Verbal Morphology, Part V: Applicative Suffixes
The next part of the Siye verb is the 'applicative' suffix. The word 'applicative' is in quotes because the term may not be accurate in terms of Terran linguistics, but it is the term which the Guild of Scholars favors (and believe me, you do not want to be out of their favor!). The applicative suffixes are:
-sum-: causative, identical in form to the previous suffix. This form is rare, but does occur in such forms as lume-su sa ipeyempusumsumnamo 'did you blackmail him (cause him to show [cause to see] money)?'
-yam-: abilitative, 'can', 'be able to'. Example: pe elekopumame ya epekopuyammamo 'Can you see what I can see?'
-tam-: inceptive, 'to start to'. Example: le-lo lusili enulotamma 'They began to build the city'
-me-: terminative, 'to stop (doing)'. Example: le-lo lusili ekepumenaki 'with the result that they stopped building the city.'
-te-: volitive: 'to want to'. Example: tupi-ya nene tum-lo elipunama 'The bird wants to eat bugs'
-ka-: decisive: 'to intend to'. Example: pe-so kumayam sili-me-lo epelipununa 'You intended to kill the chiefs of the city.'
-wi-: positive imperative. Example: lusili nulowima 'Build the city!' The positive imperative is inherently imperfective.
-to-: negative imperative. Example: lusili nulotona 'Do not stop building the city!' The negative imperative is inherently perfective.
One peculiarity of the applicative suffixes is that they maintain a typical transitive pattern if verb valency increases from intransitive to transitive or if the causee of the action is the same as the causor; if, however, the causee is a different person from the causor, the syntax of the sentence and the object-agreement of the verbal prefix. Examples follow:
Yete-lo eletomlotuna. I wanted to buy fruit.
Yete-lo-su sa peletomlotuna. I wanted you to buy fruit.
-sum-: causative, identical in form to the previous suffix. This form is rare, but does occur in such forms as lume-su sa ipeyempusumsumnamo 'did you blackmail him (cause him to show [cause to see] money)?'
-yam-: abilitative, 'can', 'be able to'. Example: pe elekopumame ya epekopuyammamo 'Can you see what I can see?'
-tam-: inceptive, 'to start to'. Example: le-lo lusili enulotamma 'They began to build the city'
-me-: terminative, 'to stop (doing)'. Example: le-lo lusili ekepumenaki 'with the result that they stopped building the city.'
-te-: volitive: 'to want to'. Example: tupi-ya nene tum-lo elipunama 'The bird wants to eat bugs'
-ka-: decisive: 'to intend to'. Example: pe-so kumayam sili-me-lo epelipununa 'You intended to kill the chiefs of the city.'
-wi-: positive imperative. Example: lusili nulowima 'Build the city!' The positive imperative is inherently imperfective.
-to-: negative imperative. Example: lusili nulotona 'Do not stop building the city!' The negative imperative is inherently perfective.
One peculiarity of the applicative suffixes is that they maintain a typical transitive pattern if verb valency increases from intransitive to transitive or if the causee of the action is the same as the causor; if, however, the causee is a different person from the causor, the syntax of the sentence and the object-agreement of the verbal prefix. Examples follow:
Yete-lo eletomlotuna. I wanted to buy fruit.
Yete-lo-su sa peletomlotuna. I wanted you to buy fruit.