User:Bukkia/sandboxVIII

Negation

The verbal negation is conveyed by two negative adverbs:

• əjs
• əjň

Despite being essentially synonyms, these two adverbs have strictly different grammatical and synctactical usages.

• əjs in used in main clauses, with either indicative or conditional verbal forms.
• əjň in used mostly in dependent clauses, with any verbal forms. It is also used in main clauses in all imperative constructions.

1. jis is used with the simple present tense, being placed after it, and with all future tenses, being placed between the auxiliary verbs and the infinitival forms.

æl‘ soɸal‘ ñamjixæh → æl‘ soɸal‘ ñamjixæh jis
the dog bites → the dog doesn't bite

æl‘ soɸal‘ jimof ñamjixæm‘ æl‘ vjirul‘ → æl‘ soɸal‘ jimof jis ñamjixæm‘ æl‘ vjirul‘
the dog will bite the man → the dog won't bite the man

2. he is used with all compound tenses formed with the auxiliary verb ojæm‘, to be, being placed before it.

æl‘ soɸal‘ ojh ñjimaciθu æl‘ vjirul‘ → æl‘ soɸal‘ he ojh ñjimaciθu æl‘ vjirul‘
the dog will bit the man → the dog didn't bite the man

However, both negative adverbs can be found inside the same sentence, with every verbal tense, in their regular position (in these cases jis is placed between the auxiliary verb and the participial form). This construction may be used to strengthen or highlight the negation:

æl‘ soɸal‘ he ojh ñjimaciθu æl‘ vjirul‘ → æl‘ soɸal‘ he ojh jis ñjimaciθu æl‘ vjirul‘
the dog didn't bite the man → the dog didn't bite the man at all

Double negatives are generally allowed, but this usage is unstable and unclear.