Hell, it's about time.
"Єι καтec тυрαιc, мεнειι ουрυ мου κᴧαccιтeрιεгε."
If cats rule.opt.3p, be.opt.3s life my nice.comp.n-stress.
"If cats would rule, my life would be even nicer."
Today's sentence features the brand new* Optative.
(*When I say new, I mean 'new to you'; also, it's not completely new:)
What used to be the Coniunctive has been split into two modi: the (new) Coniunctive and the Optative; leaving us with a total of 3 different modi (including the Indicative):
Indicative
мεнω, διc, нοιмι, δεικнοмα, παнxιтε, οιδαc
мεнοнтιι, нοιмωнтιι, παнxωнтιι, οιδωнтιι
The Indicative is used to state facts and other things that seem to be undeniable.
Coniunctive (+ε, +e)
мεнeω, δάιc, нοιмeι, δεικнυοмα, παнxόιтε, οιδαc
мεнeοнтιι, нοιмeοнтιι, παнxοοнтιι, οιδαοнтιι
The Coniunctive is used to describe possibilities, uncertainties or irrealities.
Optative (+ει)
мεнειω, δαιιc, нοιмειι, δεικнυιοмα, παнxοιιтε, οιδαιc
мεнειοнтιι, нοιмειοнтιι, παнxοιοнтιι, οιδαιοнтιι
The Optative is used declare wishes, goals or unfortunate irrealities .
The katalu sentence is of course an example of the last of the optative's functions. She obviously is well aware that cats don't rule the world, but if they would, life would kick-ass.
I don't understand how the inflection paradigms work. For example, in the Conjunctive, /-e/ looks like a suffix, an infixing prefix, an infixing suffix, an infix dependent on stress, and some sort of a stem alternation. How does this work?
ReplyDeleteHail cats!
Well, the confusion is probably caused by two things: the coniunctive having two slightly different markers and mostly vowel assimilation.
ReplyDeleteMost verbs have a thematic vowel, that is part of the root. For instance οιδα. Then, when a suffix is added, e.g. +εc, they assimilate: α + εc > αc. There are long and short vowels, but I do not usually mark them.
The coniunctive usually prolongues the thematic vowel, except with verbs without a thematic vowel; it then adds +e.
Short and prolongued vowels act different, which is why there is a difference between παнxωнтιι and παнxοοнтιι (the latter has a prolongued o).
You probably still don't have a clue how this whole thing works, so I'll post some real explanation sometime soon (i.e. when I am on my own pc).