La’a as preposition Preposition la and complements

4.1.6 Compound NPs

Compound NPs occur in ritual speech. Although they are structured as two NPs bound together they carry one semantic meaning. 476 Wuw-tian-wioka Lai-tan-mer mudclay-dirt-gather sand-dirt-red ‘Adam lit. gathered and made from dirt and clay’ 477 Il-wo’itu-Dar-wonema Il-ya-mou-Wat-ya-toha Rock-seven-layer-six rock-NOM-good-stone-NOM-holy ‘Heaven lit. The seventh rock-the sixth layer, the stonemountain which is pure and holy.’

4.2 Prepositional phrase structure

Prepositional phrases “encode the indirect object and the locational or directional information of a clause” Coward 1990:65. The basic structure of a Luang prepositional phrase is a preposition followed by a prepositional complement. The preposition is almost always some form of the word la’a §4.2.2. below. In directional benefactive prepositional phrases see §4.2.5 below la’a can occur with ti ‘away from speaker’ or ma ‘toward speaker’ or be replaced by them. The prepositional complement usually is a simple or complex NP, a free pronoun, or a deictic §4.2.4 below. However when the preposition functions as an oblique, the complement can even be a relative or other type clause §4.2.2 below.

4.2.1 La’a as preposition

La’a is the head of the prepositional phrase. Various forms of the word la’a occur throughout the Luang language. La’a can function as a verb root in verbs of motion: rla’a ‘walk’, rla’awa ‘go’ and as part of a serial verb construction see §5.2.2.2. As a preposition la’a indicates location in, at, above, below, into, on top of and direction to, away, toward, from. It also functions more abstractly concerning, about, as, of,. Although the full form is la’a, it is often reduced to la’ in context due to the reduction rule. See §2.4.2 It can also be realized as la no glottal when it has an atelic function, in the sense of still being in progress toward a goal. This is the form of la’a used most frequently in the flow of narrative discourse. La can also appear as a clitic on the verb. When following the verb in this cliticized state it generally functions as a required marker on intransitive and transitive verbs of motion or direction similar to English words such as stand-up, sit-down, etc.

4.2.2 Preposition la and complements

Note the following examples of la’a as it functions as a preposition, both as telic la’a and atelic la: Due to length, the following examples are only partially interlinearized.. 478 Nlol nu’nu la yawa. he pass by banyan at below ‘He passed below the banyan tree.’ 479 Nkenia la warni wawannu la’a hniekru ralamni. He put it in his cloth in blanket insides ‘He put it in his loin cloth lit. cloth within the blanket.’ 480 Nodia nursiawotra-namsale’u la Ruh meh inni-Uh mueh riwni. He brought slander to rib only mother-only rib ‘He lied to Eve.’ 481 Rwatut it la pniaiki la puka ralamni They taught us to read from book insides ‘They taught us how to read the book.’ Note the following examples with la functioning more abstractly: 482 Mere it yawala Lgonni la wniohor lir marna niwra… But our language Luang in spoken words high say ‘But when we talk in our high Luang language we say…’ 483 E’nanpena edmak kodi plolli la Yehudi riwnu-halli. He then is who carries power over Yehudi thousands ‘He alone is the one who has authority over the millions of Yehudi.’ 484 Uwala wat di la a’ ino’nu. I represent rock this as my body ‘This rock represents my body.’ 485 Tui nakota de la’a it la Lgon di … legend says that concerning us in this Luang ‘Legend concerning us here in Luang says that…’ 486 Nomlerni de enakota la’a Wuwtian wioka-Lai tian miera. Long ago that he was talking concerning Clay dirt gather-Sand dirt red ‘Long ago it was said concerning Adam…’ 487 La’a wolan penpuenu wornu di… At month full two this ‘During these two whole months…’ 488 La’ Orgahi-Orha’a ralam kalwiedni maiy ita kniarni di pede la’a hya’a maka awuarora de werta mere la’awa hohoni dewade… Because Lord’s inside goodness toward our work this therefore concerning what which I think that is heavy but going to end then… ‘Because of the Lord’s help in our work, even though it takes a lot of hard thinking but at the end then…’ 489 N-tuini-erun-la hletan wik-ni. 3s-fall-down-to sea bottom-GEN ‘He fell down to the sea’s bottom.’ 490 La’pa n-te’e-la up Nuh tuw-nu. then 3s-reach-to grandfather Nuh age-POS ‘Then time passed until grandfather Nuh’s time.’ 491 Yan mu-mkek-la handi do not 2s-look-at here. ‘Do not look over here.’ Note the following examples of verbs with la and la’a in one sentence. When both verbs occur, each is used with a different function or meaning within the same sentence: 492 N-hap-la la puou aratni. 3s-cut-at on boat’s side ‘He cut it on the boat.’ 493 Awuakla Orgahi-Orha’a totpena nal reria Hniwni la la’ he’maka khoireria limni la la’a ita knar di. ‘I ask to Lord in order that he give DUR Spirit out to who which holds DUR hand out concerning work this’ ‘I ask that the Lord would keep giving out his Spirit to whoever aids us in this work of ours.’ 4.2.3 Dropping of the prepositional complement When the prepositional complement is known or supposed information, then it may completely drop. Note the following examples: 494 M-muai pa a’u-kota hadi-la 2s-come for 1s-say this-to ‘Come so I can say this to you.’ 495 Yanulu n-olin-doini iwu la elder 3s-let go-COMP shark to ‘The elder let shark go away.’ 496 R-odi muanke’a roma nain de r-lergot-la 3p-bring male house under that 3p-go out-to ‘They brought the man to his house and then they went out.’

4.2.4 Location words as complement