6.1.5 Reflexive clause
The reflexive clause has as its subject idma ‘one-and’ and as its undergoer idwa ‘one-already.’ See §3.2.1.11.
556 Pa r-rora
ralma-ni id-ma
n-ala id-wa
for 3p-two inside-POS
one-and 3s-give one-PERF
‘If the two of them were in love with one another…’
557 Demade id-ma
na-kot-la id-wa.
then one-and
3s-said-to one-PERF
‘Then they said to one another…’
558 Yana it
id-ma na-wenna
la’ ida
Do not us
one-and 3s-angry
at one
‘Let us not be angry at one another.’ 6.2
Passives
A passive “promotes pragmatic salience of the Undergoer…and demotes the Actor,” Grimes 1991:357. Passives in Luang involve active transitive verbs. There are a number of ways to make passives. These
include left dislocation, k- prefixation, the impersonal construction, and the use of lerla ‘get’.
6.2.1 Left dislocation
Although not formally a passive, left dislocation, which switches the order of the clause to OSV marks the undergoer as more prominent vis-à-vis the actor.
559 A-isko’l-u pai-piair-ni
de ma’m-u
n-pair to’a
a-iskola-’u pairi-pairi-ni
de mama-’u
n-pairi to’a
my-school-POS RDP-pay-POS that mama-POS 3s-pay
just ‘My school bill, my mother will just pay it.’
560 Rok de
nona han-ni
dress that miss own-POS
‘That dress, Miss owns.’
6.2.2 k- prefix
The k- prefix is discussed in §3.6.1.3. It occurs only on a closed set of verbs. It is not productive. But the words in which it occurs seem to denote non-intentionality andor a degree of passivity.
561 Rok die
na-k-lierta
roku de
na-k-lierta
skirt that
3s-INV-tight ‘That skirt is too tight.’
562 Oktowina morat-nu
n-ma-na-k-niuin-la te’ena
Oktovina mortu-ni
n-ma-na-k-niuin-la te’ena
Oktovina hair-POS
3s-come-3s-INV-wound-around pole
‘dead Oktovina’s hair came and wound around the pole.’ 563 Ger
otna na-k-tiowru
water rain 3s-INV-pour out
‘The rain was poured down.’
6.2.3 Verb ‘lerla’
Sometimes the word lerla ‘getreachreceiveexperience’ is used to construct a passive. Lerla is followed by a nominalized verb. When this method of passive is used, the nominalized verb is in focus, and not
the actor or even the undergoer.
564 O-m-lierla mor-miori-lew-lewna
2s-2s-receive RDP-live-RDP-life ‘You will receive salvation.’
565 R-ler oleka
la n-ni-a-hora-n-ni-a-la’a
3p-reach already
to 3s-NOM-suffer-3s-NOM-suffer
‘They are already experiencing suffering.’ 566 A-lier-la
pol-puol-inni-wak-wak-amni
1s-reach-to RDP-call-mother-RDP-ask-father ‘I experience great distress.’
6.2.4 Impersonal construction
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