(Meadow Mari)
ConnN&DM & JuxtaN&DM & Monomorf&DM
ConnN&DM: A medial connective is used to express nominal conjunction; dependent marking is used to express the comitative.
JuxtaN&DM: Juxtaposition (zero-marking) is used to express nominal conjunction; dependent marking (DM) is used to express the comitative.
Monomorf&DM: One constituent in a nominal conjunction is marked by an affix or adposition; dependent marking is used to mark the comitative.
| (1) | poškud-et | den | šə-č | vursedəl |
|---|
| neighbour‑2SG | with | NEG.PST1‑2SG | quarrel.CNG |
| ‘You didn’t quarrel with your neighbour.’ (Arkhangelskiy 2019) |
| (2) | posnak | izi | eŋer | den | jer-la | pelen | ul-šo | kumdək-vlak | |
|---|
| especially | small | river | and | lake‑PL | at | be‑PTCP.ACT | area‑3PL |
| keŋežəm | košk-at. |
| in_summer | dry‑3PL |
| ‘It is especially the areas near small rivers and lakes that dry out in the summer.’ (Arkhangelskiy 2019) |
| (3) | kid-em | jük-em | čütər-en-ət | mogər-em-lan | jüštən-šokšən | čuč-ən. |
|---|
| hand‑1SG | voice‑1SG | tremble‑PST2‑3PL | body‑1SG‑DAT | cold‑hot | feel‑PST2.3SG |
| ’My hand and voice were trembling, I was shivering with cold.’ (Arkhangelskiy 2019) |
| (4) | rossij-əšte | tə | kompanij | plastik | okna-m | da | omsa-m | əštə-še… |
|---|
| Russia‑INE | this | firm | plastic | window‑ACC | and | door‑ACC | make‑PTCP.ACT |
| ’In Russia this firm makes plastic windows and doors…’ (Arkhangelskiy 2019) |
| (5) | kulak-vlak | dene | pərlja | tud=at | mlandə-m | nal-eš. |
|---|
| Kulak‑PL | with | together | (s)he=also | land‑ACC | buy‑3SG |
| ’(S)he also buys land with the Kulaks.’ (Arkhangelskiy 2019) |
| (6) | erik | janne | dene | mutlan-a. |
|---|
| Erik | Janne | with | talk‑3SG |
| ’Erik is talking with Janne.’ (Elembaeva 2017: 68) |
| (7) | təj | o-t-əl | gən, | imnə-ge, | pört-ke | jül-en-na | əle. |
|---|
| you | NEG‑2SG‑be | if | horse‑COM | house‑COM | burn‑PST2‑1PL | AUX |
| ’Were it not for you, we would have burnt together with our house and horses: (Alhoniemi 1985: 61) |
| (8) | ivanov-mət | teatr-əšte | joča-št-ge | tol-ən-ət. |
|---|
| Ivanov‑PL.SOC | theatre‑ILL | child‑3PL‑COM | come‑PST2‑3SG |
| ’The Ivanovs came to the theater together with their children.’ (Riese et al. 2022: 94) |
In Meadow Mari, the coordination of nominals can be expressed by juxtaposition (3), or using the conjunction da (4) or den (2). Comitative meanings are expressed with the postposition dene, which can (5) but does not have to be (6) used together with the adverb pərlja meaning ‘together’, or using a comitative suffix (7)–(8). The postposition dene is often abbreviated as den (1), which is not to be mistaken for – though being etymologically related to – the conjunction den (2). Sentence (5) is ambiguous: a) the farmer buys land together with the Kulaks (comitative meaning), b) the farmer buys land at the same time as, but independently of the Kulaks (conjunction). That is, dene pərlja can have either a conjunction or a comitative interpretation.
Author: Bogáta Timár
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