(Meadow Mari)
NegAux & NegPtclStc
NegAux: Negation of the predicate is expressed through the use of an auxiliary verb, plus a form of the lexical verb.
NegPtclStc: Negation of the predicate is expressed through the use of a standard negative word, which can also function alone as a sentence.
| (1) | tol-am |
|---|
| come‑1SG |
| ’I’m coming’ (Saarinen 2015: 329) |
| (2) | o-m | tol |
|---|
| NEG‑1SG | come.CNG |
| ’I’m not coming’ (Saarinen 2015: 330) |
| (3) | tol-ən-am |
|---|
| come‑PST2‑1SG |
| ’I came’ (Saarinen 2015: 332) |
| (4) | tol-ən | o-m-əl |
|---|
| come‑PST2.CNG | NEG‑1SG‑be |
| ’I didn’t come’ (Saarinen 2015: 332) |
| (5) | miša-n | mašina-že | ul-o. |
|---|
| Misha‑GEN | car‑3SG | be‑3SG |
| ’Misha has a car.’ (Riese et al. 2022: 306) |
| (6) | miša-n | mašina-že | uke. |
|---|
| Misha‑GEN | car‑3SG | NEG.exist |
| ’Misha does not have a car.’ (Riese et al. 2022: 306) |
| (7) | miklaj | deč | saj-rak | süretče | ola-stə-na | uke=at. |
|---|
| Miklay | from | good‑COMP | artist | town‑INE‑1PL | NEG.exist=also |
| ’There is no artist better than Miklay in our town.’ (Riese et al. 2022: 102) |
| (8) | təj | mə-lan-em | o-t | səre? | uke, | mihail, | tol | vaške-rak. |
|---|
| you | I‑DAT‑1SG | NEG‑2SG | be_angry.CNG | no | Mikhai | come.IMP.2SG | quickly‑COMP |
| ’Aren’t you angry with me? No, Mikhail, hurry up.’ (Arkhangelskiy 2019) |
In Meadow Mari negation is usually expressed using a so-called negative verb combining with a non-finite, connegative form of the finite verb of the affirmative sentence, with the finite categories expressed on the negative verb itself (1)─(4), (8). In negative habitive sentences (expressing possession) and existential sentences (expressing existence) the negative particle uke ’no, there is no’ replaces the copula (6), (7), which can also function alone as a sentence (8).
Author: Bogáta Timár
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