Existential clauses with naando

7 THE CLAUSE 159

7.2.1. Existential clauses with naando

The closest equivalent to the existential verb to be in English is the irregular verb naando. It is irregular in that it is not usually inflected in the realis. The verb is typically used in clauses introducing the main participant of a story, in which case the order is always VS, followed by another clause which is a description of that participant. The following examples are all story-openers: 75 anagha-ini we se-ghonu liwu naando se-ghulu ana-no formerly loc one-CLAS land be one-CLAS child-POS ndoke ne-late ne wiwi-no karumbu monkey 3sR-live loc side-POS woods once in a certain land there was a baby monkey who lived near the woods 76 naando wawono a-bhiku-a-bhiku bhe a-laga-a-laga be formerly RED-ART-snail with RED-ART-ant long ago lived Snail and Ant 77 anagha-ini naando Karambau Kainsedodo ne-fembula bhelomba formerly be Buffalo Kainsedodo 3sR-grow k.o.fruit once buffalo Kainsedodo grew bhelomba-fruits 78 naando se-mie hadhi no-gaa bhe se-mie robhine be one-CLAS haji 3sR-marry with one-CLAS woman there was a haji who was married to a woman The verb naando is uninflected in all these examples, but the subject marker no- can be added freely. In the irrealis, however, the verb has to be inflected: 79 a. miina na-n[um]aando-a it is not there not 3sI-be-CL b. miina naando c. miina n[um]aando 80 naefie-naefie na-n[um]aando hadhi ko-bhili-no fotu RED-when.FUT 3sI-be haji HAVE-scar-A.PART head should there be a haji with a scar on his head... The participle of naando is also used in relative clauses: 81 o hae-hae n[um]aando-no welo lambu do-waa-ane ART RED-what be-A.PART in house 3pR-give-him they gave to him everything that was in the house Other examples of the existential usage of naando, but not in story-openings: 160 A GRAMMAR OF THE MUNA LANGUAGE 82 no-bhari ni-fumaa: naando kapaea ka-taha, naando kahitela, 3sR-many P.PART-eat be papaya NOM-ripe be maize naando mafu sau be yam wood there are many foods, there is ripe papaya, there is maize, there is cassava 83 no-feena-mo bhahi naando ka-amponi-no do-gaa bhe ana-no 3sR-ask-PF maybe be NOM-forgive-POS 3pR-marry with child-his he asked whether there is forgiveness if one has married ones child At this place I will also treat some other uses of naando. The first of these is that naando may be object-inflected: the direct object pronominal suffixes are added to the base naando, in which case the addition of subject markers is ungrammatical see 4.8.1 The meaning of an object-inflected naando is the same as with subject inflection, but the object-inflected forms are used either when the subject of the clause precedes the verb or when the subject has first or second person reference. 84 ta-ama-ndo naando-e only their father was there JUST-father-their be-him was alive 85 naandoo-ko? are you there? be-you In the second place naando may precede another verb, in which case the meaning is not existential but signals a progressive aspect. In some instances it may even be translated by still or while: 86 naando no-lodo he is still asleep be 3sR-sleep 87 no-rafo-ti-e naando no-bisara she found him while he was 3sR-find-TR-him be 3sR-speak still talking 88 intagi-kasami ne ini naando ta-k[um]ala tae-ala sau IMP-wait-usex loc this be 1eI-go 1eI-get wood wait here for us ex while we go and get wood

7.2.2. Existential clauses with bhe