Bīṙ morphology
- Main article: Bīṙ
This page gives an extensive description of Bīṙ morphological features.
As already mentioned, Bīṙ is a morphologically isolating language. Each lexeme does not undergo any morphological mutation. Syntactical roles are thus entirely expressed by syntax and word order. Lexemes can, however, combine in many derivative processes.
Nouns
Nouns in Bīṙ usually have a monosyllabic form, or a multisyllabic form, if morphologically derived or being loanwords.
On the morphological level nouns display no number, case or definiteness, exhibiting always the same unaltered form:
ūṙ wolf - a wolf - the wolf - wolves - the wolves
A process similar to pluralization, conveying the meaning of an undefined amount bigger than one, can be achieved by placing the pluralizing particle e̱ after the noun:
ūṙ e̱ a lot of wolves
This particle has, however, a very marked use and highlight the meaning of a large quantity of the said entities or items.
Adjectives and pronouns
Adjectives closely resemble the noun form, not displaying any morphological change for either number, case or definiteness. Pronouns, while also morphologically unchanging, may exhibit different forms in the root form.
Adjectives
Attributive adjectives are always placed before the nouns they specify, while predicative adjectives are always placed after them.
qad nɔhqɛ̱ṙ a young man
nɔhqɛ̱ṙ qad ē the man is young
Personal pronouns
Personal pronouns feature a distinction between three persons:
| no̱ | |
| sā | |
| lē |
Unlike any other elements of the sentence, the personal pronouns compulsorily distinguish the number singular from the plural, by placing the plural particle e̱ after them:
| no̱ | no̱ e̱ | |
| sā | sā e̱ | |
| lē | lē e̱ |
The 3st person pronoun usually refers to semantically animate or human entities, although it may technically refer to every entity. For inanimate or unreal entities, demonostrative adjectives or pronouns are rather used.
All forms, if adjoined by the postposition sı̄, play the role of an indeclinable possessive adjective, being placed before a noun, or the role of indeclinable possessive pronoun, being placed before a demonstrative pronominal form.
no̱ sı̄ da sā e̱ sı̄ ma sū hō my father saw your mother
no̱ sı̄ da sā e̱ sı̄ d́ı̱n sū hō my father saw yours
Numerals
The numeral system relies on a decimal base.
Cardinal numerals
The first ten cardinal numbers are forms on their own:
| hōṙ | |
| mɛ̱s | |
| cɔ̀ | |
| nuv | |
| bın | |
| déṙ | |
| qād | |
| ma̱n | |
| śūn | |
| lǽn |
Numerals from 11 to 19 are built with the construction lǽn + NUM:
| lǽn hōṙ | |
| lǽn mɛ̱s | |
| lǽn cɔ̀ | |
| lǽn nuv | |
| lǽn bın | |
| lǽn déṙ | |
| lǽn qād | |
| lǽn ma̱n | |
| lǽn śūn |
The numeral for (one) hundred is a form on its own, while the numeral for (one) thousand is a loanword from Pı̀ language (which in turn has borrowed the word from Iðâɣ language):
| ǵıb | |
| ḕn (from P. ěn) |
The numerals for the multiples of tens, hundreds and thousands are built with the construction NUM + nɛ (time(s)) + lǽn / ǵıb / ḕn:
| mɛ̱s nɛ lǽn | mɛ̱s nɛ ǵıb | mɛ̱s nɛ ḕn | |
| cɔ̀ nɛ lǽn | cɔ̀ nɛ ǵıb | cɔ̀ nɛ ḕn | |
| nuv nɛ lǽn | nuv nɛ ǵıb | nuv nɛ ḕn | |
| bın nɛ lǽn | bın nɛ ǵıb | bın nɛ ḕn | |
| déṙ nɛ lǽn | déṙ nɛ ǵıb | déṙ nɛ ḕn | |
| qād nɛ lǽn | qād nɛ ǵıb | qād nɛ ḕn | |
| ma̱n nɛ lǽn | ma̱n nɛ ǵıb | ma̱n nɛ ḕn | |
| śūn nɛ lǽn | śūn nɛ ǵıb | śūn nɛ ḕn |
Composite numbers are built by just putting them beside, without any conjunction, in descending order:
- 1985: ḕn śūn nɛ ǵıb ma̱n nɛ lǽn bın
Numerals for “million” and “billion” are loanwords from from Pı̀ language (which in turn has borrowed such words from Iðâɣ language):
| šúrḕn (from P. šúrěn) | |
| mé̱šúr (from P. mêšúr) |
These forms are treated as regular nouns:
| cɔ̀ šúrḕn | |
| déṙ mé̱šúr |
Cardinal numerals usually precede their adjoining noun cluster, as an adjectival form. However, every numeral can be optionally preceded with a noun cluster followed by the partitive postposition ʎō.
déṙ qon or qon ʎō déṙ six dogs
With semantically uncountable nouns and with pronouns, the partitive postposition is mandatorily used, with the meaning of “X units of Y”:
gœ̄̀m ʎō déṙ six pieces/parts/balls/etc. of wool
no̱ e̱ ʎō śūn nine of us
With the numerals for “million” and “billion” the partitive postposition ʎō is always mandatorily used.
qɛ̱ṙ ʎō mɛ̱s šúrḕn two millions people
In the modern period the idea of “zero” is introduced from Pı̀ language (which in turn has borrowed the word and the idea from Iðâɣ language). This numeral is however usually limited to mathematics:
| ṙesú (from P. xesú) |
Ordinal numerals
Ordinal numerals are formed by putting the particle sē after the cardinal numeral form:
| hōṙ sē | |
| mɛ̱s sē | |
| cɔ̀ sē | |
| nuv sē | |
| bın sē | |
| déṙ sē | |
| qād sē | |
| ma̱n sē | |
| śūn sē | |
| lǽn sē |
If the numeral form is composite, the ending is added only to the last numeral form:
- 25th: mɛ̱s nɛ lǽn bın sē
Verbs
Verbs in Bīṙ language usually have a monosyllabic form, or a multisyllabic form, if morphologically derived. Each verbal form carries only the semantical information, while other features are conveyed by other grammatic particles.
On the morphological level the verb display no person, or number, exhibiting always the same unaltered form:
ŕos (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) hear
The verbal person is conveyed by nouns and personal pronouns, which can convey also the number, unlike nouns:
no̱ ŕos I hear
sā e̱ ŕos you (pl.) hear
The verb, however, can be adjoined by particles, which convey either the aspectual or the temporal value of an action or a state. The set of the verb form, carrying the meaning, together with the temporal and the aspectual particles is called verb cluster.
ṙy̱n ŕos hō past - hear - perfective
Personal pronouns are not considered to be part of the verb cluster, as they can be freely placed in other parts of the clause. Verbal particles, conversely, are strictly tied to the same verbal form.
The aspectual particles are:
| progressive | |
| perfective | |
| resultative | |
| repetitive | |
| experiential | |
| prospective |
The absence of an aspectual particle is understood as an habitual aspect, namely pointing to a usual or customary in time action or state. The aspectual particle are always place after the verb, and are not usually left out. Examples:
no̱ ŕos I hear (always)
no̱ ŕos h́a̱ I am hearing
no̱ ŕos hō I heard
The temporal particles are:
| now | |
| past | |
| future | |
| distant past |
Temporal particles are similar to temporal adverbs, and sometimes they are regarded as such. However, unlike real adverbs, they are tied to the verb, as part of the verb cluster. They are not always expressed, only if deemed necessary for the temporal identification of the clause. In a common clause, only the aspect is expressed:
no̱ ṙy̱n ŕos I used to hear (always)
no̱ gūh ŕos h́a̱ I will be hearing
no̱ rɛ́ ŕos hō I heard (right a bit ago)
Two additional particles can be placed after the verb, śı̄, which conveys a meaning of command, being thus an imperative particle, and śā, which conveys a meaning of negative command or prohibition, being thus a prohibitive particle.
| imperative | |
| prohibitive |
These particles are mandatorily used when orders and prohibitions are to be conveyed. When used, personal pronouns, aspectual particles, and temporal particles are usually not required, but they can be optionally used. Both particles are placed at the end of the verbal cluster.
dı śı̄ go!
dı hō śı̄ go! (up to destination)
sā dı śı̄ la lē ɛ̄n śı̄ you go, but he stay!
Negation
The verbal negation is conveyed by the negative adverb nɔ̄. This adverb is placed before the verb cluster (thus, before any temporal particles).
qon vu̱n h́a̱ → qon nɔ̄ vu̱n h́a̱ the dog is sleeping → the dog isn't sleeping
qon nɔhqɛ̱ṙ ṙy̱n ḿa hō → qon nɔhqɛ̱ṙ nɔ̄ ṙy̱n ḿa hō the dog had bitten the man → the dog hadn't bitten the man
A negative imperative, conveyed by the prohibitive particle śā, does not need any additional negative particles.
vu̱n śā don't sleep!
Double negatives are generally not allowed; the presence of another negative element in the sentence inhibits the negative adverb.
