Liwadi: Syntax

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THE GRAMMAR OF LIWADI,
صا کهنۉم ىاخکۉر نه صا کهنۉم نه صۆ لىواظ
sa Kenom Yaxkor ne sa Kenom ne su Liwad

Table of Phonemes

IPA /m/ /n/ /ŋ/ /p/ /b/ /ɸ/ /β/ /t/ /d/ /θ/ /ð/ /k/ /g/ /χ/ /ɣ/ /ʔ/ /s/ /z/ /ʃ/ /h/ /w/ /j/ /ɾ/ /l/ /ɬ/ /ʦ/ /i/ /e/ /ɛ/ /ä/ /o/ /u/
Latin M m N n Ŋ ŋ P p B b T t D d K k G g ġ ʻ S s Z z Š š H h W w Y y R r L l Ś ś I i E e ė A a O o U u
Arabic م ن گ ٮ
1
ٺ ٻ ط
2
ظ د ذ ک
3
ݢ ٯ
4
ڧ ع ص
5
ض ڝ ح
6
و
7
ي ر ل
8
ݪ ج ی ه ا ۉ ۆ
Name Mi
مى
Ne
نه
Ŋo
گۉ
Pi
ٮى
Bi
بى
Ṗi
ٺى
Ḃi
ٻى
Te
طه
De
ظه
Ṫe
ده
Ḋe
ذه
Ko
کۉ
Go
ݢۉ
Ḳo
ٯۉ
Ġo
ڧۉ
ʻu
عۆ
Sa
صا
Za
ضا
Ša
ڝا
Hu
حۆ
Wi
وى
Yo
ىۉ
Ra
را
Le
له
Ḷe
ݪه
Śa
جا
i
ى
e
ه
ė
a
ا
o
ۉ
u
ۆ
  • The consonants in blue are those used as numerals in the octal numeral system, e.g., 16 ٮو.
  • <ė> does not occur without a consonant, so a diacritic is used, e.g. صٙ, sė.


Grammar - Kenom Yaxkor کهنۉم ياخکۉر

Syllables, Accent and Punctuation

  • 001. All basic words (lemmas) end in a consonant with the exception of the prepositions (VCV, CV or VV), the articles (CV), and (he), and or (u).
  • 002. The accent of disyllabic words falls on the ultimate syllable.
  • 003. The accent remains on this ultima when prefixes or suffixes are added.

Word Order - Likad Nigup لىکاظ نىݢۆٮ

  • 004. Liwadi word order is SOV, subject-object-verb.
  • 005. The indirect object precedes the direct object:
I gave the egg to the man.
Em kėsu in sa ruzad-na meŋŋama.
Em k' su in sa ruzad-na meŋam-a
I to the man the egg-OBJ give\PST\IND-3p
  • 006. The genitive noun follows the head noun:
The man's throat hurts.
Sa bapom ne su in yasaru.
Sa bapom ne su in yasar-u
the throat of the man hurt\NPST\IND-3p
  • 007. Adjectives and determiners precede the nouns they qualify.
  • 008. The adjective follows the standard of comparison.
  • 009. The adjective precedes the dependent verb.
  • 010. Adverbs follow the verbs they modify.
  • 011. Adverbials of time precede those of space.

Verbs - Yipod Liḳdar يىٮۉظ لىٯظلر

  • 012. Verbs are a class of words that convey an action (bring, read, walk, run, learn), an occurrence (happen, become), or a state of being (be, exist, stand).
  • 013. Most Liwadi verbs consist of what is called a triliteral stem, three consonants, CVCVC. Prefixes, suffixes and infixes specify the meaning of the verb. A few verbs have the form VCVC.
  • 014. Tense is a grammatical category which expresses the time at which a state or action denoted by a verb occurs. There are three tenses in Liwadi, present (PRS), past (PST) and future (FUT).
  • 015. The present tense is indicated by a in the first vowel position: maʻak, fall. This form is the lemma.
  • 016. The past tense is indicated be e in the first vowel position: meʻak, fell.
  • 017. The future tense is indicated be u in the first vowel position: muʻak, fell.
  • 017. Mood is a grammatical category by which the speaker expresses his attitude toward what he is saying.
  • 018. The vowel in the second vowel position indicates the mood.
  • 019. The indicative mood (IND) is indicated by a in the second vowel position: maʻak, fall.
  • 020. The subjunctive mood (SBJ) is indicated by e in the second vowel position: maʻek, may fall.
  • 021. The imperative mood (IMP) is indicated by i in the second vowel position: maʻik, fall!
  • 022. This same form is used for the cohortative (HORT) and jussive (JUS) moods with the appropriate pronoun following in the objective form:
anip es-na, Let him sing.
anip emer-na, Let's sing.
  • 023. The Liwadi verb is marked for person, but not for number. The accent remains on the second syllable, the penultimate: nadada, I/we swim; nadadi, you (sg./pl) swim; nadadu, he/they swim.
  • 024. The passive (PAS) form of the verb is formed by prefixing the verb with gė- and adding the object suffix to the subject:
The fish was cooked.
Sa gab-na gėrenaku.
sa gab-na gė-renak-u
the fish-OBJ PAS-cook\PST\IND-3
The tree is burned.
Sa ikam-na gėnapaʻu.
Sa ikam-na gė-napaʻ-u
the tree-OBJ PAS-burn\NPST\IND-3
  • If there is no initial consonant, then only g is prefixed:
The mother is loved.
Su am-na gadaru.
Su am-na g-adar-u
the mother-OBJ PAS-love\NPST\IND-3
  • 025. The non-past infinitive is formed by prefixing mė- to the non-past indicative form: mėpasad, to see; mėyaʻaʻ, to bend.
The past infinitive is formed by prefixing to the past indicative form: mėpesad, to have seen; mėyeʻaʻ, to have bent.
The passive infinitive is formed by prefixing both mė- and gė-: mėgėpesad, to have been seen; mėgėyeʻaʻ, to have been bent.
  • 026. A verbal noun, or gerund (GER), is indicated by o in the second vowel position: pazad, want; pazod, wanting.
Swimming strengthens my limbs.
Ya nadod ya em ŋeṗʻor-na yawayu.
Ya nadod ya em ŋeṗʻor-na yaway-u
INDEF swim\GER INDEF my limb-OBJ strengthen\NPST\IND-3
  • 027. Sentence negation (NEG) is indicated by the use of the word ki:
Em adara ki, I do not love.
  • 028. A question (Q) is indicated by the use of the final particle ha:
Em eŋ-na adara, I love you.
Em eŋ-na adara ha?, Do I love you?
  • If an affirmative answer is expected, an affirmative statement is made followed by the phrase mubam ha, true?
Su nulun wapayu, mubam ha?
The sun is shining, isn't it?
Su nulun wepayu, mubam ha?
The sun was shining, wasn't it?
  • If a negative answer is expected, a negative statement is made followed by the phrase mubam ha, true?
Su nulen wapadu wa, mubam ha?
The sun isn't shining, is it?
Su nulen wepadu wa, mubam ha?
The sun wasn't shining, was it?
  • 029. Dependent verbs, such as infinitives and gerunds, precede the verb or adjective upon which they are dependent:
I was afraid to touch a toad.
Em ya yuʻag-na mėmabas ʻedaga.
Em ya yuʻag-na mė-mabas ʻedag-a
I INDEF toad-OBJ INF-touch fear\PST\IND-3
He wants to go.
Es mėmanas pazadu.
Es mė-manas pazad-u
he INF-go want\NPST\IND-3
  • A direct object is placed before the infinitive:
I wanted him to go.
Em es-na mėmanas pezadu.
Em es-na mė-manas pezad-u
I he-OBJ INF-go want\PST\IND-3
  • 030. Verbs may be formed from perceptible nouns and from adjectives by using them as verbs: ʻipay, flower:
The roses bloomed yesterday.
Su riṗgir aranulun ʻepayu.
Su riṗg-ir aranulun ʻepay-u
the rose-PL yesterday bloom\PST\IND-3
  • If the adjective is of the form CVC, then the verb takes the form VCVC: pas, bad; apas, be bad.
  • 031. Transitive verbs may be formed from adjectives by treating them as verbs: puyar, wide:
They are widening the road.
Eser sa yurin-na payaru.
Eser sa yurin-na payar-u
they the road-OBJ wide\NPST\IND-3

Nouns - Nanal Liḳdar نانال لىݢظلر

  • 032. Nouns are a class of words that function as the names of some specific thing or set of things, such as living creatures, objects, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.
  • 033. There are no noun classes in Liwadi.
  • 034. A noun must be preceded by a determiner or an adjective:
The man is here.
Su in yam atadu.
Su in yam atad-u
the man here be\NPST\IND-3
Men are here.
Yu inir yam atadu.
Yu in-ir yam atad-u
INDEF man-PL here be\NPST\IND-3
  • 035. Plurality (PL) is indicated by deleting the second vowel and placing it after the word with the suffix -r; the plural suffix bears the accent: sa erim, stone; sa ermir, the stones.
  • If the middle consonant is a stop, it is lenited. This is indicated orthographically with a dot under the consonant: sa medop, the river; sa meḍpor, the rivers; ya medop, a river; ya meḍpor, rivers.
The stones are large.
Sa ermir bigak atadu.
Sa erm-ir bigak atad-u
the stone-PL large be\NPST\IND-3
I see the stones.
Em sa ermir-na pasada.
Em sa erm-ir-na pasad-a
I the stone-PL-OBJ see\NPST\IND-3
  • If the noun is monosyllabic, -Vr is added: gub, fish; gubur, fishes.
  • If the noun is CVCV, -r is added: yoŋa, shoulder; yoŋar, shoulders.
  • 036. Possession is indicated by the preposition ne, of:
sa yitoy ne su takag; the child's smile.
  • 037. The particle -na marks the direct object (OBJ) of the verb:
I see the bird.
Em su siʻ-na pasada.
Em su siʻ-na pasad-a
I the bird-OBJ see\NPST\IND-3
  • 038. The prefix kė- is affixed to the determiner to indicate the indirect object: kėsu takag, to the child.
  • 039. Nouns naming a person characterized by an adjective are formed by using the animate definite article: zusep, young; su zusep, youth; tanam, old; su tanam, elder.
  • 040. Abstract nouns (-ty, -ness, -tion, etc.) are derived from adjectives by using the inanimate definite article: yuzup, short; sa yuzup, shortness.
  • 041. Nouns denoting perceptible things are formed from verbs with the syllable structure CiCoC: padaz, bathe; ya pidoz, bath.
  • 042. Nouns denoting impercptible things are formed from verbs with the syllable structure CiCuC: nagap, order; nigup, order.
  • 043. A noun may be specified as masculine or feminine by using the words in and min, respectively: siʻ, bird; minsiʻ, hen; insiʻ, cock.
  • 044. Nouns may be used to modify other nouns: sa dap muduk, the mountain stream.
  • 045. Collective nouns are formed from nouns or adjectives by using the word rozud, group: sa siʻir rozud, the flock of birds; sa gubur rozud, the school of fish; sa buwper rozud, archipelago.
  • 046. The diminutive of nouns is formed with the prefix t(ė): in, man; tin, boy; min, woman; tėmin, girl.
  • 047. The agent of a verb is formed with the word sugul, person: nap, sing; nap sugul, singer.

Modifiers - Namod Liḳdar نامۉظ لىݢظلر

  • 048. In Liwadi grammar adjectives, adverbs and determiners are classed together as modifiers.

Adjectives - Kaŋop Liḳdar کاگۉٮ لىݢظلر

  • 049. Adjectives are a class of words which qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified.
  • 050. Adjectives are placed before the noun: su ŋor tin, the good boy.
  • 051. The one degree of comparison, known as the comparative (COMP), is formed by reduplication:
dolup, red; dolupdolup, redder, reddest.
putoy, far; putoyputoy, farther, farthest.
  • 052. In comparisons than is translated by le:
This flower is bluer than that flower
Wed ʻapud yidakyidak le dad ʻapud adayu.
Wed ʻapud yidak~yidak le dad ʻapud aday-u
this flower COMP~blue than that FLOWER be\NPST\IND-3
  • 053. The absolute superlative is formed be reduplicating the first syllable (CV), puputoy, very far, or (VC) yiyidak, very red.
  • 054. Negative comparison is formed with the word suyuk, less: putoy, distant; suyuk putoy, less/least distant.
  • 055. The comparison of equality is formed with the conjunction , as: yidak, red; yidol, as red:
This flower is as red as blood.
Wed ʻapud yėdolup yėgal atadu.
Wed ʻipay yol idol yol gal atad-u
this flower as red as blood be\NPST\IND-3
  • 056. Participles are a form of a verb that is used to modify a noun, noun phrase, verb, or verb phrase, playing a role similar to an adjective or adverb.
  • 057. There are two participles in Liwadi.
  • a. The non-past participle has the form CaCuC: su baŋun nepud, the sinking boat.
  • b. The past participle has the form CeCuC: sa beŋun nepud, the sunken boat.
  • 058. Nouns of material may be used like adjectives: sa erim ruteŋ, the stone house.
  • 059. Word negation (NEG) is indicated by the use of the prefix o-: lunaŋ, even; o-lunaŋ, uneven.
  • 060. Adjectives with the meaning without are expressed with the preposition ruk, without: yihud, hope; ruk yihud, hopeless. With this use of ruk, a determiner is not used.
  • 061. Adjectives denoting the possession of that which is named in the noun root is formed by changing the vowels to o: yisun, anger; yoson, angry.
  • 062. Adjectives denoting pertaining to, connected with, belonging to, of the nature of, or characteristic of what is named in the noun or verb root are derived from nouns by changing the vowels to i: supuʻ, fog; sipiʻ, foggy; ʻayap, tire; ʻiyip, tired.

Determiners - Yaros Liḳdar يارۉص لىݢظلر

  • 063. Determiners are a class of words that serve to express the reference of that noun or noun phrase in the context. They may indicate whether the noun is referring to a definite or indefinite element of a class, to a closer or more distant element, to an element belonging to a specified person or thing, to a particular number or quantity, etc.
  • 064. There are three definite articles, the animate su, the inanimate sa, and the proper se: in, man; su in, the man; erim, rock; sa erim, the rock; se Kuhud, God.
  • 065. There are two indefinite articles, the animate yu and the inanimate ya: min, woman; yu min, a woman; leŋud, bed; ya leŋud, a bed.
  • The indefinite article is used when no other modifier is present:
Flowers bloom in the rainy season.
yu ʻaṗdur zu sa binol simud ʻapadu.
yu ʻiṗy-ar zu sa binel wilam ʻapay-u
INDEF flower-PL in the rain season bloom-NPST\IND-3
  • 066. Numerals precede the noun in the absence of a determiner:
Three women are cooking.
Kub minir ranaku.
kub min-ir ranak-u
three woman-PL cook\NPST\IND-3
  • They follow the noun if the noun is preceded by a determiner:
These three women are cooking.
Wed minir kub ranaku.
Wed min-ir tkub ranak-u
these woman-PL three cook\NPST\IND-3
  • 067. The demonstrative determiners are wed, this/these; and dad, that/those, e.g., dad siʻ, that bird; wed ʻaṗdur, these flowers.
  • 068. The possessive determiners are formed by inserting the personal pronoun between the definite article and that which is possessed; the vowel of the pronoun is then elided:
sa 'm tug, my hand; su 'ŋ uruʻ, your father.
  • 069. The elective indefinite determiner is nol, any.
  • 070. The assertive indefinite determiner is yazuŋ, some.

Numerals - Limor لىمۉر

  • 071. Liwadi has an octal numeral system.
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
hed
حهظ
wan
وان
kub
کۆب
toŋ
طۉگ
pem
ٮهم
ser
صهر
yim
يىم
nam
نام
  • 072. The numerals 9-15 are formed by suffixing the proper cardirnal to nam, eight.
9
10 11 12 13 14 15
namhed namwan namkub namtoŋ nampem namser namyim
  • 073. The numerals 16-64 are formed by prefixing the proper cardirnal to nam, eight.
16
24 32 40 48 56 64
wannam kubnam toŋnam pemnam sernam yimnam namnam
  • 074. Compounds of 64 can be made by prefixing the proper ordinal to namnam: wannamnam, 128, but the Liwadis seldom need to count that high.
  • 075. The ordinals are made by adding the suffix -it to the cardinal number: hedit, first.
  • 076. The adverbial numbers expressing how many times are made by adding the suffix -us to the ordinal number: wanus, twice; minamus, eight times.
  • 077. Multiplicative numbers expressing how many times as many are formed by adding -ar to the cardinal number: namar, eight times as many.
Em kubar lomder-na dawaŋa yol es dawaŋu.
I have three times as many bananas as he has.
Em kub-ar lomder-na dawaŋ-a yol es dawaŋ-u
I three-MULT banana\PL-OBJ have\NPST\IND-1 as he have\NPST\IND-3
  • 078. Distributive numbers (DSTR) expressing at a time are formed by duplicating the first syllable of the required number.
Su inir wawan sa benep-na serapu.
The men crossed the bridge two at a time.
Su in-ir ke~keg sa benep-na serap-u
the man-PL DSTR~two the bridge-OBJ cross-PST\IND-3
  • 079. Distributive numbers expressing each are formed by adding the determiner yok, each, to the cardinal number.
Emer ige kuḃyok ruzlar-na dekaka.
We split into groups of three each.
Emer ige kuḃ.yok ruzl-ar-na dekak-a
we into three.each group-PL-OBJ split\PST\IND-3

Adverbs - Nuker Liḳdar نۆکهر ليخظار

  • 080. Adverbs are a class of words that modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a determiner, a noun phrase, a clause, or a sentence. They typically express manner, place, time, frequency, degree, level of certainty, etc.
  • 081. They have the same form as the adjective, but follow the verb they modify:
su iliz in, the brave man.
Es medab iliz, He acted bravely.
  • 082. The comparative of these adverbs is formed in the same way as are adjectives; iliz, bravely; iliziliz, more/most bravely.

Pronouns - Nuhon Liḳdar نۆحۉن لىݢظلر

  • 083. Pronouns are a class of words that substitute for a noun or noun phrase. There are seven types of pronouns in Liwadi.
  • 084. The personal pronouns are em, I; emer, we; , you (sg.); eŋer, you (pl.); (in)es, he; (min)es, she; et, it; eser/eter, they.
  • 085. The interrogative pronoun is la which stands for the interrogative pronouns who, what and the interrogative adjective which.
  • 086. The reflexive pronouns are translated by using the personal pronoun as both subject and object:
Em em-na yesara.
I hurt myself.
Em em-na yesar-a
I I-OBJ hurt\PST\IND-1
  • 087. The intensive pronouns are formed with the noun sazal, self:
Emsazal dakaya.
I myself will go.
Em.sazal dakay-a
I.self go\NPST\IND-1
Su minsazal elo sa yamuŋ dakaya.
The woman herself will go to the store.
Su min.sizul elo sa yamuŋ dakay-a
the woman.self to the store go\NPST\IND-3
  • 088. The demonstrative pronouns are the same as the demonstrative determiners, wed, this; weder, these; and dad, that; dadar, those, and may take the direct object particle as needed:
Em dadar-na pazada.
I want those.
Em dad-ar-na pazad-a
I this-PL-OBJ want\NPST\IND-1
  • 089. The indefinite pronouns are made from the indefinite determiners: nul nuhon, anyone, anybody, nul gurop, anything; rag nuhon, someone, somebody; rag gurop, something; wa nuhon, no one, nobody; wa gurop, nothing; yok nuhon, everyone, everybody; yok gurop, everything.
  • 090. There are no possessive pronouns. The possessor is expressed with a prepositional phrase using ne, of; the vowel of the pronoun is elided:
Wed sa 'ŋ ʻipay datadu, dad ne 'm datadu.
This is your flower, that is mine.
Wed sa ʻipay datad-u dad ne 'm datad-u
this the you flower be\NPST\IND\-3 that of I be\NPST\IND-3
  • 091. There are no relative pronouns. The relative clause is an independent clause that precedes the noun it modifies. Any determiner precedes the relative clause. The relative clause is in italics.
Sa es ya rinap-na renaku ŋisil datadu.
The meat which she cooked is delicious.
Sa es ya rinap-na renak-u ŋisil datad-u
the she INDEF meat-OB PST\cook\IND-3 delicious be\NPST\IND-3
Em su es em-na ʻebasu in-na dapaga.
I will kill the man who wounded me.
em su es em-na ʻebas-u in-OBJ dapag-a
I the he I-OBJ wound\PST\IND-3 man-OB kill\NPST\IND-1
Sa mines et-na renaku enip idol datadu.
The pot in which she cooked it is red.
Sa min-es et-na renak-u enip idol datad-u
the F-3 3-OBJ cook\PST\IND-3 pot red be\NPST\IND-3
Em tid eter yo sa tal nadayu tiḳgar-na asada.
I see three children who are playing in the sea.
Em tid et-er yo sa tal naday-u tiḳg-ar-na asad-a
I three 3-PL in the sea play\NPST\IND-3 child-PL-OBJ see\NPST\IND-1

Prepositions - Tiyon Liḳdar طىيۉن لىݢظلر

  • 092. Liwadi uses prepositions, a class of words that express spatial or temporal relations (in, under, towards, before) or mark various semantic roles (of, for): zu sa nipap, at the beach.
The prepositions are listed in a separate dictionary where a fuller description of them can be given.

Conjunctions - Yirup Liḳdar يىرۆٮ لىݢظلر

  • 093. A conjunction is a part of speech that connects words, phrases or clauses.
  • 094. In Liwadi there are three types of conjunctions.
  • 095. A coordinate conjunction joins two or more items of equal syntactic importance:
Su 'm insad h' em ʻiṗtar-na he tuṗyar-na dararu.
My brother and I like fruits and vegetables.
su em insad he em ʻiṗt-ar-na he tuṗy-ar-na darar-u
the my brother and I fruit-PL-OBJ and vegetable-PL-OBJ like\NPST\IND-3
  • 096. Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to join two or more items of equal syntactic importance:
Eŋ u sepur padadi u eŋ latadi.
You will either eat your supper or go to bed.
u sepur padad-i u latad-i
you or supper eat\NPST\IND-2 or you go.to.bed\NPST\IND-2
  • 097. Subordinating conjunctions join an independent clause and a dependent clause. The dependent clause may be placed either before or after the main clause.
Apoŋ es doked datadu, es rotep pedadu.
Although she is sick, she ate her breakfast.
Apoŋ es doked datad-u es rotep pedad-u
although she sick be\NPST\IND-3 she morning eat.a.meal\PST\IND-3


Octal Table

1 ح
2 و 3 ک 4 ط 5 ٮ 6 ص 7 ه 8 ل
hed
حهظ
wan
وان
kub
کۆب
toŋ
طۉگ
pem
ٮهم
ser
صهر
yim
ىيم
nam
نام
9 لح
10 لو 11 لک 12 لط 13 لٮ 14 لص 15 له 16 ول
namhed
namwan
namkub
namtoŋ
nampem
namser
namyim
wannam
17 ولح
18 ولو 19 ولک 20 ولط 21 ولٮ 22 ولص 23 وله 24 کل
wannamhed
wannamwan
wannamkub
wannamtoŋ
wannampem
wannamser
wannamyim
kubnam
25 کلح
26 کلو 27 کلک 28 کلط 29 کلٮ 30 کلص 31 کله 32 طل
kubnamhed
kubnamwan
kubnamkub
kubnamtoŋ
kubnampem
kubnamser
kubnamyim
toŋnam
33 طلح
34 طلو 35 طلک 36 طلط 37 طلٮ 38 طلص 39 طله 40 ٮل
toŋnamhed
toŋnamwan
toŋnamkub
toŋnamtoŋ
toŋnampem
toŋnamser
toŋnamyim
pemnam
41 ٮلح
42 ٮلو 43 ٮلک 44 ٮلط 45 ٮلٮ 46 ٮلص 47 ٮله 48 صل
pemnamhed
pemnamwan
pemnamkub
pemnamtoŋ
pemnampem
pemnamser
pemnamyim
sernam
49 صلح
50 صلو 51 صلک 52 صلط 53 صلٮ 54 صلص 55 صله 56 هل
sernamhed
sernamwan
sernamkub
sernamtoŋ
sernampem
sernamser
sernamyim
yimnam
57 هلح
58 هلو 59 هلک 60 هلط 61 هلٮ 62 هلص 63 هله 64 لل
yimnamhed
yimnamwan
yimnamkub
yimnamtoŋ
yimnampem
yimnamser
yimnamyim
namnam

Liwadi: Dictionaries