-jai
Hungarian
[edit]Etymology
[edit]-ja (possessive suffix) + -i (possessive plural)
Pronunciation
[edit]Suffix
[edit]-jai
- possessive suffix for multiple possessions:
- (with no noun for possessor) his, her, its ……-s (third-person singular; the pronoun ő (“s/he”) being optional for emphasis)
- pad (“bench”) → a padjai (“his/her/its benches”), az ő padjai (“his/her benches”)
- zokni (“socks”) → a zoknijai (“his/her/its socks”), az ő zoknijai (“his/her socks”)
- (with no noun for possessor, formal) your ……-s (second-person singular, grammatically resembling the third person sg.)
- pad (“bench”) → a padjai (“your [formal] benches”), az ön padjai, a maga padjai (“your [formal] benches”)
- construed with a noun or certain pronouns as the possessor: ……’s ……-s, ……-s of …… (third-person sg. or pl., depending on the noun or pronoun)
- az ember(nek a) padjai ― the person’s benches
- a gyerek(nek a) zoknijai ― the child’s socks
- az emberek(nek a) padjai ― the people’s benches
- a gyerekek(nek a) zoknijai ― the children’s socks
- az önök padjai, a maguk padjai ― your (plural, formal) benches
- azok(nak a) padjai ― the benches of those
- ki(k)nek a zoknijai? ― whose socks?
- (with no noun for possessor) his, her, its ……-s (third-person singular; the pronoun ő (“s/he”) being optional for emphasis)
Usage notes
[edit]- (possessive suffix) Variants:
- -i is added to words ending in a vowel except -i. Final -a changes to -á-; final -e changes to -é-. The latter feature distinguishes it from the -i (adjective-forming suffix), which does not lengthen the preceding -a/-e.
- -ai is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -ei is added to some front-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -jai is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant or the vowel -i
- -jei is added to some front-vowel words ending in a consonant or the vowel -i
- If the possessed noun is in the plural and the possessor is expressed in English with a possessive pronoun only (rather than a noun), e.g. “their toys” (as opposed to “the children’s toys”), the -ik/-aik/-eik/-jaik/-jeik suffixes are required in Hungarian.
See also
[edit]Ye'kwana
[edit]ALIV | -jai |
---|---|
Brazilian standard | -jai |
New Tribes | -jai |
Alternative forms
[edit]- i- -jai (allomorph)
Pronunciation
[edit]Suffix
[edit]-jai
- forms abilitative adverbs from transitive and intransitive verbs, with a meaning of ‘able to X’
Usage notes
[edit]This suffix can cause syllable reduction.
When this suffix is attached to intransitive verb stems, they do not bear person markers or the intransitive prefix w-. Consonant-initial stems experience palatalization of their initial consonants, and, if a stem begins with two consonants, this suffix takes the form of a circumfix i- -jai instead of its ordinary shape. However, when this suffix derives an adverb from a transitive verb, it carries a series I person marker referring to the object/patient of the verb.
Rather than the usual adverbial plural suffix -nñe, adverbs derived with this suffix take the nominal plural suffix -komo. They still take the usual adverbial negative suffix -'da, however.
Derived terms
[edit]References
[edit]- Cáceres, Natalia (2011) “-jai”, in Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana[1], Lyon, pages 153–154, 199–200, 248–251