Difference between revisions of "Imperatives and Hortatives"

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===Imperatives===
 
 
====(Positive) Imperatives====
 
 
Imperatives for singular listeners are formed with a suffix -i and (if the focus of the command is plural) a plural marker -o':
 
 
V stem + '''-i''' (+ '''-o'''')
 
 
e.g. inoox-i genoox "stand up!" (079).
 
 
The plural imperative appears to surface with a suffix -yo', e.g. jaw-yo'! "cook (pl)!" (103). I analyze this here as a combination of the imperative morpheme -i and the plural marker -yo' seen elsewhere on verbs.
 
 
====Prohibitives====
 
 
A negative imperative (prohibitive?) is formed as follows:
 
 
'''bar''' + '''o/nu''' + V stem
 
 
e.g. bar o ret! "don't go (sg)!", bar nu ndet! "don't go (pl)!" (103). This can be contracted to ba + V stem on occasion, e.g. ba ret! "don't go (sg)!", ba ndet! "don't go (pl)!" (103). '''bar''' can perhaps be analyzed as a free prohibitive morpheme; it is not clear if it can be used on its own as an utterance as can hortative '''aca''' (see below).
 
 
===Hortatives===
 
 
Hortatives, at least for 1PL subjects, are expressed by way of the following:
 
 
('''aca''') + '''i''' + V stem + (zero ending)
 
 
e.g. (aca) i ndet! "let's go!" (103). '''aca''' could perhaps be analyzed as a free-standing hortative particle, but it can also be used on its own as an utterance meaning roughly "let's!", or with the imperative or prohibitive moods to add urgency to the request.
 

Latest revision as of 18:42, 14 December 2012