Mirexu

Grammar overview

For more recent developments in the grammar that are not reflected in the explanation below, see my Mirexu posts on my conlanging blog.

Verbs are marked for: agreement with certain types of subordinate clause; negation; agreement with any ergative argument; agreement with non-third-person absolutive arguments; agreement with each oblique argument; tense; and aspect. Verbs frequently contain many derivational morphemes which are not given separately above for time and space reasons. The verb paradigm is as follows:

[ ADV ] [ NEG ] [ ABS ] [ ERG ] [ OBL [ OBL ...] ] TENSE verb-base ASPECT

Verbs may form subordinate clauses in the following ways:

• adverbial clauses: the adverbial clause marker -se is appended to a full y declined verb. Its arguments take on subordinate clause suffixes. In the main clause, an agreement morpheme is prefixed to the verb complex.
• complement clauses: the complement clause marker -i is appended to a fully d eclined verb. Its arguments take on subordinate clause suffixes. In the main cl ause, the appropriate agreement for a third person singular neuter argument is u sed (usually null, as complement clauses are usually not agents).
• relative clauses: the relative clause marker ne- is prefixed to a verb with core argument agreement, tense, aspect, and optional negation, but no oblique ar guments or subordinate clause agreement markers. If an external head exists, th e adjectival marker -u is appended. The position relativized is that of the abs olutive argument.

Verbs may combine through conjunction if they share all arguments (and therefore also degree of transitivity) and tense. All but the final verb are marked for aspect and negation only, and the conjunctive ending -u appended. The final verb is an ordinary fully declined finite verb.

Nouns and free pronouns show nominative/accusative alignment, in contrast with the absolutive/ergative alignment of verb agreement. Since the ergative and absolutive agreement markers on the verb are really incorporated pronouns, any standalone pronoun agreed with by such a marker will not appear. However, as absolutive third person pronouns are not marked on the verb, they do appear either in the accusative as objects of transitive verbs, or in the nominative (with null case ending) as subjects of intransitive verbs. Nouns with the oblique case ending have their role marked on the verb. In subordinate clauses nominative nouns take the subordinate nominative ending, and accusative and oblique nouns take the subordinate oblique ending.

Nouns may be possessed. If this is the case, instead of their case endin g they have a possessive suffix. They will be preceded by their possessor (unless it is a pronoun which has been subsumed by a verb agreement marker), on which their case will be marked. Agreement on the verb is with the possessor, but the actual argument is the possessed noun.

Nouns in the same case and to which all the same arguments (adjectives, relative clauses, possessors) apply may form conjunction by all but the first noun having the conjunctive noun suffix -so instead of a possessive or case suffix.

The derivational verb prefix rbe- is used to create relative clauses of manner. For example, if "sosu" is "to sleep", "ti asosup" is "they sleep", "[...] atarbesosup" is "they sleep-in-manner [...]", then "neatarbesosup" is "how they sleep" and "neatarbesosupu lupsi" is "the way that they sleep".

Example text

Example text taken from Conlang Relay 15:

Text

ifwefu neatarbepukopu lupsia ajaelup

ifwefu tidu nultitei kjeluapasep, tidu nisozhutei luapasep. pulkoa attijukwiv. ti jedeweso isewedu luapasep. ti apukop. pukowetei kjemni jutjurausapu kujufemerusap. kwipwena kjeataduirupse ti vapasesep. ti siwedu lutepu reapasep. tigi kjeankehisepi tia anatjurausadep. pulok femeruresapu kjedarauresapu tameluskisuresapu aletamlusap.

Smooth translation

One sees the way that they dance

One moves not with their music, but with their voices. They have studied dance. They move with creativity and possibility. They dance. Their style of dancing is the happiest and most beautiful. Because they do not have learning they can move. They circle and move as one. That they are unable not to try makes them happy. The dances are more beautiful, more unsaddening, more complex, and different.

Interlinear

Key

Glossary

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Last updated: 10/28/2015