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Erromangan Nominal Morphology: PronounsLinggwistiks 190. Manahan
Erromangan Nominal Morphology: Pronouns
Crowley, T. (1998). An Erromangan (Sye) grammar. OceanicLinguistics Special Publications 27: 40-45.
1. Independent Pronouns
The independent pronouns can function as verbal subjects and objects, as well as the objects of free form prepositions,
and as both topics and comments in equational constructions.
SG PL
1 yau INCL kohEXCL kam
2 kik kimi3 iyi iror
Table 1. Independent Pronouns
In the following examples, brackets surround the element being illustrated, in this case independent pronouns in a variety
of structural environments:
[Kik] ko-naruvo.
2SG 2SG:FUT-MR:sing
You will sing.
Cotwonorei (
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Erromangan Nominal Morphology: PronounsLinggwistiks 190. Manahan
Possessive pronouns are those which express the pronominal category of a possessor, and which can accompany a
possessed noun in a possessive construction.
SG PL
1 (h)enyau INCL (h)enogkohEXCL (h)enogkam
2 (h)enogkik (h)enogkmi3 (h)eni (h)eniror
1 horug INCL horetEXCL hormam
2 horom hormi3 ihen ihend
1 irag INCL ira(n)tEXCL iramam
2 iram irami3 iran irand
Table 2. Possessive Pronoun Paradigms
All of these forms are to varying degrees further analyzable morphologically. The first paradigm involves an initial
element which varies between (h)enog-when the following element begins with k, and (h)en-otherwise.
The second paradigm is based on an underlying root that is indeterminate between the shapes hore-and horo-, with
pronominal suffixes drawn from the paradigms set out in Table 3., which is used in the expression of possession with
bound nouns.
SG PL
1 -g INCL -(n)tEXCL -
mam2 -m -mi3 -n -nd
Table 3 Pronominal Possessive Suffixes
The third paradigm is based on the root ira-, with the same set of pronominal suffixes. This paradigm exhibits no
morphological irregularity.
The first two paradigms are used interchangeably to express ordinary kinds of alienable possession.
nu enyau nyag enyau nimo enyau
water POSS:1SG food POSS:1SG house POSS
my water my food my house
These possessive pronouns can also be used as proforms to refer to possessive noun phrases:
Horug. Tawi enogkik. Ihen nmas wocon.
POSS:1SG NEG POSS:2SG POSS:3SG big very
Its mine. Its not yours. His is very big.
3. Coordinate Pronouns
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Erromangan Nominal Morphology: PronounsLinggwistiks 190. Manahan
When the referent of a pronoun is coordinated with a noun in a nominal phrase, this can be expressed using the
coordinate pronouns. These take the form of compounds involving the plural independent pronouns and either the
accompanitive preposition ndalwith (plural) or the short alternant of the accompanitive preposition nanduwith (singular),
that is ndu. The coordinate pronoun is then followed by a noun. Noun phrases involving coordinate pronouns based on
ndal are plural in their reference, while noun phrases involving a coordinate pronoun compounded withnduare dual.
kam-ndu Nompwat
1PL.EXCL-ACC.SG Nompwat
Nompwat and I
kam-ndal ov-nevyarep
1PL.EXCL-ACC.PL PL-boy
the boys and I