VERBAL INFLECTION IN MWERA REBECCA HALE

MWERA

http://llmap.org/languages/mwe.html

MWERA

http://llmap.org/languages/mwe.html

Class

Sg.

Pl.

1

mu-, m-, ŋ- ŵa-

Human

1a

a-, (or pre$xless)

Subclass of 1. proper names, certain terms of kinship relation, certain zoological terms

2

mu-, m-, n- mi-

Most trees, some body parts

3

li-

ma-

Miscellaneous. contains fruits, animals, body parts, paired objects

4

ci-

i-

Miscellaneous. includes foreign borrow words, esp. from Swahili.

5

n-, ɲ-

n-, ɲ-. Augmentative plural: ma-.

Many animal names and common objects

6

lu-

n-, ɲ-, ŋ-

Long objects, river names

7

ka-

tu- (pre-pre$xes with vowel-commencing stems

Diminutives

8

u-, gu-

-----

Mostly abstract terms, some non-count concrete objects

9

ku-

-----

Verb in$nitives used as nouns

10

pa-, ku-, mu-

-----

Locative nouns

aca-, aci-, acina-

Nouns included

PARADIGM FUNCTION PF() = SWITCH(III(II(I(Stem())))) Block SWITCH: SWITCH, X[], σ:{} → (VIII(VII(VI(V(IV()))))) 7

6

5

4

3

2

root

1

8

SWITCH, X[], σ:{TENSE:{pastNarr/futImm/futMid/futRem}} → (IV(VIII(VII(VI(V())))))

EXAMPLES 7 6 5 4 3 2 root 1 8 tu - ka - naːpiŋg - a SU:1.pl.CLA1 – neg - present.CONTWANT - indic. tukanaːpiŋga ‘They do not want’

7 6 5 4 3 2 root 1 aacikulipiŋg a SU:3.sg.CLA1 pastRem- pastRem DEF- OB:3.sg.CLA3 -WANT- indic. aːcikulipiŋga ‘He/she wanted’ [something de$nite, class 3– spear, axe, etc.]

4 7 6 5 3 2 root 1 8 ciŵapiŋge futImm-SU:3.pl.CLA1WANTindic.futImm ciŵapinje ‘They are about to want’

8

Subject Agreement

Object Agreement

Singular

Singular

Plural

Plural

1st person

ni-, ŋgu-, etc. tu-

n-, etc.

tu-

2nd person

u-

mu-, etc.

ku-

m-, n-, ŋ-

ŵa-

m-, n-, ŋ-

ŵa-, a-

3rd person, Class 1 a- Class 2 u- (gu-)

ji-

Class 3 li-

ga-

Class 4 ci-

i-

Class 5 ji-

i-

Class 6 lu-

i-

Class 7 ka-

tu-

Class 8 u- (gu-)

-----

Class 9 ku-

-----

Class 10 pa-, ku-, mu- -----

SAME

AGREEMENT Block II

%Object agreement

II, X[], σ:{OBJAGR:{1pers sg}} → nX II, X[], σ:{OBJAGR:{1pers pl}} → tuX II, X[], σ:{OBJAGR:{2pers sg}} → kuX II, X[], σ:{OBJAGR:{2pers pl}} → nX II, X[], σ:{OBJAGR:{3pers sg 1cla}} → mX II, X[], σ:{OBJAGR:{3pers pl 1cla}} → aX II, X[], σ:{OBJAGR:{τ}} → (AGR())

Block VII %Subject agreement VII, X[], σ:{SUBJAGR:{1pers sg}} → NX etc…. VII, X[], σ:{SUBJAGR:{3pers pl 1cla}} → ŵaX VII, X[], σ:{SUBJAGR:{τ}} → (AGR())

Block AGR AGR, X[], σ:{sg 2cla/8cla} → guX AGR, X[], σ:{pl 2cla} → jiX AGR, X[], σ:{sg 3cla} → liX AGR, X[], σ:{pl 3cla} → gaX AGR, X[], σ:{sg 4cla} → ciX AGR, X[], σ:{pl 4cla/5cla/6cla} → iX AGR, X[], σ:{sg 5cla} → jiX AGR, X[], σ:{sg 6cla} → luX AGR, X[], σ:{sg 7cla} → kaX AGR, X[], σ:{pl 7cla} → tuX AGR, X[], σ:{9cla} → kuX AGR, X[], σ:{10cla loc1} → paX AGR, X[], σ:{10cla loc2} → kuX AGR, X[], σ:{10cla loc3} → muX