Viwdiwgu morphology
- Main article: Viwdiwgu
This page gives an extensive description of Viwdiwgu morphological features.
Nouns
Nouns in Viwdiwgu language end almost exclusively in a vowel or in the recurring -iw diphthong. A certain number of nouns, mostly loanwords, may unusually end in a consonant; in this case a euphonic vowel, -u-, is added at the end of noun before the normal declension endings.
Nouns display neither gender nor class distinction. There are, however, three morphological numbers for almost all nouns, singular, dual, and plural.
The dual number is used when two entities are mentioned (or when these entities are usually found in couple):
līlužū suvö I see dogs (three, four, some, many, …)
līlužū suvɛhiw I see two dogs (it cannot be any other number)
In this case, the usage of the numeral hɛgiw, two, is not required. It can be used, however, to highlight the value of the numeral.
līlužū hɛɣiw suvɛhiw I see two dogs (the amount of two is purposedly highlighted)
There is a limited case system. If a noun is deemed as indefinite, a form of indefinite article is used and placed before it.
Cases
Viwdiwgu nouns do decline, according to a nominative-accusative system with 3 cases:
| Direct | This case marks both the subject and the direct object of a verb. It is also used with some prepositions. It is regarded as the base form of the noun, and it is used as the vocative form. |
| Genitive | This case marks possession and belonging, either intentional, unintentional, or indirect. It is used with many prepositions. It is also used to mark the direct object of an infinitival form of a verb, marking thus the direct object of the negated form of a transitive verb. |
| Dative | This case marks primarily the indirect object. In a broad sense, it can also mark the final point of a movement (motion toward a place). It is used with many prepositions. |
Numerals
The numeral system relies on a decimal base.
The first ten cardinal numbers are noun-like forms on their own:
| ṡāhu | |
| hɛɣiw | |
| miwgō | |
| gōli | |
| šāɣi | |
| tūlɛ | |
| xɛžɛ | |
| čuhi | |
| tsōǧu | |
| pihu |
Numerals from 11 to 19 are built with the construction NUM + pihü, with some irregularities:
| ṡāhupihü | |
| hɛɣiwpihü | |
| miwgōpihü | |
| gōlipihü | |
| šāɣipihü | |
| tūlɛpihü | |
| xɛžɛpihü | |
| čuhipihü | |
| tsōǧupihü |
The numerals for (one) hundred and (one) thousand are noun-like forms on their own:
| ňācju | |
| viwhā |
The numerals for the multiples of tens, hundreds and thousands are built with the construction NUM + -pihudjū / -ňācjū / -viwhādjū, with some irregularities:
| hɛɣiwpihudjuhiw | hɛɣiwňācjuhiw | hɛgiviwhādjuhiw | |
| miwgōpihudjū | miwgōňācjū | miwgōviwhādjū | |
| gōlipihudjū | gōliňācjū | gōliviwhādjū | |
| šāɣipihudjū | šāɣiňācjū | šāɣiviwhādjū | |
| tūlɛpihudjū | tūlɛňācjū | tūlɛviwhādjū | |
| xɛžɛpihudjū | xɛžɛňācjū | xɛžɛviwhādjū | |
| čuhipihudjū | čuhiňācjū | čuhiviwhādjū | |
| tsōǧupihudjū | tsōǧuňācjū | tsōǧuviwhādjū |
The numerals for “million” and “billion” are nominal forms on their own (the latter is an adapted loanword from Iðâɣ language):
| viwhālu | |
| mesürentu (from I. mêšúrěntu) |
These forms are treated as regularly declinable nouns:
| miwgō viwhālū | |
| tūlɛ mesürentū |
If these numerals are used as simple count forms, they are declined in the direct case. Inside of a structured sentence, they are declined according the case required by their syntactical role. Nouns adjoining such numerals are introduced by the preposition xāč and are declined in the genitive case:
hɛɣiw viwhāluhiwxjɛ xāč pūɣörɛ to two millions people
Composite numbers are built by just putting them beside, without any conjunction, in descending order:
- 1985: viwhā tsōǧuňācjū čuhipihudjū šāɣi
When cardinal numbers have an adjective-like function, or when they are used as as simple count forms, they are meant as indeclinable forms (except for "million" and "billion").
sōgu miwgō mācudürɛ çurɛ my three friends' house
ṡāhu, hɛɣiw, miwgō, gōli, ... one, two, three, four, ...
Every numeral, however, can also have a pronominal function. In this case, they are declined in the required case. They are declined only in the singular declension.
sōgu miwgōrɛ the house of those three (people)
The numeral ṡāhu is a notable exception, since its role as an indefinite article in modern texts is rapidly increasing. It thus displays a complete adjectival declension.
In the earlier modern period the idea of “zero” is introduced from Cärähə language. This numeral is however usually limited to mathematics:
| xesü (from C. xesü) |
Ordinal numerals are formed by adding the ordinal ending -rō to the cardinal numeral form:
| ṡāhurō | |
| hɛɣiwrō | |
| miwgōrō | |
| gōlirō | |
| šāɣirō | |
| tūlɛrō | |
| xɛžɛrō | |
| čuhirō | |
| tsōǧurō | |
| pihurō | |
| ṡāhupihürō | |
| hɛɣiwpihürō | |
| hɛɣiwpihudjuhiwrō | |
| tūlɛpihudjūrō |
Ordinal numerals for “millionth” and “billionth” are regularly formed from their corresponding cardinal forms, while their multiples are formed by unifying the separated forms in an only adjectival word:
| viwhālurō | |
| mesürenturō | |
| miwgōmesürentūrō |
If the numeral form is composite, the ending is added only to the last numeral form:
- 25th: hɛɣiwpihudjū šāɣirō
