6.3 Non-verbal clause
The non-verbal clauses include equative, quantifier and presentational predicates. Some semi-verbal clauses such as the naming clause §6.4.4 and equative §6.4.8. are also used as presentational clauses.
6.3.1 Equative
In an equative clause the predicate NP is coreferential with the subject NP. These clauses are often used to introduce new participants or clarify information in discourse. As such they usually occur in the
backgrounded information in discourse. Structurally, both the predicate and subject can be simple or complex NP. However, sometimes the predicate is a non-human free pronoun. See §6.4.8 for the
equative clause with the copula hi’a or nla.
573 Up Tonrate di
de Maran
Wetgaia de
grandfather Tonrate this that high class Wetgaia that
‘Grandfather Tonrate was of the high class Wetgaia. lit. This grandfather Tonrate, high class Wetgaia.’
574 Gotlifa de
Oktovina a’na-ni
gari Gotlifa
that Oktovina child-POS
younger sibling. ‘This Gotlifa was Oktovina’s youngest child.’ lit. This Gotlifa, Oktovina’s youngest child
575 Gari got-ni
de awrieha
youngest rice bundle-POS that rice
‘The youngest child’s ketupat was a filled with rice.’ lit. Youngest rice bundle, rice. 576 H-ni-akra-mi
hade NOM-divide-POS
that ‘That is your portion.’ lit. Your portion that
577 Letgara hadi na tut-nu
hadi middle
this and
end-GEN this
‘This is the middle, this is the end.’ lit. middle this and end this
6.3.2 Quantifier clause
“A quantifier clause predicates a quantity to the subject through the use of numbers or quantifiers Grimes 1991:374.” The subject slot is filled with a NP and the predicate with a number or quantifier.
578 Ahanu re
wonema de
ahu-nu re
wo-nema de
dog-POS those fruit-six that
‘There were six dogs.’ lit. Those dogs, six. 579 Wolla
ida de
riwnu ida
rahu wotelu
month one
that thousand one hundred
three ‘One month’s cost is one thousand three hundred.’
580 A-honnon-am die
riy teram-pwogata.
1pe-all-1pe that
people twenty-four
‘There were twenty four of us.’ 581 Maka-dotra leta
Hinleli di
de riy
wogata REL-built
village Hinleli this
that people fruit-four
‘The ones who built this village, were four people.’
6.3.3 Presentational clause existential
“Presentational existential clauses are used most commonly to present or introduce a new participant [or descriptive information] into a discourse Grimes 1991:375.” The quantifier, naming and equative
clauses are also used for this purpose as well. As a result they tend to occur in backgrounded and non- eventline material.
In the presentational clause there is no existential verb, or any other verb for that matter. However in some cases the connector de is used see §7.3.1. chart no. 2 with the same meaning. Often the same
information can be presented with or without the de. Sometimes these presentational clauses are used in conjunction with the naming clause, but the naming clause indicates only the name not the existence.
Due to length, the examples here will not be fully interlinearized, but only to the extent needed to understand the example.
582 Patke’a nanni Oktovina nora kakni
muanke’a a’nani patke’ lawna woru.
woman name Oktovina and older sibling male
child woman large two ‘There was a woman named Okotvina and her older brother’s two grown up daughters.’
583 Pa hita-tlena
kukru-gauru melu’uta-melliena
So lightening
thunder darkness
‘So there was lightening, thunder and darkness’ 584 Plollolli
de Gera Lhorna
Actually that Gera Lhorna
‘Actually it was Gera Lhorna.’ 585 La’ leta
ralamni de kniari
arahu’ In
village inside
that work
lots ‘In the village there was lots of work.’
6.4 Semi-verbal clauses
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