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Of the three illustrative examples give above, niye . . . . anì (NP . . . . 1v) hile anì (adv. 1v) and hile . . . . ani (adv. . . . 1v) form the locative phrases as well as the predicates respectively of the sentences a, b and c.
Of these, the difference between the sentences b and c lies in the emphasis. Structurally there is a difference between the sentences a and b., in that the LP of the sentences a must necessarily have a NP, while the other one would not have a NP. This difference in structure is correlated with the difference in function, in that, it shows the possessor-possessed relationship between NP1 and NP2, even though structurally, the possessed item is shown as located in the NP1. The other locative phrase has an adverb phrase as the only constituent of the locative verb. Functionally, sentences of this type indicate the place where the NP forming the subject is located. What is common in both these two sub-types is the location of a NP., but there is a major difference in the point/place of location. In the sentence a, the NP2 which is located in NP1 usually refers to an animate being while the adverb of the sentences a and be where the NP is located is a place. Therefore these two sub-types of sample sentences are designated respectively as possessive and locative sentences.
Predicates with a principal verb as the head of the VP
Just a single verb can form a simple sentence in Sema. This is possible only when a principal verb in its intransitive construction shows the imperative mood, as in :
wúlò
`go (imp)’
This sentence can be expanded with an adverb including functional adverbs and/or a NP, as in :
tile wúlò
`go there (imp)’
ikilì wúlò
`go to my house (imp.)’
asi cúlò
`eat the meat (imp)’ etc.
In other words, an intransitive verb in its imperative could the sole realization of a simple sentence. It was seen earlier (3.3.5.3.) that a principal verb in its imperative is addressed to a II person, which is the subject of the sentence. Usually this subject is deleted, though one could say :
nono wúlò
`you go (imp.)’
Thus even the subjectless simple sentence within the categories of the major sentence types in fact are instances of the optional deletion of the subject. Thus all the simple sentences having a predicate could be functionally divided into two parts viz., subject and predicate.
Of these, the predicate could have either a locative verb or a principal verb as its head. It was also seen (3.6.4.) that when the predicate has two or more constituents, the verb is the last constituent of the predicate. It might now be advantegous to list different sub-types of simple sentences occurring in Sema with their constituents and functions.:
1.
Equative sentence
:
NP1 + NP2 : : subject : identifier
2.
Possessive sentence
:
NP1 + Adv. + NP2 1v : : subject : possessive location
3.
Locative sentene
:
NP + Adv. + 1v : subject : location
4.
Actor - action sentence
:
a) NP1 + Adv. P + NP2 + VC + V : subject,object, verb complement, action
:
(b) NP1 + Adv. P + NP3 + NP2 + V : subject,indirect object, direct object action.
Complex sentences:
A complex sentence as per the definition consists of a principal sentence and a subordinate sentence1, as in :
panóùno lunisimo aye íc
`if they don’t want give (it to) me’
Except in the negative constructions, the subordinate clause is pre-posited to the principal clause, as in :
pano iike thyuno ino únì
`I shall go after he comes’
ino pa ithuluke pa ai
`he was lying down when I saw him’
pano phi aye tulu nanì
`if he reads, he will pass’
ino iemphilo no úkelò
`don’t go until I come’
ado ac pilono i moaye niye
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
únì
8 9
`come in time otherwise I will go’
(lit. time given from come no if
1 2 3 4 5 6
I go will)
7 8 9
Compound sentences
A compound sentence in Sema by definition is a sentence having at least two principal clauses. These sentences may or may not be linked with a particle, as in :
imu ii eno ifoye úwya
`my brother came and my sister went’
khamiye akithe khamiye aqa
`some are new, some are old’
The structure of different subordinate clauses were already described in 3.6.2.

 

 

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