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Verbs

The verbal system of Memniq language make its distinctions through several introflexive vowel switchings and through suffixation and prefixation. It is easily noticeable that introflexive processes distinguish mood, aspect, and tense, while suffixation and prefixation distinguish person, number, and, limitedly, also tense.

The verbal system is based on the fundamental dichotomy between imperfective aspect and perfective aspect. This distinction is conveyed by two different verbal roots for every verbal meaning, the imperfective root (R_imp) and the perfective root (R_prf). In triconsonantal root, distinction is made through introflexion:

Rimp = CCVC → Rprf = CVCVC

In biconsonantal roots, similarly, distinction is made through introflexion:

Rimp = CVC → Rprf = VCVC

Examples:

Rimp = qmo̥l- → Rprf = qomo̥l-
Rimp = še̥k- → Rprf = eše̥k-

The verbal system of displays the following features:

• aspect:
  • imperfective
  • perfective
• tense:
  • past
  • present
  • future
• mood:
  • definite moods: indicative, subjunctive, conditional, optative, imperative
  • indefinite moods: infinitive, participle
• diathesis:
  • active
  • passive
• valency:
  • declarative
  • inferential

All verbs are divided in two groups, called conjugations. Each conjugation is distinguished by a different vowel pattern and by different prefixation and suffixation. Each vowel pattern is identified by a different thematic vowel: Conjugation I displays -e- as its thematic vowel, while conjugation II displays -o- as its thematic vowel. The general scheme is:

Conjugation I	-e-
Conjugation II	-o-

The thematic vowel is usually the primary vowel of the word, and it does not change in the conjugation when conveying aspect, tense or person. Conversely, it undergoes several change when conjugation conveys mood.

The following personal endings are then added to the various aspectual and temporal forms. In this way, verbs show their agreement with the clause subject in person and number, besided introflexive processes:

1st sing.	-u
2nd sing.	-u / -o
3rd sing.	thematic vowel / Ø
1st plur.	-m
2nd plur.	-š
3rd plur.	-t

Moods are distinguished, conversely, by altering the thematic vowel:

	Indicative	Subjunctive	Conditional	Optative
Conjugation I	-e-	-ä-	-a-	-i-
Conjugation II	-o-	-ü-	-y-	-ö-

The imperative forms are built with the same thematic vowel as the indicative forms.

The non-finite verbal forms are meant as nominal/adjectival forms of the same verbs. They do not add the personal endings, but they are declined as nouns or adjectives with the nominal declension endings.

As verbal forms can, however, be formed on both roots. They can also change the thematic vowel according to mood.

The non-finite endings are:

• infinitive: -el
• active participle: pë- -uś
• passive participle: fë- -oś

Tutte le forme verbali possono avere una valenza detta di tipo dichiarativo o di tipo renarrativo. Le forme dichiarative sono le forme normali di coniugazione e rappresentano asserzioni di cui il referente è stato testimone diretto, di cui si fida o di cui la valenza di informazione riportata non è comunque importante. Le forme renarrate si riferiscono invece ad asserzione di cui il referente non è testimone diretto, di cui dimostra una palese sfiducia o di cui, comunque, la valenza di informazione riportata è importante ai fini del discorso. Le forme renarrative vengono costruite con un infisso di tipo consonantico -r-/-l-, che si pone all’interno delle due radici: dichiarativo renarrativo Rimpf CCVC CCVrC Rprf CVCVC CVCVrC

La forma -l- viene utilizzata solamente quando la consonante adiacente è di tipo rotico. Il verbo distingue, inoltre, due diatesi, una attiva e una passiva.