Western Abenaki and English/Contrastive Grammar

Animacy

Nouns and verbs are tagged with animacy, and there are different verbs depending on whether the subject/object are animate or inanimate.

Verb Animacy

To output "someone" vs. "something" or "him" vs. "it" is a good grammar point. Adding the English word when it's not present in abe is another grammar point. Be sure to write these up with the correct template - JNW

Verb animacy differs depending on the animacy of the subject and/or object.

• (abe) beskaaka → (eng) put him aside

  (abe) beskaaka<vb><tv><pres><aa> → (eng) put<vb><tv><pres> him<prn><pers><p3><sg><acc> aside<adv>

• • beskato<vb><tv><nn><o_3sg_def_nn>
• see someone or something
  • namiha<vb><tv><aa><o_3sg_def_aa>
  • namito<vb><tv><nn><o_3sg_def_nn>
• one names him or it
  • wihlômek<vb><tv><aa><o_3sg_def_aa>
  • witôzik<vb><tv><nn><o_3sg_def_nn>

Plural Agreement

Adjectives and verbs must agree with the relevant noun in plurality

Adjective Plurality

This would be important for translation into abe, but it isn't for translation into eng -JNW

• pear (elongated apple) → pears (elongated apples)
  • kwanogazid<adj> aples<n><aa><sg>
  • kwanogazijik<adj><pl> aplesak<n><aa><pl>
• flat light → flat lights (the northern lights)
  • abagigen<adj> wassakw<n><aa><sg>
  • abagigenol<adj><pl> wassakol<n><aa><pl>

Verb Plurality

this is a lot like English, no? -JNW

• pears are
  • kwanogazijik<adj><pl> aplesak<n><aa><pl> aoak<vb><iv><aa><pl>
• candlelights are present
  • wassanmôganihlak<n><aa><pl> aimek<vb><iv><aa><pl>

First Person Possessive, First Person Subject

In Western Abenaki, the first person possessive marker is a prefixed n’. In English, this is simply the word "my." Similarly, a first person subject is marked on a verb with the same prefixed n’. In English, this is the word "I."

• N’cape - my coffee
  • ^cape<n><nn><px1sg>/coffee<n><px1sg>$
  • the "my" will be extracted in the Structural Transfer lab
• n’wlômawaldamen - I believe
  • ^n’wlômawaldamen<vb><tv><nn><s_sg1>/believe<vb>
  • The "I" will also be extracted

I see three useful grammar points here so far. See if you can come up with two more? -JNW