Serial verb

Revision as of 23:52, 21 October 2021 by Laqme (talk | contribs)

A serial verb (or serial) is created when two or more verbs are placed together. This process is called serialization.

Examples

Serial verbs are a very powerful construct in Toaq grammar: any verb with a “satisfies property…” or “is the case” slot can essentially act as an auxiliary verb to another. With other verbs, the result is like “adjective-noun”, or “verb-baq-object”.

Serial verb examples
deq koı can · walk A modal auxiliary verb, like in English.
pu koı did · walk A tense auxiliary verb, like in English.
sheo fıeq regret · inventing A less familiar auxiliary verb: sheo “regret”.
leo kuaq try to · express Many serials correspond to “(verb) to (verb)” in English.
jaq chuı very · early Other serials correspond to adverbs in English.
bu suaojıe not · care about Even negation can be done with a serial verb.
taq loı self- · hate Serialization can be used to make reflexive verbs.
sao meı big · mountain An “adjectival” serial verb (adjective-noun).
joaı haq seek · food A “genitival” serial verb (verb-baq-noun).

Merging definitions

When joining two verbs together into one, their definitions are merged according to the serialization algorithm.

All of the behaviors in the table above arise from a handful of rules:

Property slot: “merge-away”
leo ___ tries to satisfy property ___
baı ___ builds ___
leo baı ___ tries to build ___
Event slot: “merge-into”
le it is probable that ___
guq ___ is underneath ___
le guq ___ is probably underneath ___
Transitive verb: “merge-with-baq
cho ___ likes ___
rua ___ is a flower
cho rua ___ likes flowers
Adjective: “describe-head”
sao ___ is big
paq ___ is a part of ___
sao paq ___ is a big part of ___

Long serials

For more than two verbs, this merging process is right-grouping:

sheo (leo kuaq)
regret (trying to express)

le (haı (luı (ceo guaı)))
probably (already (have (started working)))

Usage

The result can be used as a verb by saying each word in  :

Dẻq kỏı súq moq?
Are you able to walk?

Bủ sủaojıe jí ní da.
I don't care about that.

Shẻo lẻo rủo hủaq cảq jí nháo da.
I regret trying to act more strong than them.

Only the first word is conjugated for tone, and everything else stays in  .

táq lỏı
self-hater

täq lỏı
… who self-hates

jãq dẻ
very beautifully