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 : |
|
| 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 : |
panó ùno
lunisimo aye íc ió
|
`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
i ike thyuno
ino únì |
`I
shall go after he comes’ |
|
`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. |
