A CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE
9.0 REFERENTIALS
Referentials function much like personal pronouns in other languages, although they are more dynamic in their morphology. There are ten Referentials, each distinguishing three Effects (see Sec. 5.4 for an explanation of Effect).
9.1 Single-Referent
Referential
The structure of a Single-Referent Referential is as follows,
where C1 is a consonantal form indicating the particular party being
referenced, and VC1 is a
vocalic affix representing the case of the referent (using the same 68 VC case-affixes from
formative Slot IX). Note that combinations are permissible in Slot 1 (e.g., smlo ‘you (sg.) and (s)he and I’-ergative) as long as the combination is
phonotactically permissible. The epenthetic -ë- vowel appears before or within C1 combinations if necessary due to phonotactic rules (e.g.,
zëmse ‘it and s/he and
you(sg.)-ABS’, and may also be suffixed to Slot 4 if necessary for phonotactic
purposes. A second case may be stacked
on Referent A by filling in Slot 3 but leaving Slot 4 empty.
For personal referents other
than the monadic speaker ‘I’, if
represented by a single consonant, one may show two separate (i.e., different)
instances of that referent in one category by placing one instance of the
consonant in Slot 1, and another in Slot 4, e.g., püwüp [ma/ben/dat - ma/ben/dat] ‘to
him/her and to (a different) him/her’, zäwiez
[mi/ins - mi/tra] ‘with it and for (a different)
it’.
|
1 |
2 |
|
(ë)C1 ((ë)C1((ë)C1)) |
VC1 |
|
Referential A |
Case of Referential A Same affixes as formative
Slot IX |
The C1 values themselves and their meaning are shown below:
|
|
|
effect |
|
||
|
|
|
neutral |
beneficial |
detrimental |
|
|
1m |
monadic
speaker |
l |
r |
ř |
“I” |
|
2m |
monadic
addressee |
s |
š |
ž |
“you (sg.)” |
|
2p |
polyadic
addressee |
n |
t |
d |
“you (pl.)” |
|
ma |
monadic
animate 3rd party |
m |
p |
b |
“he” / “she” / “they (sg.)” |
|
pa |
polyadic
animate 3rd party |
ň |
k |
g |
“they (pl.)” |
|
mi |
monadic
inanimate 3rd party |
z |
ţ |
ḑ |
“it” |
|
pi |
polyadic
inanimate 3rd party |
ẓ |
f |
v |
“these things / those things” |
|
Mx |
mixed
animate/inanimate 3rd party |
c |
č |
j |
mixed animate+inanimate, e.g., “s/he+it”,
“they+those”, “it+they”, “those+s/he”, etc. |
|
Rdp |
Reduplicative
(i.e., resumptive) |
th |
ph |
kh |
refers back to the previously named party (often
used with SWR affix) |
|
Obv |
Obviative |
ll / lç* |
rr / rç* |
řř / řç* |
3rd-party other than one previously
referenced |
|
PVS |
Provisional [see Sec. 9.3 below] |
mm / mç* |
nn / nç* |
ňň / ňç* |
“whatever”
[see explanation on next page] |
* the alternate forms of the Obv and PVS categories
are used in Referential Affixes (see Sec. 4.6.5 below) to avoid ambiguity with
geminated CA forms
To show agglomerative
or nomic or abstract categories as a Referential,
add the following affixes immediately preceding or following one of the affixes
above (as phonotactically permissible):
agglomerative: -ļ-
/ -tļ- nomic: -ç-
/ -x- abstract: -w
/ -y
9.2 Dual-Referent
Referential
If there are two or more personal referents and each has a different case, this can be shown using a Dual-Referent Referential whose structure is shown below:
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
(ë)C1 ((ë)C1((ë)C1)) |
VC1 |
(w/y + VC2 |
(C2 (ë) ) ) |
Stress |
|
Referential A |
Case of Referential A Same affixes as formative
Slot IX |
Case of Referential B, or in
absence of Referential B, to add
(i.e.,stack) a 2nd Case on to Referential A.
Same affixes as formative Slot IX |
Referential B |
monosyllabic or
penultimate = default ultimate =
adjunct carries RPV Essence
* |
Examples: ëztewim,
zëmse, smoyút, triwejvë
For personal referents other than the monadic speaker ‘I’, if represented by
a single consonant, one may show two separate (i.e., different) instances of
that referent in one category by placing one instance of the consonant in Slot
1, and another in Slot 4, e.g., püwüp
[ma/ben/dat - ma/ben/dat] ‘to him/her and to (a different)
him/her’, zäwiez [mi/ins - mi/tra] ‘with it and for (a different) it’.
Note that this dual-referent
Referential structure can instead be used to stack a second case onto a single
referent by filling in Slot 3 but leaving Slot 4 empty. Examples: laiwe, sme’e, ka’u,
fo’we’is (Note that the last three
of these examples illustrate that Sec. 2.2, Rule 3, applies to Slot 2 VC1 and Slot 3 VC2
for Cases 37 through 52.)
The tell-tale sign of a
Referential (i.e., what distinguishes its phonological structure from a
formative) is its (ë)C(C)-V or (ë)C(C)-V-w/y-V-C structure (Formative
Slot II has no VV value -ë- nor any Slot IV VR value containing -w- or -y-).
9.3 The Provisional Referential
The
PVS Provisional Referential refers
to a vague, unspecified, potential, uncertain or unknown party/entity which can
be marked for case. Ostensibly, the
closest English translation would be “whatever.” However, since the identity of the entity is
provisional/potential/uncertain, the focus of the personal reference is on the
case-relationship being expressed, so that the meaning of the case often
determines the proper English translation.
For example, in phrases/sentences using IRG Illocution, the Referential
would correspond most closely to an English WH-interrogative pronoun such as
PVS-LOC where? (“whatever location”),
PVS-PUR why? (“whatever purpose”),
PVS-PRP ‘whose?’ (“whatever owner”),
etc.
NOTE: For more information on New
Ithkuil equivalents to English WH-interrogatives, see Sec. 10.6.
9.4 Impersonal and Abstract Reference
To
express impersonal referential categories such as “one”, “someone”,
“something”, “a thing”, “things”, etc., add the nomic affix above to the ma
or mi referential affixes above,
depending on the intended meaning.
Applying the abstract
affix to a tangible Referential form gives a word meaning “all that X is” or “everything
about X” as in “all about me”,
“everything having to do with you” or “everything
about it”. When appled to the Mx Referential, the abstract affix gives the meaning “everything and everyone” or “all that there is.”
9.5 Combination
Referential with Case-Stacking
A third Referential structure exists called a Combination Referential. It is used to add Case, Specification, VXCS affix information or a second case (case-stacking) to one of the Referential forms. The tell-tale signs of this adjunct are the Slot 4 consonant-forms containing -x-, -xt-, -xp-, or -xx- in what looks like the CA slot of a formative (these four consonant conjuncts are not possible CA forms). Examples: slex, poxtanz, ëtkexpa, ëlsuoxxéd.
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
5
|
6 |
|
(ë-) C1 ( + C2 ( + C3)) |
VC |
x / xt / xp / xx |
( VXCS
…) |
(VC2 or epenthetic -a) |
Stress |
|
Combination |
Case of Combination
Referential |
Specification of Combination
Referential |
|
2nd (stacked) case of
Combination Referential |
Penultimate
stress = default Ultimate stress
= adjunct has RPV
Essence. |
|
|
from formative Slot IX |
x = bsc xt = cte |
VXCS suffix 1 (2, 3, …) |
same affixes as formative
Slot IX except for THM case = -üa |
9.6 Applying
Carrier, Quotative, Naming, and Phrasal Adjunct Forms to Referentials
In addition to the Referential affixes shown in Sec. 9.1, the C1 slot of the Combination
Referential above as well as the C1
slot of the the Single- or Dual-Referent Referential in Sec. 9.2 may also take any of the CP Suppletive Adjunct
affixes (hl-, hm-, hn-, -hň-), thus allowing these adjuncts
the same scope and flexibility as Referentials in terms of showing
Specification, VXCS
affixes, and case-stacking for a following proper noun, foreign word/phrase, or
quote.
NOTE: When using a CP Suppletive Adjunct form in Slot 1 of a Referential it is necessary to prefix
the CP form by an
epenthetic vowel, as follows:
·
If using a CP Suppletive Adjunct
form in Slot 1 of a Combination Referential from
Sec. 9.5
above, the CP value must
be preceded by a- to avoid the
adjunct being mistaken for a Concatenated Formative.
·
If using a CP Suppletive Adjunct
form in Slot 1 of a Single- or Dual-Referential
from Sec. 9.1
and Sec. 9.2
above, the CP value must
be preceded by the word-initial diphthong
üo- to avoid the
adjunct being mistaken for a Modular Adjunct.