
marker) iFe´uno `so (caual marker) etc. All these subordinators
can be combined under the main head of adverbial clause. Incidentally
the subordinate clauses that occur in Sema are almost wholely
of the adverbial clause. The adverbial clauses serve primarily
as adjuncts or disjuncts in the main clauses and may be placed
in various semantic categories like time, place etc. Illustrative
examples from the different semantic categories of adverbial
clauses are given below : |
(i) Adverbial clause of time |
The
adverbial clause of time is introduced by one of the following
subordinators, viz. thyuno `after’, luke `when’
ozu `before’and mphilo `until’. Of the four subordinators,
only one viz. luke `when’, occurs before the subordinate
clause and the other three subordinators occur after the subordinate
clause. This has a direct relevance to the place of subordinate
clause in the sentence in that all adverbial clauses of time
except the one having luke `when’ are preposed to the
principal clause and the subordinate clause introduced by
luke `when’ is post-posed to the principal clause, as
in : |
ino
pa ithuluke pa zÝ
ay
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
`When
I saw him he was sleeping’
4 1 3 2 5 7 6 |
ozuno
pano akmlahu
siwa
1 2 3 4 5 6 |
`he
did the work before you’
3 6 5 4 2 1 |
ozuno
ino úwya
ino ie
mphilo (no) úkelò
1 2 3 4 5 6 |
`I
went before you’
(you) don’t go until I come (imp)
4 6 5 3 1 2 7 |
pano
iikè
thyuno ino únì
1 2 3 4 5 6 |
`I
shall go after he comes’
4 6 5 3 1 2 |
|
(ii) Adverbial clause of result |
|
This clase is introduced by the subordinator tiFe ´uno
`so’. The subordinator can be optionally deleted. The
subordinate clause is post-posed to the principal clause and
the subordinator, if taken, occurs at the end of the principal
clause, as in : |
niye
ikhaso ithumlawe tie
´uno niye isiye úmowe
1 2 3
5 6 7
8 9 10 11
`I could not find the net so I did not go today’
1 4 3 12 6 7
11 10 9 8
(NOTE : could not +cannot + past)
4 5
|
hiye
aloamoke tiu iclò
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
`this
is not good, give me that’
(lit. this good not past that I give imp.)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
|
