Difference between revisions of "Tiwi/Grammar"

Revision as of 23:26, 5 March 2021

We based our grammar documentation on the Traditional Tiwi interpretation from Tiwi Today.

Parts of Speech

Nominals<n>

• nouns
• kin nouns
• numerals <num>
• adjectives <adj>

Verbals <v>

inflected verbs and free form verbs

• transitive <tv>
• intransitive <iv>

Other

• predicatives <pred>
• locatives <loc>
• temporals<temp>
• adverbs<adv>
• particles
• interjections <ij>

Alternations

Alternation 1: singular imperative mood

• wapa<v><tv><imp><s_sg2> ↔ taapa
• wapa<v><tv><imp><s_sg2> ↔ takirimi

Alternation 2: non-past verbs

"nonpast verbs have one of the non-past set of subject forms, but are not otherwise marked for tense. Past tense verbs are formed by a} selecting one of the past tense set of subject forms and b) inserting the past tense marker rə- wherever the subject form carries no tense meaning. (An exception to this is that rə- is inserted following pu- "they", which has a distinctively past tense meaning.)

• wapa<v><iv><nonpast><s_sg3><m> ↔ awapa
• pangurlimayi<v><iv><nonpast><s_sg1> ↔ ngipangurlimayi
• takirayi<v><tv><nonpast><s_sg3><m> ↔ atakirayi
• wapa<v><iv><nonpast><s_sg1> ↔ ngiwapa

Alternation 3: past verbs

• wapa<v><iv><past><s_sg3><m> ↔ yiwapa
• pangurlimayi<v><iv><past><s_sg1> ↔ ngirripangurlimayi
• kirimi <v><iv><past><s_pl3> ↔ pirikirimi
• akijiti <v><iv><past><s_pl3> ↔ pirripakijiti
• walangarti<v><tv><past><s_sg3><m> ↔ yiwalangarti

In past tense verbs when third-person singular direct object co-occurs with third-person singular subject, the subject prefixes are used to express gender of the object, and the gender of the subject is neutralized.(Osborne 41)

• pirni <v><tv><past><s_sg3><o_sg3><m> ↔ yipirni

Alternation 4: direct object

• takirayi<v><tv><nonpast><s_sg3><m><o_pl3> ↔ awuntakirayi
• pirni<v><tv><past><s_sg3><m><o_sg1> ↔ yiminipirni

Alternation 5

Alternation 6

Alternation 7

Alternation 8

Alternation 9

Alternation 10

Other

• Examples not in Tiwi