3.3.Sentences
3.3.0. Sentence in Konyak is that which occurs between two
absolute pauses, with intonation features, which are not described here. In this section sentences and their types are
discussed.
Sentences are of two types-major and minor. ‘Major’ are those which consist of an
independent (main) clause and ‘minor’ are those which consist of an dependent
clause. ‘Major’ type is classified into
three types depending upon their complexity –
1. simple sentence with single main
clause; 2. complex sentence, with single main clause
with one or more subordinate clauses; and
3. compound sentence, with two
or more main clauses only; connected by elements called connectors. These types are discussed in the following
paragraphs.
3.3.1. Simple sentence :
As stated above an independent (main) clause functions as a simple
sentence. In the section on clause
different types of clauses were discussed.
All the types under main clause function as simple sentences. So here more details regarding simple
sentences will be discussed.
A simple sentence usually consists of one NP and a VP ;
where the NP usually will be a noun, etc., and the VP will be a verb stem. Then the NP will be in nominative case. If the verb is a transitie one, it will also
have an object. Further, a ditransitive
will have a goal besides an object.
So a simple sentence can have more than one case
phrases. Here the possible number of
case phrases in a simple sentence will be illustrated.
Illustrations :
Nom : hàtəw (ə) mahaw ‘this (is) a cow’
(ə)
1 2
1 2
ák (ə) lì ‘the pig died’
1 2 1
2
Nom-obj : nahalannə
ŋɨn ətəm ya:húnàŋ
ə - Ø 1 2
3 4
‘children want some money’
1 4 3
2
imannə sa?ñu toy
1 2 3
‘they killed the tiger’
1 3 2
Nom-IO-DO: təwə nàŋte laycà pha
‘I gave you a book’
ə-te-o 1 2
3 4 1 4 2
3
Nom-Instr : imannə yanphəy haklək ‘they will fight with daw(s)’
ə-phəy 1 2 3 1 3 2
Nom-obj-Instr: ka?talannə pelan yanlanphəy ák
ə-Ø-phəy
1
2 3 4
‘people cut the trees with daws’
1
4 2 3
Goal-Agent-Instr : tumante imaa hansolana/phəy sətyaŋki
Te-a-a/phəy 1
2 3 4
‘we were beaten with sticks by
them’
1 4 3 2
Nom-Goal : sɨkoñu hàtləy?te tay ‘the old lady went to the market’
ə-te 1 2 3 1
3 2
Nom-Source : nawyaə laypanməpu pəynàŋki
ə-məpu 1 2 3
‘the girl is coming from the
school’
1 3
2
Nom-Loc :
tumannə nòkme
ŋo?nàŋ ‘we are at home’
ə-me
1 2 3
1
3 2
Nom-source-Loc : ya laypan məpu ənme pəy
ə-məpu-me 1 2 3 4
‘she came from the school in the
evening’
1 4 2 3
Nom-obj-soc: təwə ya phəy tay ‘I took her with me’
e-Ø-phəy 1 2 3
4 1 4
2 3
Nom-obj-soc-loc : təwə ya əphəy ənme tay
ə-Ø-phəy-me 1 2
3 4 5
‘I took her with me in the
evening’
1
5 2 3 4
Nom-obj-goal-soc-loc: təwə siti sɨmpate ephəy wakcɨŋme sun
ə-Ø-te-phəy-me 1 2
3
4 5 6
‘I sent the letter to
the friend with him at wakching’
1
6 2 3 4
5
Loc-nom-obj-loc-instr: tɨman cəmpukaye nòkme eə pucà
ənpoŋme
Me-ə-Ø-me-a 1 2 3
4 5
lansoa toy
6
7
‘through our help in
the house he killed a snake
1 2 3
7 4
in the evening with
the stick’
5 6
Adjective degree markers can be used in a simple
sentence, eg. :
1. kùyə
əmiphəy sɨyóŋ ‘the dog is
bigger than the cat’
1 2 3 1 3
2
2. eə yoy sɨmpa phəy sɨməyse lɨŋnàŋ
1 2
3 4 5
6
‘he works better than his friend’
1 6
5 4 2
3
3. təwə
khləp phəy kapite seəŋki
1 2 3
4
5
‘I prefer coffee than tea’
1 5
4 3 2
4. e yoy cəyphəy
sɨməmse phətnàŋ
1
2 3 4
5 6
‘he runs faster than his brother’
1 6 5
4 2 3
5. hàtəw wankonme yèŋyən əyóŋpa əca
1 2 3 4 5
‘This is the largest river in this area’
1 5 4 3 2
6. təwnawya nawyalan yóme sɨməypupa
əca
1
2 3 4 5
‘that girl is the most beautiful girl among
girls’
1 5 4
3 2
7. məyñu yenmòkyóme
əyóŋpa əca
1
2 3 4
‘elephant is the biggest of (all) animals’
1 4 3
2
sɨ is the comparative degree marker, occurs with the
quality compared. sɨ also occurs is superlative
degree marker when returned to human
nouns. In 7, this marker is not
used. Sentence 3 is of different type.
Two nouns may take one case marker, eg. :
məykeppu la?keppume ‘in
hunting, shooting’
1 2 3
3 1 2
kòñák ka?talannə ña?ómpu həy yèŋ supu me…
1 2 3 4 5 6
‘Konyak people in catching fish and preparing water’
1 2 6
3 4 5
təwnawsi setate ‘to
that boy’s face’
1 2
3 4
4 1 2
3
kòñák ka?talannə lúŋkaye kè tò, khúk
ənniyu ləmme ləmme lɨŋnàŋ
1 2 3 4
5 6 7
8 9 10
‘Konyak people through bamboo ke, to, khuk (bag) and
different (varieties)
make’.
1 2 4 3 5
6 7 8 9
10
Besides various case frames which can occur in a simple
sentence, a simple sentence can also contain adverbial phrases;
eə laylan cahəy cahəye áŋ
‘he kept the books one after another’
1 2
3 4
1 4 2 3
sa?a wannə kòñák ka?tòkme sɨŋmanpu ka?talan sɨkonɨtan máè ŋo?nàŋ
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10
11
‘during now (now a day) in Konyak land (there) are many
educated
2 1 5 3
4 11 10
6
people
female (and) male’
7 8 9
hayaŋe
manpume-o ənniyu meəŋpu waŋləmme o yo?oŋe woŋnaŋe
taynàŋ
1
1 3 4 5
6 7
8 9 10 11
‘and
in education also and also in religious progress (they) are going very
forward’
1
3 2 4
5 8 7
6
11
9
10
Simple
sentence are classified into three basic
types on the basis of the ‘type of response expected’. They are – statements, questions and
commands.
All the above illustrations of clauses belong to the
first type. They can also be called
‘propositions’. Using this sentence type
as the base other two types are obtained.
In sec. 2.4. the various interrogative markers and command markers are
discussed. By using these respectively
questions and commands are obtained. For
instance, taking a simple statement like
eə pelekcà ha? ‘he ate a fruit’
1 2
3
1
3 2
this can be interrogated by
using interrogative pronouns or bound markers.
This can be interrogated in these ways -
1) as to the action – then the question will be why did he eat a fruit ;
or 2) as to the object of eating – to, what did he eat? or 3) to the event as such in Tag-Ø frame as – ‘he ate a fruit
isn’t/did he?’ For these the Konyak
constructions are the following :
i)
e həŋne peleka ha? ‘why did he eat a
fruit?’
ii)
e həŋhi ha? ‘what did he eat?’
iii)
eə pelekcà ha?pu, nò/həŋkè ‘he ate a fruit, isn’t it ?’
This way it is possible to convert a statement into
question. In the above – in the first
examples two interrogative pronouns are used.
But as stated earlier bound interrogative markers also can be used (sec.
3.1.9.2).
In the above basically word order remains the same in
both statement and question. Only the
interrogative elements are placed in the respective slots; without the change
of order. While interrogating, the
sentence intonation rises and where the interrogative elements occur, they will
get the highest*.
In case of commands there is some basic difference. That is mostly commands are in 2nd
person; and subject is mostly optional and so contextual. Commands seldom take tense or aspect. They are very straight forward in delivering
a message. Here also sentimental
intonation plays a role.
Illustrations :
nàŋ(ə) nòkte taytəw? ‘you go home’
1 2 3 1
3 2
ka?te pəy təw? ‘come
to the field’
1 2 2 1
khuntacà móŋme pəytəw? ‘come within an hour’
1 2 3 3
2 1
mahawkari
phaŋme áŋtəw? ‘keep
below the cart’
1 2 3 3
2 1
ta?kəp eptəw? ‘open the door’
1 2 2 1
Similar to ‘commant’, ‘request’ may also be formed.
Eg.: nòkte taykəy ‘go home’ (please)
1 2 2 1
puŋawcà əte èkhù ‘tell
me a story’ (please)
1 2 3 3
2 1
təw sɨmkhù ‘please
hold it’
1 2 2 1
nàŋə leəŋpukie peykəy ‘bring whenever you want’
The major difference between ‘command’ and ‘request’ is
that in ‘command’ the reference (subject) is mostly ‘second person’, while in
‘request’ it is mainly ‘first person’.
Besides these three sentence types, one more type may be
considered.
-------------
* This aspect is not
discussed in detail. By using intonation
alone without any overt interrogatives added, it is possible to interrogate a
statement.
That is negatives. Negation is an important universalistic
process. The difference between ‘negatives’
and other three types is that while the three sentences above are mutually
exclusive negation can occur with all the three types. From this point of view it is a secondary
phenomena.
In Konyak negtion is part of VP (sec. 2.4.8.). It is placed before the verb root.
eə yɨpəy ‘he
did not come’, etc.
1 2 3
1
2 3