Graedjoan Giantish Basic Intransitive Sentences 1

Here are some basic intransitive sentences in Graedjoan Giantish. In all of the examples used below, the sentences will be about the sun shining.

The sun shines.

ABS.sun light.VBZ.NPST

bezun wicax.

The sun is shining

ASB.sun light.VBZ.NPST.PROG

bezun wicaxeguv

The sun shone.

ABS.sun light.VBZ.PST.

bezun wicaxiva

The sun will shine

ABS.sun fated.NPST light.VBZ.NPST

bezun zol wicax

The sun has been shining

ABS.sun light.VBZ.PST.PROG

bezun wicaxivaguv.

The sun is shining again.

ABS.sun relight.VBZ.NPST.PROG

bezun wiwicaxeguv.

The sun will shine tomorrow.

ABS.sun fated.NPST light.VBZ.NPST INE.tomorrow

bezun zol wicax dzigwyrm

The sun shines brightly.

ABS.sun light.VBZ.NPST sun.ADJZ

bezun wicax zunjud.

The bright sun shines.

ABS.sun sun.ADJZ light.VBZ.NPST

bezun zunjud wicax.*

*However, this is redundant, as the sun is bright, and is considered bright alright, hence bright being derived from the word for sun. thus, you would likely just say “the sun shines.” A better example of what this sentence is trying to show, which is an intransitive sentence with the NP having an adjective, would the be following sentence:

The purple sun shines

ABS.sun purple light.VBZ.NPST

bezun balden wicax

The sun is rising now**

ABS.sun REFL.high.VBZ.NPST.PROG

bezun adzjadumboxeguv oiv.

**If you notice, the reflexive is used here. This is because, even though the sun is in the absolutive case due to the verb being intransitive, the sun is viewed as raising itself up, as opposed to a thing that happens to it. This is because the giants view the sun as acting on its own volition.

Introduction to Glossing

In order to understand many of the posts that will be on this blog, one must first understand glossing--as it is seldom that languages have one to one translations of words or phrases. Glossing is, put simply, the process of breaking words and phrases down into smaller parts.

First, let us look at an example from English. Take the English word, hills. The word being glossed will appear first in quotes, and the gloss will appear second, without quotes.

"hills" -- hill.PL

The word hill has two parts to it. First, there is the word, "hill," which means...well a hill. Then, there is the affix "-s." The affix "-s," in English, in this instance, means that the noun hill is plural. Thus, you have for the gloss "hill.PL," as "PL" is the abbreviation of plural.

Now, here is a list of common glosses that you will find in my translations. Any glosses seen in translations not on this list can be found here. You will also find links to articles about each of the grammatical functions found below.

Abbreviation	Meaning
PL	Plural
SG	Singular
NPST	Nonpast Tense
ADE	Adessive Case
ADJ or ADJZ	Adjectivizer*
SUPE	Superessive Case
GEN	Genitive Case
ERG	Ergative Case
POSS	Possessive Case
POSD	Possessed Case
NEG	Negation
PROG	Progressive Aspect
INSTR	Intrumental Case
INE	Inessive Case
REFL	Reflexive
1	First Person
2	Second Person
3	Third Person
ACC	Accusitive Case
ABS	Absolutive Case
CONJ	Conjunction
NMZ	Nominalizer
COND	Conditional
ITRT	Intrative Case
SUBE	Subessive Case
DAT	Dative Case
VBZ	Verbalizer**
PERF	Perfect Aspect
IMPERF	Past Imperfect Tense
PST	Past Tense

*There is not a page for an adjectivizer, even though there is a gloss for it. What this means is that the affix is turning the word explicitly into an adjective.

**There is not a page for a verbalizer, even though there is a gloss for it. What this means is that the affix is turning the word into a verb. 

Now that we have the basic idea of how glossing works, I will supply you will a sentence in Graedjoan Giantish, and the gloss. If you'd like, please comment below with what you think it means in English.

"dzigugulal, zun wicaxeguv nulirr."  

INE.PL.mountain.DIM sun.ERG light.VBZ.NPST.PROG river.ADE

Graedjoan Giantish Verbs: Tenses and Aspects

In Graedjoan Giantish, verbs are marked for both tense and aspect.

There are three tenses in Graedjoan Giantish: the nonpast, the simple past, and the imperfect past. Verbs do not have an infinitive form.

The nonpast is marked on verbs with a zero morpheme ("-∅"). The nonpast is used for all actions that are occurring in either the present or the future.

The simple past is marked with the affix "-va." The simple past is used for all actions that are occurring in the past.

The imperfect past is marked with the affix "-iz." The imperfect past is used for all actions that are occurring in the past but that are not considered complete by the speaker.

There are simple verbal aspects in Graedjoan Giantish: "the simple", the perfect, and the progressive.

"The simple" aspect is marked on verbs with a zero morpheme ("-∅"). Verbs that are not marked for the perfect, meaning that they have been completed, or that are not marked for the progressive, meaning that they are ongoing, are in "the simple."

The perfect is marked on verbs with the affix "-yrd." Verbs are marked for the perfect if they are viewed by the speaker as having been completed*.

*NOTE: The affix "-yrd" has an alternate form of "-dyrd" which appears when the affix is applied to a verb ending in a vowel.

-yrd --> -dyrd/V__

The progressive is marked with the affix "-guv." Verbs are marked for the progressive if they are viewed as ongoing by the speaker*.

*NOTE: The affix "-guv" has an alternate form of "-eguv" which appears when the affix is applied to a verb ending with the consonants "c" or "x."

-guv --> -eguv/C1__ {where C1 is "c" and "x"}