Heads of the NP

Table 26. Structure of NP Possessor Head Qualifier Quantifier Determiner filled by noun noun noun number proximal NP NP adjective number phrase distal definite pronoun pronoun NP adjective indefinite pronoun singular indefinite pronoun non-human pronoun genitive plural non-human? indefinite pronoun compound noun compound noun relativized verb relative pronoun prepositional phrase compound NP negation appositional NP Normally noun heads are modified by one, two or three of these, but more modifications than that are rare.

4.1.1 Heads of the NP

The most common head is the noun. It can be modified by a full range of modifiers. See the chart above. Note the following examples of usage: 400 lawra ya-tenni cloth NOM-weave ‘woven cloth’ 401 rai-ni pata. clothes-GEN female ‘girl’s clothes’ 402 patke’a harara woru female virgin two ‘two female teenagers’ 403 pola to’ora mot-mota ida pants cut RDP-green one ‘a green pair of cut-off pants’ 404 wirtawi we-werna ma-kokar la lyanti wirtawi werna-werna maka-kokra la lyanti leaf RDP-wide which-grows? toward heaven ‘a wide leaf which grows toward heaven’ In constructions where the subject or object is fronted in the clause to indicate definiteness and referentiality, an NP, usually consisting of a head and a determiner, can stand as the head of a NP. 405 O-ku-ku’-u-ke-ke’-u maiy-a Yehudi ri let-ni re o-ku’a-ku’a-’u-ke’a-ke’a-’u mai-a Yehudi ri leta-ni re 2p-RDP-small-REF-RDP-little-REF come-a Yehudi these village-POS those ‘You are the smallest of those villages of these Yehudi.’ 406 La’ noh di wawan-nu On earth this top-POS ‘On this earth’ 407 N-taw-doini-a rimormiori re wo’awa. 3s-set apart-COMP-OBJ people those eight ‘He completely set apart those eight people. 408 Hamto’ ida up-ni muanu riy woru old man one children-POS male people two ‘These two sons of an old man.’ Note how in the beginning of the following example a. 4a and 4b. being one sentence the determiner follows the number in the NP. The second part of the sentence example b is contrasting a specific eight people with that large number, and specifically focusing on them. So the determiner is fronted to directly follow ‘people.’ 409 a Rimormiori-a riw-nu-hal-li re… People-a thousands-GEN-many?-GEN those ‘Of those thousands of people…’ b enekneka Orgahi-Orha’a n-taw-doini-a rimormiori re wo’awa only Orgahi-Orha’a 3s-set apart-COMP-OBJ people those eight ‘Orgahi-Orha’a only set apart those eight.’ The pronouns can also stand as the head of a phrase. They are usually modified by an encliticized quantifier. Note the following examples: 410 Demade ir-rora walli walli rawok ler ida pa rnelu-ryau Demade ir-rora wal-ni wal-ni ra-woka lera ida pa r-nelu-r-yau Then 3p-two side POS side-POS 3p-meet sun one for 3p-promise-3p-promise ‘Then the two of them sat on either side and set aside a day for them to meet.’ 411 Pa r-rora ra-wlar-wia n-hakar gotgota pa r-rora ra-wlari-wa n-hakra gota-gota for 3p-two 3p-run-PERF 3s-divide RDP-rice bundle ‘Then the two of them ran away then divided their rice bundles.’ 412 It-ro’a t-soli-wut la hadi wa It-ro’a t-holi-wutu la hadi wa 1piPRO-two 1pi-stay-tie PREP this PERF ‘Let us two stay here.’ 413 Ir he’a wawi tei po’or yat-ni ida They who pig stool skinny bad-POS one ‘Whose awful, skinny, stinky pig is that?’ 414 Ir wotelu r-wa-haka krita. They three 3p-MULT-search octopus ‘The three of them were searching for octopus.’ A non-human pronoun see §3.2.1.5 can stand as the head of a phrase. It is generally modified only by number and determiners. Note the following examples: 415 Hadi nwawa Wuga Rokhehi- Karu Maha hadi n-wawa Wuga Rokhehi- Karu Maha This 3s-name Name Name - Name Name ‘This one’s name was Wuga Rokhehi-Karu Maha.’ 416 Hare honnona ra-kwieta kokkoi. Those all 3s-guess at riddle ‘Those people all guessed at the riddle.’ 417 Hade ed maka ka-rur-nian it That is what REL-strong-ABIL 1pi ‘That is what strengthens us.’ The indefinite pronouns can function as the head of a noun phrase. 418 Noka honnona re rewre’wa ra-woka. Then all those together 3p-gather ‘Then all those gathered together.’ 419 Demade honnona re ra-m-tatna then all those 3p-STAT-sit ‘Then all those sat down.’ Note the following examples illustrating that indefinite pronouns can also function in the quantifier slot as well as indefinite pronouns in the head slot. 420 a Pa llaran mota ntai la riy id dohoni for fly green 3s-touch PREP person one hair-POS ‘The green fly lighted on one person’s hair.’ as quantifier b Pa llaran mota n-nem n-tai owa’an la id doho-ni for fly green 3s-fly 3s-touch again PREP one hair-POS ‘The green fly again lighted on one’s hair.’ as head Sometimes two or more nouns are different ways of saying the same thing and are parts to a whole. There is a fine line here between a compound Noun and a compound NP. These words are used generally in formal or ritual language. 421 Muanke’a ama-yei ida na-priri na-kot-nohora ira-ya-lolli-ya-la’a-ni di. muanke’a ama-yei ida na-priri na-kota-nohora ira-ya-lola-ni-ya-la’a-ni di male father-uncle one 3p-stand 3p-said about 3p-NOM-go by-POS-NOM-walk-POS this ‘One of the man’s male relatives stood and talked about this way.’ 422 Pa ralla rkulitwutu-r damir wutuga mehlima-marya’a di Pa r-ala-la r-kulti-wutu r- damri-wutu-a mehlima-marya’a di for 3p-give-to 3p-stick tie 3p-glue tie OBJ -marry-marry this ‘Then they cemented together this marriage.’ 423 Ululu pliaini upni lerni-tgarni lerni de ulu-ulu pliaini upa-ni-lera-ni-tgara-ni-lera-ni de RDP-before earlier grandparent-POS time-POS-ancestor-POS time-POS that ‘A long, long time ago in the time of our ancestors.’ 424 Hita-tlena-kukru-gawru ri lightening-thunder- lightening-thunder these ‘This lightning and thunder.’ 425 Letni-ruhunnu ili watu romni lewnu genni tienni leta-ni-ruhunu-ni ili watu roma-ni lew-ni geni-ni tieni-ni village-POS-small village-POS rock stone house-POS-bed-POS place-POS own-POS ‘Their own village’ The relative pronoun can also stand as the head of a NP. When the relative pronoun stands as a head of the NP, rather than a noun as head with a relativized verb as the qualifier, it functions more as a noun than a descriptive clause. Note the following examples: makhi’ do’a-kyaphyala sinners characterized by continual sin riy maka khi’do’a-kyaphyala people who sin occasionally mak kodi plolli ruler riy maka kodi plolli people who rule 426 Mere la’pa lernana maka ka-kleha-ka-plara de Mere la’pa lernana maka ka-k-leha-ka-p-lara de But when found who REL-INV-not have-REL-STAT-hunger that ‘But concerning the poor…’ 427 Pena ra-no’a-ra-’atu maka k-mehlima ri Then 3p-advise-3p-know REL REL-marry these ‘Then they advise these newlyweds.’ Compound noun phrases are NPs with two or more NP in coordination. In Luang these may or may not be connected by the conjunctions me ‘andor’, onde ‘or’ , the verbs ora ‘with’ or naitra ‘add’. The Noun Phrase heads have the same case role and have joint participation in a single event. 428 Lera ida dewade ra-haka Kepi-Harna Keki-Kaha de. day one then 3p-search name name that ‘One day they searched to find Kepi-Harna and Keki Kaha.’ no conjunction 429 Ai-liernana emna ida meha n-ora iwu ida au-lernana emna ida meha n-ora iwu ida 1s-got eel one only 3s-with shark one ‘I got one eel only and one shark.’ 430 Pok-ihi na-’itra tali me pelompong spear-filling 3s-add tie and foam ball ‘the spear, tie and the foam ball.’ 431 Ahu re wonema de, Seki, Lawora, Luli, Lapasa ahu re wo-nema de, Seki, Lawora, Luli, Lapasa dog those fruit-six that, Seki, Lawora, Luli, Lapasa ‘There were six of those dogs named Seki, Lawora, Luli, and Lapasa.’ no conjunction 432 Pelompong, pokihi, tali, honnona foam ball, spear inside, tie, all of them ‘all of them, the foam ball, spear, and tie.’ no conjunction

4.1.2 Qualifiers of the NP