486 8 Verbal derivation
fas-lyad i-bdad-asn]]
[Sg-boy' 3MaSgS-arise.Reslt-Partpl.MaSg]]
'An adult man sitting down sees more than a boy standing up.'
[Gao] [proverb, lit. "a man who has sat down sees what a boy
who has stood up does not see"]In (501.b), the demonstrative w-1 is separated from the participialized verb
by an object clitic.
An example of a definite participial relative withl after a lst/2nd person
pronoun is (502).
(502) naekk-aen-ed [i hae-n ae-rojj]
1P1 ' [Dem be.in.PerfP-Partpl.MaSg Sg-bush]
'we who are (living) in the bush' [K]
8.5.3 Forms of definite participles (LoImpfP)
Excluding imperatives and hortatives, which have no participles, the LoImpfP
is the only indicative imperfective stem that can occur clause-initially, and can
therefore be directly participialized. It readily occurs in definite participial
constructions, e.g. in subject relatives with progressive or other non-past
imperfective time reference ('he who eats', etc.).
As indicated in §7.2.5.1, the regular LoImpfP stem of inflected verbs is
characterized by several ablaut formatives, including a characteristic long
imperfective vocalic melody («L» or «H» depending on stem-shape class), an
accent χ-pcl, two full-V formatives χ-pcl and χ-f, and a prefix -t- and/or
gemination of the second stem consonant r-c2. The characteristic melody, the
consonantal change(s), and χ-f (lengthening of final-syllable V) constitute the
prototype for all long imperfectives (though the LoImpfN then overlays its
own melody). By contrast, within the long imperfective system, χ-pcl and
χ-pcl are specific to the LoImpfP, and these two formatives (both targeting the
first postconsonantal C) are vulnerable to modification in definite relatives,
including definite LoImpfP participles.
Consider the data in (503)
(503) χ-pcl Erasure in First Stem-Syllable of LoImpfP Definite Participles
gloss LoImpfP MaSg LoImpfP definite participlea. χ-pcl inaudible after Default Accentuation, χ-pcl audibly erased
'stand' -bdddaed- w-α i-bseddaed-asn
'sit' -t-cnrseyma- w-a i-t-asraeyme-n
'converse' -t-idwanni-t w-α i-t-sdwsnni-n