6 Clause
Luang has three basic types of predicates which determine the clause type. These predicates are verbal, non-verbal, and semi-verbal. Verbal predicates will be discussed in this section. Predicates which are
semi-verbal use other word classes as predicates and are not marked with pronominal prefixation as is required with transitives and intransitives. They are discussed later in §6.4. Non-verbal clauses have no
words functioning as predicate. Words are simply juxtaposed to stand alone without a verb. These will be discussed later in §6.3.
Note in the chart below the types of clauses which occur with each of these three basic types of predicates:
Table 30. Three predicate types and their clause types Verbal Predicates
Non-verbal Predicates Semi-verbal Predicates
active transitive equative
negative existential active intransitive
quantifier attributive
non-active intrans presentational
possessive desire
naming locativeexistential
similatative progressive action
equative adverbal
comparison Only the verbal predicates require pronominal prefixation. They are also the only predicates
modified for TAM, while the verbal predicates and clauses carry the story along in discourse. The “non- verbal and semi-verbal clauses…are used to present a new referent, re-identify an earlier referent or
expand information about a referent in the development of a discourse Grimes 1991:373.” They usually “deal with backgrounded collateral information rather than foregrounded event-line information in
narrative discourse Grimes 1991:373.” In conversation they are used to answer questions or impart information, or even for exclamation.
6.1 Verbal predicates
6.1.1 Active transitive clauses
The structure of the active transitive clause is illustrated in the table below. Examples illustrate the structure. The examples also illustrate what normally happens in discourse. Introductory information
usually has NPs both in the Subject as well as the Object slot. But as the text moves on and this information is understood or presupposed, the subject slot reduces from NPs to free pronouns to nothing,
except for a required pronominal prefixation on the verb. The direct object slot can do the same, reducing to only an object marker on the verb or even to zero marking. The Oblique slot is filled with
arguments that may need to be represented due to the semantics of the verb. The Periphery slot is filled by “information which is just incidental to the semantics of the verb” Grimes 1991:344.
Table 31. Active transitive clause CLAUSE
Core Oblique
Periphery Actor
Nucleus Undergoer
Subject NP Predicate VP
Object NP PP
NPPP 1. Riy ida inni-narni
nakleha kupna
A person’s relatives lack
Money ‘A person’s relatives lack money.’
2. Seri ntutu
boneka de Seri
3s point doll that
‘Seri points at that doll.’ 3. Yanulu
nolin doini iwu
la Elder
3s let go COMP shark
Away ‘The elder let the shark go.’
4. ∅ Aniar to’a
pola to’ora 1s wear only
pants cut-off ‘I only wore short pants.’
5. ∅ Nalreria
hniwni la
la’ he’maka khoireri limni
3s give DUR spirit
out to whoever holds
out hands ‘He keeps giving his spirit out to those who hold out their hands.’
6. ∅ Nkenia
∅ la warni
wawannu la’a hniekru
ralamni 3s put OBJ
in his cloth in blanket
insides ‘He put it in his loin cloth lit. cloth within the blanket.’
Although, the order of active transitive verbs is SVO, as the above chart illustrates, for purposes of topicalization or emphasis the Object is fronted and the SVO order may change to OSV see §7.1.3.
547 Rok de
nona han-ni
dress that miss own-POS
‘That dress, Miss owns.’ 548 A-isko’l-u
pai-piair-ni de
ma’m-u n-pair
to’a
a-iskola-’u pairi-pairi-ni
de mama-’u
n-pairi to’a
my-school-POS RDP-pay-POS that mama-POS
3s-pay just ‘My school bill, my mother will just pay it.’
Generally the direct object directly follows the transitive verb. However, occasionally the la occurs after the verb and before the direct object. The reason for this is still unknown. Note the contrast
between the first two examples below with la and the second two examples without la. 549 R-olin-doini
la uhu
3p-let go-COMP of
milk ‘Take her off milk.’
550 Muanke’a de
sukni la
patke’a de
male that like
of female
that ‘That guy likes that girl.’
551 M-olin-doini hadena
2s-let go-COMP that one there
‘Let go off that.’ 552 Musti
hade sukni
a’u must
that like
me ‘It must be he likes me.’
6.1.2 Active intransitive
