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Let's Make a Language: Day 6, Adpositions and Possession

Real quick one for today.

Adpositions

I'll start off today by listing out the adpositions we already have in Munya.

  • [kʲon] from [kʲon.pʰa] "to swallow" as the adposition "in"
  • [ŋoː] from [ŋoː.tos1] "to throw" as the adposition "away"
  • and finally [lə] from [lə] "to finish" as the adposition for "at"
Because these adpositions come from verbs, ultimately, they are postpositions that come after the noun they modify. Additionally, using these postpositions forces the noun they modify to take the accusative or dative case. The accusative case for movement and the dative case for static location.

Ni ga laumi laufi so kyon.
[ni kʰa ˈlau5.mi5 ˈlau5fi so kʲon]
1SG.NOM swim lake ACC in
I swim in the lake.
 
Ni ga laumi laufi tyi le.
[ni kʰa ˈlau5.mi5 ˈlau5.fi tʲi1 lə]
1SG.NOM swim lake DAT by
I am at the lake.

These are a good start, but lets make some more, shall we?
  • On, on top of: [xi] from [xi.tʰe] "to ride".
  • Before, in front of: [tʲi5.se] from [seɲe1] "front" and [tʲi5] "by"
  • After, behind of: [tʲi5.pʲʰa5] from [pʲʰa5ko1] "back" and [tʲi5] "by"
  • By, at the side of, during: [tʲi5] from [tʲi5] "to see"
  • Below: [tʲi5fʲe] from [fʲe] "to lie down" and [tʲi5] "by"
  • Across: [pʰal.xi] from [pʰal] "path" and [xi] "on"

Possession

I've decided that for now, it marks possession through a series of suffixes that change depending on the person of the possessor noun.

Tine
[ti1.ne5]
dress-1POSS
My dress.

Time
[ti1.me5]
dress-2POSS
Your dress.

Tito
[ti1.to5]
dress-3POSS
Their/Somebody's dress.

Genitive Case

This system is used in tandem with the genitive case marker [fa1] to express ownership. The genitive of possession marks an argument as owning the following noun, or that the following noun belongs the noun marked in some way.

The genitive can be used in a partitive sense.

Natso ga kaho fa.
[ˈna5.t͡sʰoː15 kʰa ka.xo1 fa1]
hill NOM top GEN
Top of (the) hill.

For inalienable ownership.

Byu ga syo fa.
[ˈpʲʰu kʰa sʲoː15 fa1]
dog NOM paw GEN
(the) dog's paw.

And others we'll get into later!

 

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