grammar sketch mon - selected features of modern mon
TRANSCRIPT
Grammar Sketch Mon -
selected features of modern Mon
Mathias Jenny
University of Zurich
Noteworthy grammatical features of Mon
1. Basic word order
2. Clause linkage
3. Long distance reflexives
4. Position of interrogatives
5. Causative directionals
6. Double prepositions
Basic word order and pragmatic changes
SV VS
AVP PAV APV
AVGT TAVG GAVT
Restrictions in dependent clauses:
SV/VS
AVP
AVGT
Clause linkage
Tail-head linkage
Relative clauses - no relativizer
Complement clauses - before or after matrix clause
Adverbial clauses - nouns as subordinator
Conditional markers - clause initial and clause final
Purposive - same subject and different subject
Long-distance reflexives
Position of interrogatives - pronominal
Attributive interrogatives - prenominal modifiers
ɲèh.kɔ̀h kon? kon này rɔ̀t.mɔ̀n raʔ.who offspring offspring mister PN FOC‘Whose son is he?’ ‘[He’s] Mr. Rot Mon’s son.’
ɲɔʔ mùʔ hwaʔ rao? hwaʔ kaʔ raʔ.NML.this what curry Q curry fish FOC‘What curry is this?’ ‘It’s fish curry.’
Causative directionals
Double prepositions - combinations with oblique kɒ
nɛ̀ʔ kɒ ‘by, with’ nù kɒ ‘from’ ɗɔə kɒ ‘in’
ex. nù mòttəmaʔ tɤʔ həlɛ̀ʔ nɛ̀ŋ, ABL PN DIST release CAUS.come
nù kɒ mòtməlɤ̀m nɔʔ həlɛ̀h na.ABL OBL PN PROX release CAUS.go‘They shot from over there in Mottama, we shot from here in Mawlamyaing.’