Tiwi/Grammar
From LING073
We based our grammar documentation on the Traditional Tiwi interpretation from Tiwi Today.
Contents
Parts of Speech
"The categories for Modern Tiwi are, in general, the same as those for Traditional Tiwi, the main differences being within the classes or sub-classes. Some classes, such as inflected verbs, are much reduced in size, while other classes, such as free verbs, are expanded." Tiwi Today
Nominals
nouns, kin nouns, adjectives, and numerals
Verbals
inflected verbs and free form verbs
Other
predicatives, locatives, temporals, adverbs, particles and interjections
Alternations
Alternation 1
Direct object:
- pirni<v><tv><past><s_sg3><o_sg3><m> ↔ yipirni
pi-ri-pirni they hit or killed him.
Alternation 2
There are three tenses: past, non-past, and future Past vs. Non-past:
- wapa<v><tv><nonpast><s_sg3><m> ↔ awapa
- wapa<v><tv><past><s_sg3><m> ↔ yuwapa
- pangurlimayi<v><iv><nonpast><s_sg1> ↔ ngipangurlimayi
- pangurlimayi<v><iv><past><s_sg1> ↔ ngirripangurlimayi
Alternation 3
Alternation 4
Alternation 5
Alternation 6
Alternation 7
Alternation 8
Alternation 9
Alternation 10
Other
- Examples not in Tiwi