Evenki grammar

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This article outlines the grammar of the Evenki language spoken in Russia, in both Cyrillic and Latin scripts. Since the Cyrillic script does not usually mark long vowels, macrons will be used in this article (excepting е (ē), which is always long, at least in native words). Example sentences will be taken from either the Evengus (Russian: Эвенгус) website, or from Nadezhda Bulatova and Lenore Grenoble's book Evenki Grammar in 1997.

Vowel harmony

Like other Tungusic languages, Evenki employs vowel harmony. There are two rows ("first and second row") with two neutral vowels, и (i) and у (u).[1] For simplicity, archiphonemes will be used for alternating vowels in suffixes, with capital О (O) for а/э/о (a/ə/o), А (A) for а/э (a/ə), and their iotated counterparts Ё (JO) for я/е/ё (ja/jə/jo), Я (JA) for я/е (ja/jə).

First row Neutral Second row
а
a		 и
i		 э
ə
е
e		 у
u
о
o
Syllables containing first row vowels can only be followed by another syllables that contain first row vowels, and vice versa.
  • анактадяран (anaktaʒaran)
  • эмэктэдерэн (əməktəʒərən)
и (i) and у (u) can be followed by either first or second row vowels.
  • сулакива (sulakiva), ACC of сулаки (sulaki).
  • улукивэ (ulukivə), ACC of улуки (uluki).
Short о (o) can be followed by о (o); however, о (o) cannot follow long о̄ (ō) or being intervened by neutral vowels. In this place, а (a) is used instead.
  • соӈоктодёрон (soŋoktoʒoron)
  • о̄дяран (ōʒaran), not *о̄дёрон (*ōʒoron).
  • орондивар (oronʒivar), not *орондивор (*oronʒivor).

Nominals

Pluralization

Here are some rules of forming Evenki plurals:[2]

The plural suffixes -л (-l) after vowels or -ил (-il) after consonants are usually used.
  • бур (bur) : бурил (buril) "islands"
  • дю̄ (ʒū) : дю̄л (ʒul) "yurts"
However, after -н (-n), -р (-r) is used instead and the final consonant before the suffix is removed.
  • орон (oron) : орор (oror) "deers"
Some nouns use -сал (-sal) in addition to the previous two suffixes. Notice that this suffix also removes -н (-n) from the stem.
  • киран (kiran) : кирасал (kirasal) "eagles"
Some kinship terms are irregularly pluralized:
  • амын (amin) : амтыл (amtil) "fathers"
  • эмын (əmin) : эмтыл (əmtil) "mothers"
  • акин (akin) : акнил (aknil) "older brothers"
  • экин (əkin) : экнил (əknil) "older sisters"
  • нэкун (nəkun) : нэкнил (nəknil) "younger brothers, younger sisters"
  • аса (asa) : асил (asil) "women"
  • хунаг (hunag) : хунил (hunil) "girls"

Grammatical cases

Evenki nouns are inflected for 13 grammatical cases: nominative, accusative, accusative indefinite, dative, allative, locative, prolative (longitudinal), allative locative, allative prolative, ablative, elative, instrumental, and comitative cases.[3]

List[4]
Case Suffix
-V[a] -C[+V][b] -N[c] -C[-V][d]
Nominative -∅ (no marker)
-∅
Accusative[5][e] -вО
-vO		 -мО
-mO		 -пО
-pO
Accusative indefinite[6][f] -Ё
-JO
Dative[7] -дӯ
-dū		 -тӯ
-tū
Allative[8] -ткӣ
-tkī		 -тыкӣ
-tikī
Locative[9] -лО̄
-lŌ		 -дулА̄
-dulĀ		 -тулА̄
-tulĀ
Prolative[10] -лӣ
-lī		 -дулӣ
-dulī		 -тулӣ
-tulī
Allative locative[11] -клО̄
-klŌ		 -иклО̄
-iklŌ
Allative prolative[12] -клӣ
-klī		 -иклӣ
-iklī
Ablative[13] -дук
-duk		 -тук
-tuk
Elative[14] -гӣт
-gīt		 -ӈӣт
-ŋīt		 -кӣт
-kīt
Instrumental[15][g] -т
-t		 -ит
-it		 -ди
-ʒi		 -ит
-it
Comitative[16] -нӯн
-nūn

Possession

Evenki nouns can also be inflected for possession, where a possessive suffix is attached to the noun based on features of the noun which possesses it.[17][18][19]
  • 1SG: оронмӣ (oron·mī) "my deer"
  • 2SG: ороннӣ (oron·nī) "your deer"
  • 3SG: оронин (oron·in) "his/her/its deer"
When declined in grammatical cases, case suffixes are placed between the noun and the possessive suffixes:[20]
  • NOM: оронмӣ (oron·∅·mī)
  • ACC: оронмов (oron·mo·v)
  • ACC.INDEF: оронов (oron·o·v)
There are also reflexive-possessive suffixes; they do not inflect in the nominative, and instead use null on the accusative:[21]
  • ACC: оронмӣ (oron·∅·mī)
  • ACC.INDEF: орономӣ (oron·o·mī).

Бӣ

1SG

хунатпӣ

daughter-REFL

ичэм

see-1sg.PRES

Бӣ хунатпӣ ичэм

1SG daughter-REFL see-1sg.PRES

"I see my daughter."

Some kinship nouns, as well as body part names (usually), are inalienable:
  • аминмӣ (aminmī) "my father", but амин (amin) "father" can't stand alone
-ӈӣ (-ŋī) is used to mark non-attributive possessive:[22]
  • оронӈӣ (oron·∅·ŋī)
To negate presence of an object, а̄чин (āčin) is used:[23]

Миндӯ

1SG-DAT

ӈинакин

dog

а̄чин.

NEG.

Миндӯ ӈинакин а̄чин.

1SG-DAT dog NEG.

I don't have a dog.

Дю̄дӯвӣ

house-DAT-REFL

энинмӣ

mother-1SG

а̄чин.

NEG.

Дю̄дӯвӣ энинмӣ а̄чин.

house-DAT-REFL mother-1SG NEG.

My mother is not at her home.

Final element in the stem → Singular Plural
Person ↓ -V -C[+V] -C[-V] -n -l -r
Singular 1st person -в
-v		 -ив
-iv		 -мӣ
-mī		 -вӣ
-vī
2nd person -с
-s		 -ис
-is		 -нӣ
-nī		 -лӣ
-lī		 -рӣ
-rī
3rd person -н
-n		 -ин
-in
reflexive -вӣ
-vī		 -пӣ
-pī		 -мӣ
-mī		 -вӣ
-vī
Plural 1st person exclusive -вун
-vun		 -мун
-mun		 -вун
-vun
inclusive -т
-t		 -ит
-it		 -ты
-ty
2nd person -сун
-sun		 -нун
-nun		 -лун
-lun		 -рун
-run
3rd person -тын
-tyn
reflexive -вОр
-vOr		 -пОр
-pOr		 -мОр
-mOr		 -вОр
-vOr

Adjectives

Evenki adjectives can be declined, and agree with the noun's inflection:[24]
  • NOM: хулама о̄сикта (xulama osikta) "red star"
  • ACC: хуламава о̄сиктава (xulama·va ōsikta·va)
To create comparative degree forms, -дымАр (-dimAr) after consonants and -тмОр (-tmOr) after vowels are used:
  • хэгдытмэр (xəgdi·tmər) "taller"
  • ӈонимдымар (ŋonim·dimar) "longer"
To create superlative degree forms, -дыгӯ (-digū) after consonants and -ткӯ (-tkū) after vowels are used:[25]
  • хэгдыткӯ (xəgdi·tkū) "tallest"
  • ӈонимдыгӯ (ŋonim·digū) "longest"

Pronouns

Unlike other nominals, personal pronouns in Evenki have significantly irregular inflection:[26][27]

1st person 2nd person 3rd person
Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural
Exclusive Inclusive
Nominative бӣ
bī		 бӯ
bū		 мит
mit		 сӣ
sī		 сӯ
sū		 нуӈан
nuŋan		 нуӈартын
nuŋartin
Accusative минэ(вэ)
minə(və)		 мунэ(вэ)
munə(və)		 митпэ
mitpə		 синэ(вэ)
sinə(və)		 сунэ(вэ)
sunə(və)		 нуӈанма̄н
nuŋanmān		 нуӈарватын
nuŋarvatin
Dative миндӯ
mindū		 мундӯ
mundū		 миттӯ
mittū		 синдӯ
sindū		 сундӯ
sundū		 нуӈандӯн
nuŋandūn		 нуӈардӯтын
nuŋardūtin
Allative минтыкӣ
mintikī		 мунтыкӣ
muntikī		 миттыкӣ
mittikī		 синтыкӣ
sintikī		 сунтыкӣ
suntikī		 нуӈантыкӣн
nuŋantikīn		 нуӈартыкӣтын
nuŋartikītin
Locative миндулэ̄
mindulə̄		 мундулэ̄
mundulə̄		 миттулэ̄
mittulə̄		 синдулэ̄
sindulə̄		 сундулэ̄
sundulə̄		 нуӈандулэ̄н
nuŋandulə̄n		 нуӈардулэ̄тын
nuŋardulə̄tin
Prolative миндулӣ
mindulī		 мундулӣ
mundulī		 миттулӣ
mittulī		 синдулӣ
sindulī		 сундулӣ
sundulī		 нуӈандулӣн
nuŋandulīn		 нуӈардулӣтын
nuŋardulītin
Allative locative миныклэ̄
miniklə̄		 муныклэ̄
muniklə̄		 митыклэ̄
mitiklə̄		 синыклэ̄
siniklə̄		 суныклэ̄
suniklə̄		 нуӈаныклэ̄н
nuŋaniklə̄n		 нуӈарыклэ̄тын
nuŋariklə̄tin
Allative prolative миныклӣ
miniklī		 муныклӣ
muniklī		 митыклӣ
mitiklī		 синыклӣ
siniklī		 суныклӣ
suniklī		 нуӈаныклӣн
nuŋaniklīn		 нуӈарыклӣтын
nuŋariklītin
Ablative миндук
minduk		 мундук
munduk		 миттук
mittuk		 синдук
sinduk		 сундук
sunduk		 нуӈандукин
nuŋandukin		 нуӈардуктын
nuŋarduktin
Elative[h] минӈит
minŋit		 мунӈит
munŋit		 миткит
mitkit		 синӈит
sinŋit		 сунӈит
sunŋit		 нуӈанӈидын
nuŋanŋidin		 нуӈаргидитын
nuŋargiʒitin
Instrumental минди
minʒi		 мунди
munʒi		 митит
mitit		 синди
sinʒi		 сунди
sunʒi		 нуӈандын
nuŋanʒin		 нуӈардитын
nuŋarʒitin
Comitative миннӯн
minnūn		 муннӯн
munnūn		 митнӯн
mitnūn		 синнӯн
sinnūn		 суннӯн
sunnūn		 нуӈаннӯнын
nuŋannūnin		 нуӈарнӯнтын
nuŋarnūntin

There are three types of reflexive pronouns in Evenki.

(Impersonal) reflexive pronouns can be inflected into number and cases.[28] мэ̄нмӣ (mə̄nmī) : мэ̄рвэр (mə̄rvər)
Details differ regarding declension of these pronouns. Bulatova and Grenoble implied that the ending -мӣ (-mī) remains unchanged,[29] while Evengus has the ending changed into -вӣ (-vī). Both agree that case endings are placed between the stem and the ending. мэ̄ндӯмӣ (mə̄n·dū·mī) v. мэ̄ндӯвӣ (mə̄n·dū·vī)
Singular Plural
Accusative мэ̄нмӣ
mə̄nmī		 мэ̄рвэр
mə̄rvər
Dative мэ̄ндӯвӣ
mə̄ndūvī		 мэ̄рдӯвэр
mə̄rdūvər
Allative мэ̄нтыкӣвӣ
mə̄ntikīvī		 мэ̄ртыкӣвэр
mə̄rtikīvər
Locative мэ̄ндулэ̄вӣ
mə̄ndulə̄vī		 мэ̄рдулэ̄вэр
mə̄rdulə̄vər
Prolative мэ̄ндулӣвӣ
mə̄ndulīvī		 мэ̄рдулӣвэр
mə̄rdulīvər
Allative locative мэ̄ныклэ̄вӣ
mə̄niklə̄vī		 мэ̄риклэ̄вэр
mə̄riklə̄vər
Allative prolative мэ̄ныклӣвӣ
mə̄niklīvī		 мэ̄риклӣвэр
mə̄riklīvər
Ablative мэ̄ндуквӣ
mə̄ndukvī		 мэ̄рдуквэр
mə̄rdukvər
Instrumental мэ̄ндивӣ
mə̄nʒivī		 мэ̄рдивэр
mə̄rʒivər
Comitative мэ̄ннӯнмӣ
mə̄nnūnmī		 мэ̄рнӯнмэр
mə̄rnūnmər

Notes

References

Citations

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