Berik/Grammar

(further formatting later)

Nouns

Nouns occurring as the subject of a sentence typically receive the suffix «-na». However, not every noun receives this inflection.

• Consider the following examples where subjects receive the suffix «-na»
  • bangge<n><subj> ↔ banggena

Locational suffixes « -ap » "towards" and « -wer » "away from" occur on nouns.

• • jina<n>+ap<post> ↔ jinap
  • jina<n>+wer<post> ↔ jinawer

When the direction irrelevant, either may be used.

• • sita<n>+ap<post> ↔ sitap
  • sita<n>+wer<post> ↔ sitawer

The suffix « -yan » sometimes occurs on nouns in non-transitive clauses and is used to negate the clause.

• • tane<n>+yan<neg> ↔ taneyan
  • bwernabar<n>+bwernabar<neg> ↔ bwernabaryan

The suffix « -em » occurs on nouns as an instrument.

• • at<n>+em<ins> ↔ atem
  • gin<n>+em<ins> ↔ ginem

The suffix « -far » (sometimes « -bar ») occurs on nouns as comitative.

• • uwa<n>+far<com> ↔ uwafar
  • je<n>+bar<com> ↔ jebar
  • Korano<n>+far<com> ↔ Koranofar

The suffix « -bara » indicates a special form of accompanying relationship between a noun and a pronoun. It carries the meaning 'to have,' as in "I have a daughter.'

• • yafontoi<n>+bara<relational> ↔ yafontoibara
  • gwora<n>+bara<relational> ↔ gworabara

The suffix « -mana » occurs on nouns as a possessor.

• • Korano<n>+mana<pos> ↔ Koranomana
  • uwa<n>+mana<pos> ↔ uwamana

Verbs

Number

Intransitive verbs agree with the subject for dual number by adding the pluralizer word «ge» before the verb.

• jila<v><iv><du> ↔ ge jila
• sofwa<v><iv><du> ↔ ge sofwa
• nasona<v><iv><du> ↔ ge nasona
• fina<v><iv><du> ↔ ge fina

For plurals 4 examples are given, but the pattern isn't clear.

• jila<v><iv><pl> ↔ ge jalbili
• sofwa<v><iv><pl> ↔ ge sofwabili
• nasona<v><iv><pl> ↔ ge nasbawena
• fina<v><iv><pl> ↔ ge fibili

Transitive verbs mark the number of the object.

In dual, the ending appears to be «-sona» for verbs ending in «-(b)ana», which is sometimes accompanied by a vowel change in the stem. There is not enough data to find a pattern for other types of verbs.

• damtana<v><tv><du> ↔ domsona
• saftana<v><tv><du> ↔ sofsona
• nasbana<v><tv><du> ↔ nasona
• telbese<v><tv><du> ↔ telmisi
• wirusu<v><tv><du> ↔ wirsosa

Plural is again difficult to make out.

• damtana<v><tv><pl> ↔ damtabili
• saftana<v><tv><pl> ↔ saftabana
• nasbana<v><tv><pl> ↔ nasbabili
• telbese<v><tv><pl> ↔ telbebesi
• wirusu<v><tv><pl> ↔ wirtababisi

Gender

Many verbs agree with the gender of the object. Some these have a regular suffix alteration between «-bana» and «-bili».

• sarbana<v><tv><f> ↔ sarbili
• eyebana<v><tv><f> ↔ eyebili
• gwebana<v><tv><f> ↔ gwebili

Others undergo stem changes. Some of these are very similar to the suffix alteration.

• gerbana<v><tv><f> ↔ golbili

Whereas others (those ending in «-tana», it seems) change the first syllable and change the suffix to «-ola».

• damtana<v><tv><f> ↔ domola
• saftana<v><tv><f> ↔ sofola

Distance

When the action takes place far away, the infix «-tet-» is inserted before the final syllable. If the verb ends in «-tena» the result is «-tetna», otherwise the «n» is doubled and «-tet-» is inserted between them.

• disultena<v><tv><dst> ↔ disultetna
• gwerana<v><tv><dst> ↔ gwerantetna