Tiwi/Grammar
We based our grammar documentation on the Traditional Tiwi interpretation from Tiwi Today.
Contents
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." [1]
- 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
"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.)"[2]
- 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."[3]
- 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