User:Bukkia/sandboxVIII

Negation

The verbal negation is conveyed by a distinct negative particle:

• n

This particle, being an only semivocalic consonant, cannot be clearly classified either as an adverb or as a prefix. Phonologically it blends with the following word, becoming a new unstressed syllable of the word.

If the following word already begins with a nasal consonant, an euphonic vowel [ə] is added to the negative particle, which gains a full syllabic value:

• nə

Given its relevant syntactical and phonological value, the negative particle is usually written with a dash (-), to be clearly distinguished from the followin word.

The verbal form is thus negated by placing the negative particle before it.

tɬīx xūɸɴ ɸāquɣ → tɬīx xūɸɴ n-ɸāquɣ
the man saw the dog → the man didn't see the dog

With a compound verbal form, the particle is usually added to the auxiliary verb.

tɬīx xūɸɴ ɸaqurā sūɣ → tɬīx xūɸɴ ɸaqurā n-sūɣ
the man is watching the dog → the man isn't watching the dog

The negative particle, however, can be added to any other element in the sentence, to specifically negate such element.

xūɸ tɬīxɴ xərɟuɣ → n-xūɸ tɬīxɴ xərɟuɣ
the dog bit the man → it wasn't the dog the one who bit the man

Double negatives are generally not allowed; the presence of another negative element in the sentence inhibits the negative adverb.