Information structure
Ŋarâþ Crîþ marks the topic and the focus using prosody and word order. In particular, the topic comes at the beginning of an independent clause phrase (after any headps). In contrast, the focus usually occurs near its end, immediately before the possibly implicit verb. However, an interrogative NP as a focus may be fronted instead of backed, as may an NP that acts as an answer to a question.
Prosodically, the topic is marked with a lower and less varied pitch range, while the focus is marked with sentence-level stress on its last stressed syllable.
The additive clitic ⟨=’moc⟩
The clitic ⟨=’moc⟩ can be translated to the Japanese particle ～も or to the English words also or even. It can be applied to many different constituents:
- noun phrases
- attributive predicate phrases (verb participles, adverbial or adnominal relationals)
- the so-particle ⟨so⟩, changing the meaning to even if
- ond-elt=’moc
- now-loc.di=also
- cer-it=’pe
- live-inf=poss.1
- corð-en
- certainty-acc.di
- teha.
- one_of.3sg.pres.ipfv
- celm-as
- window-nom.sg
- vrel-e
- thick-3sg
- so=’moc
- if=also
- le
- imp
- nem-irin
- apple-acc.pl
- cengr-it
- throw-inf
- gar-as-le.
- refrain-2sg-past
⟨=’moc⟩ is also used to attach significance to its antecedent:
- sân-a
- bear-nom.sg
- g\jorł-eve
- shout-inf.loc
- var-oþ=’moc
- life-dat.di=also
- rille
- on_behalf_of
- metr-te.
- run-1sg.past.pfv
When ⟨=’moc⟩ is used on the subject of ⟨telit⟩ not exist, then the existence of the subject is not presupposed. [TODO: more]
- nem-ir
- apple-nom.sg
- mina=’moc
- one.nom.cel=also
- ceła.
- not_exist.3sg
When the ⟨=’moc⟩ is attached to a noun or pronoun in the generic number other than a third- or sixth-declension noun in the nominative, accusative, dative, or genitive case, that noun takes the direct number instead, and all modifiers to that noun change in number to reflect this. This change, however, does not apply to verbal affixes that agree in number with the noun in question.
- eši
- here.loc.di
- nôr-o
- small-rel.nom,nom.pl
- tan-o=’moc
- bird-nom.di=also
- merv-u.
- large-3gc
Marking exhaustivity
There is no clitic akin to ⟨=’moc⟩ for exhaustive constituents. Instead, the sentence is restructured to equate the exhaustant with a noun phrase involving ⟨šino⟩:
- cer-iþo
- remain-rel.nom,dat.cel
- arant-il
- long_time-gen.di
- circþîv-e
- battle-dat.sg
- mîr
- after
- anlj-ar
- injure-rel.acc,nom.hum
- noršid-ir
- warrior-nom.sg
- šin-os
- all-dat.sg
- cens-þal.
- equal-3sg.past.ipfv
- ŋar-as
- language-dat.sg
- crîþ-e
- forest-dat.sg
- monr-it
- teach-inf
- vasr-it
- effective-inf
- pent-os
- can-rel.nom,nom.cel
- šin-en
- all-gen.sg
- tfeł-u
- method-nom.gc
- vrêm-as
- grammar-dat.sg
- monr-u.
- teach-3gc
Other uses of only can be translated into Ŋarâþ Crîþ using other constructions:
- lê
- this.cel
- nem-irin
- apple-acc
- m·ênč-ilt=’pe
- eat-inf.dat.ind=poss.1
- tecto
- before
- ent-an
- that_thing.cel-acc.sg
- ħel-ilt=’ve
- do_this-inf.dat.ind=poss.2
- mâr-it
- wait-inf
- folc-a.
- intend_to-1sg
For the use of only to mean sole or unique, the numeral ⟨mina⟩ one is used with the distinctness clitic ⟨=’ot⟩. For the use of only to mean no more than, the bounding clitic ⟨=’ocþaf⟩ is used.