Argument Promotion
The first noun in a clause is the subject, which is prototypically the agent in transitive sentences and the patient in intransitive sentences. However, suffixes can be added to the verb to promote other nouns in the clause, other than the genitive.
There are three such verbal suffixes, which can be stacked, however, once something has been shifted from the subject position, it can’t be promoted again.
Passive
The passive suffix promotes the object. This suffix has the forms:
- -’illu いっを when the last element of a verb is monosyllabic,
- -ilu ・いを replacing the final vowel if the final consonant is geminated, and
- -illu ・いっを replacing the final vowel of the verb elsewise.
The old subject is then marked with the ablative case. A sentence with this marker is intransitive. The demoted item is not compulsory, but if it is put in, it is the first ablative-marked noun in the new sentence.
“You fought a deer!”
Kilatu’i qixa (sacu) kissilu.
。きわといねざさゆきっせを。
kilatu’i qixa (sacu) kissa-ilu.
deer pst;dyn(2abl) fight-psv
“A deer was fought (by you).”
Ablative
The ablative suffix promotes the ablative. It has the form:
The old subject is demoted to object, and the old object is demoted to dative. A sentence with this marker is transitive. The first dative-marked noun in the new sentence is the demoted item.
Lulani qixa kalukimilli dasi qasa.
。をわにねざかをきみっえだせげさ。
lulani qixa kalu-kimilli dasi qasa.
queen pst;dyn abl-king eat fish
“The queen ate a fish because of the king.”
Kimilli qixa kuqasa dasikka lulani.
。きみっえねざくげさだせっかをわに。
kimilli qixa ku-qasa dasi-kka lulani.
king pst;dyn dat-fish eat-abv queen
“The king made the queen eat fish.”
Kimilli qixa (kal·lani) dasilluka qasa.
。きみっえねざかををわにだせっをかげさ。
kimilli qixa kalu-lulani dasi-illu-ka qasa.
king pst;dyn (abl-queen) eat-psv-abv fish
“The king made the fish get eaten (by the queen).”
Dative
The suffix -xa promotes a dative. The old subject is demoted to object, and the old object (if any) is demoted to dative. A sentence with this marker is transitive.
Mulisa ru kuquxi kuffa laqqu.
。むえさるくもしくっへわっも。
mulisa ru ku-quxi kuffa laqqu.
fool prs;gno dat-mountain give money.
“A fool gives money to the mountain.”
Quxi ru kulaqqu kuffaxa mulisa.
。もしるくわっもくっへざむえさ。
quxi ru kulaqqu kuffa-xa mulisa.
mountain prs;gno dat-money give-dtv fool
“It is to the mountain that fools give money.”
Quxi ru (kalumulisa) kuffiluxa laqqu.
。もしるかをむえさくっべをざわっも。
quxi ru (kalumulisa) kuffa-ilu-xa laqqu.
mountain prs;gno (abl-fool) give-psv-dtv money.
“It is to the mountain that money is given (by fools).”
Adposition
To promote a adpositional phrase to subject, prefix the verb with the adposition. The old subject is demoted to object. The old object, if any, is demoted to dative.
“She sat in the sand.”
“It was the sand that she sat in.”
Mihu pi nijagaru dasi nukki.
。みほぴにぢがるだせぬっき。
3ani;int pst;sta at-sand eat strawberry
“He was eating a strawberry in the sand.”
Jagaru pi kunukki nidasi quhu.
。ぢがるぴくぬっきにだせもほ。
jagaru pi ku-nukki ni-dasi quhu.
sand pst;sta dat-strawberry in-eat 3ani;tra.
“It was in the sand that he was eating the strawberry.”