DM marking a NP and other syntactic units

naa døk-ken bet. lay.down stay-NMLZ;CONJ AUX u- tu=raŋ khaa-ki tshik-tu hi-ni naa-ni ni that-LOC=FOC snow-GEN amidst-LOC this-ABL lie.down-NFNT2 DM tsa ak mit-sa-ken bet. TE32 grass INCLN NEG-eat-NMLZ;CONJ AUX ‘Even though it becomes buried in snow it does not shiver but lies down. Having lain down in snow, it does not even eat any grass.’ Speaker draws the attention of the hearer to his assertion that follows the DM. This is about a yak which lies down in snow and needs no grass for days.

19.1.2 DM marking a NP and other syntactic units

19.5 ɕak-ni ha lama ni ŋa-la phu mit. put-NFNT2 now Lama DM 1SG-DAT son NEG.EXIST.EXP phu phu-mu mit. son son-F1 NEG.EXIST.EXP ha ŋa-la phu tɕik naŋ-ro tɕhi. TE18 now 1SG-DAT son INDF give[HON]-AID do;VBZR[IMP] ‘Having put up the lama in the palace the king said, “Lama, I have no son. I have neither a son nor a daughter. Please do give me a son.” The king addresses the powerful lama with low forms which is OK for a king. From here onwards the lama is put through all kinds of tests to find out if his talents match his reputation. He is supposed to help with his religious skills so that the queen would have a son. DM always follows the syntactic unit it marks. 19.6 phits-e da-la ni ɕi-ni chld-GEN with-DAT DM die-NFNT2 rekket ama di tiŋ-laa mountain.goat mother topic after-ADVZR d ʑaap-ʏ phumu-la kii-pa bet. TE21 king-GEN daughter-DAT be.born-NMLZ;Q AUX ‘Because the mother goat died with the child, she was later born as a princess.’ It is noteworthy that the DM marks this time a PP. It is not just any kind of death but the death which had resulted from the compassion for the child. And this is rewarded in the next life. It is the PP ‘with the child’ which is marked by DM. 19.7 ʈet-ni naptsara sik-ken di-ki give-NFNT2 ugly.man say-NMLZ;CONJ DEF-ERG roo-ki ni khulak le-rii le-si kh ʏn-ni he-ERG DM clothes nice-each nice-INTNS wear-NFNT2 phu-mu t ɕhe dʑap-na girl-F1 dressing.up VBZR-NFNT1 d ʑaap-ʏ ʈhokka-la phim-pa bet. TE21 king-GEN door-DAT go.come[PST]-NMLZ;Q AUX ‘After the rich one had given a bag of money to the one called “ugly,” he the ugly one put on really nice clothing, dressed up as a woman and went to the palace gate of the king.’ It is the activities of the ergative marked subject which is developed here. All other participants had failed. 19.8 too-let. harvest[IMP]-SCI ha ni tok=tu phim-pen. TE9 now DM harvest=PURP go.come[PST]-1PST ‘Go to harvest Then I went to pick some ears of millet.’ Someone else tells him to go to harvest. Then the speaker goes. It is the time adverb which is now marked by DM.

19.2 ‘As for’ topic sin-na