ŋaren crîþa 9 vlefto: Ŋarâþ Crîþ v9

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:

(1)
ondelt’moc cerit’pe corðen teha.
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
Even now, I’m sure that I’m alive.
(2)
celmas vrele so’moc le nemirin cengrit garasle.
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
Even if the window is thick, don’t throw apples at it.

⟨=’moc⟩ is also used to attach significance to its antecedent:

(3)
sâna gjorłeve varoþ’moc rille merte.
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 the bear roared, I ran for as much as my life.

When ⟨=’moc⟩ is used on the subject of ⟨telit⟩ not exist, then the existence of the subject is not presupposed. [TODO: more]

(4)
nemir mina’moc ceła.
nem-ir
apple-nom.sg
mina=’moc
one.nom.cel=also
ceła.
not_exist.3sg
There are no apples.

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.

(5)
eši nôro tano’moc mervu.
eši
here.loc.di
nôr-o
small-rel.nom,nom.pl
tan-o=’moc
bird-nom.di=also
merv-u.
large-3gc
Here, even the small birds are large.

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⟩:

(6)
ceriþo arantil circþîve mîr anljar noršidir šinos cenþal.
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
After the long battle, all who survived was the injured warrior.
Or: After the long battle, only the injured warrior survived.
(7)
ŋaras crîþe monrit vasrit pentos šinen tfełu vrêmas monru.
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
All methods that can effectively teach Ŋarâþ Crîþ teach its grammar.
Or: Only methods that teach the grammar of Ŋarâþ Crîþ can effectively teach it.

Other uses of only can be translated into Ŋarâþ Crîþ using other constructions:

(8)
lê nemirin m·ênčilt’pe tecto entan ħelilt’ve mârit folca.
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
I will wait until you eat that apple before I eat this one.
Or: Only when you eat that apple will I eat this one.

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.