Data Papers on Papua New Guinea Languages Volume 58 Doromu-Koki Grammar Sketch Robert L. Bradshaw 2012 SIL-PNG Academic Publications Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea Papers in the series Data Papers on Papua New Guinea Languages express the authors’ knowledge at the time of writing. They normally do not provide a comprehensive treatment of the topic and may contain analyses which will be modified at a later stage. However, given the large number of undescribed languages in Papua New Guinea, SIL-PNG feels that it is appropriate to make these research results available at this time. René van den Berg, Series Editor Copyright © 2012 SIL-PNG Papua New Guinea [email protected] Published 2012 Printed by SIL Printing Press Ukarumpa, Eastern Highlands Province Papua New Guinea ISBN 9980 0 3649 4 Table of Contents List of maps and tables ........................................................................... v Abbreviations ....................................................................................... vii 1. Introduction .................................................................................... 1 1.1 Location and speakers ............................................................. 1 1.2 Language name and dialects .................................................... 4 1.3 Affliation and earlier studies.................................................... 4 1.4 Cultural sketch ........................................................................ 5 1.5 Language vitality................................................................... 12 1.6 Typological features .............................................................. 14 1.7 Acknowledgments ................................................................. 16 2. Phonology ...................................................................................... 17 2.1 Phonemes .............................................................................. 17 2.2 Allophonic rules .................................................................... 20 2.2.1 Voiceless velar plosive backing................................. 20 2.2.2 Mid front vowel raising ............................................. 21 2.2.3 Vowel nasalisation .................................................... 21 2.3 Distribution ........................................................................... 21 2.4 Syllable structure................................................................... 26 2.4.1 One syllable .............................................................. 27 2.4.2 Two syllables ............................................................ 27 2.4.3 Three syllables .......................................................... 28 2.4.4 Four syllables............................................................ 28 2.4.5 Five syllables ............................................................ 29 2.4.6 Six syllables .............................................................. 29 2.5 Vowel sequences ................................................................... 29 2.6 Stress .................................................................................... 33 2.7 Orthography .......................................................................... 33 2.8 Intonation .............................................................................. 34 2.8.1 Statement .................................................................. 34 2.8.2 Incomplete sentence .................................................. 35 2.8.3 Question ................................................................... 35 i ii 2.8.4 Emotion .................................................................... 36 2.8.5 Listing ....................................................................... 36 2.8.6 Calling ...................................................................... 37 2.9 Morphophonemics ................................................................. 38 2.9.1 Vowel epenthesis ...................................................... 38 2.9.2 Vowel raising ............................................................ 38 2.9.3 Approximant epenthesis ............................................ 38 2.9.4 Tap deletion .............................................................. 39 3. Pronouns, nouns and noun phrases .............................................. 41 3.1 Pronouns ............................................................................... 41 3.1.1 Personal .................................................................... 41 3.1.2 Possessive ................................................................. 43 3.1.3 Reflexive ................................................................... 44 3.1.4 Demonstrative ........................................................... 46 3.2 Nouns .................................................................................... 50 3.2.1 Plural nouns .............................................................. 52 3.2.2 Repetition of nouns and pronouns .............................. 54 3.2.3 Compound nouns ...................................................... 56 3.3 Noun phrase .......................................................................... 59 3.3.1 Adjectives and adjective phrase ................................. 60 3.3.2 Colours ..................................................................... 65 3.3.3 Comparison ............................................................... 66 3.3.4 Quantifiers ................................................................ 66 3.3.5 Numbers.................................................................... 69 4. Verbs and verb phrases ................................................................. 74 4.1 Tense-aspect-mood ................................................................ 76 4.1.1 Tense ........................................................................ 77 4.1.2 Aspect ....................................................................... 84 4.1.3 Mood ........................................................................ 86 4.2 Switch reference .................................................................... 94 4.3 Verbs of movement................................................................ 96 4.4 Causative ............................................................................... 98 4.5 Transitiviser......................................................................... 100 4.6 Verb phrase ......................................................................... 100 4.6.1 Serial verb constructions.......................................... 101 4.6.2 Adjunct verb phrases ............................................... 103 iii 4.6.3 Impersonal verb constructions ................................. 108 4.6.4 Adverbs .................................................................. 108 4.7 Nominalisation .................................................................... 112 5. Minor word classes...................................................................... 115 5.1 Particles .............................................................................. 115 5.1.1 Topic marker .......................................................... 115 5.1.2 Affirmative ............................................................. 117 5.1.3 Question words ....................................................... 118 5.1.4 Exclamations .......................................................... 118 5.1.5 Negative ................................................................. 119 5.1.6 Vocative ................................................................. 120 5.2 Conjunctions ....................................................................... 121 6. Clause structure .......................................................................... 122 6.1 Verbal clauses ..................................................................... 122 6.1.1 Postpositions and postpositional phrases ................. 123 6.1.2 Locatives ................................................................ 130 6.1.3 Interrogatives .......................................................... 134 6.1.4 Temporal periphery ................................................. 136 6.2 Non-verbal clauses .............................................................. 142 6.2.1 Equative ................................................................. 142 6.2.2 Descriptive ............................................................. 142 7. Complex sentence structure ........................................................ 144 7.1 Coordination ....................................................................... 144 7.1.1 Temporal/switch reference ...................................... 144 7.1.2 Coordinating conjunctions ...................................... 145 7.2 Subordination ...................................................................... 148 7.2.1 Cause-effect ............................................................ 149 7.2.2 Result-reason .......................................................... 151 7.2.3 Condition-consequence ........................................... 152 7.2.4 Apprehensive .......................................................... 153 7.2.5 Purpose ................................................................... 153 7.3 Direct and indirect speech ................................................... 154 7.4 Relative clauses ................................................................... 156 7.4.1 Restrictive RCs ......................................................