Auxiliary Verbs

There are only 38 verbs in Xunumi Wudu, 12 of which can be used both as a main verb and as an auxiliary verb. Another 7 are used exclusively as auxiliary verbs.

Main verbs appear first in a verb phrase, followed by optional auxiliaries or compound verbs. The final verb in the verb phrase is suffixed with a tense/evidentiality marker. After that, pronominal clitics or deictic tags for subject and/or object appear.

callo

Callo is used as a regular auxiliary ‘seem to V’. See the main verb callo for more.

da

Da is used as a regular auxiliary ‘go and V’. See the main verb da for more.

dape

Dape is an auxiliary only verb ‘V again, V back’, denoting iteration. Dape is derived from da plus the particle pe ‘from’. Dape-seppe ‘stumble, trip’ is the only time dape appears as a primary verb. The obstacle stumbled upon or tripped over is marked with su.

Dape as an auxiliary can also mean ‘back, behind, after’ as in da-dape=A=O ‘A follow, go after O’ and se-dape=A(=O) ‘A say back, reply to O’.

deme

Deme is an auxiliary only verb ‘expect to V’, denoting expectation, intention, and prediction. Derivation unknown.

deye

Deye is used as a regular auxiliary ‘make V’. See the main verb deye for more.

dullo

Dullo is used as a regular auxiliary ‘able to V’. See the main verb dullo for more.

kanne

Kanne is an auxiliary only verb creating a passive construction. Kanne creates the valency-decreasing passive construction by either removing the A argument or relegating it to a peripheral phrase marked by pe. It is not used with intransitive or copular verbs. Derivation unknown.

kutta

Kutta is used as a regular auxiliary ‘V with force’. See the main verb kutta for more.

no

No is used as a regular auxiliary ‘come and V’. See the main verb no for more.

nolo

Nolo is used as a regular auxiliary ‘V more (and more)’. See the main verb nolo for more.

nome

Nome is used as a regular auxiliary ‘let V’. See the main verb nome for more.

nota

Nota is used as a regular auxiliary ‘V less (and less)’. See the main verb nota for more.

noye

Noye is used as a regular auxiliary ‘start to V’. See the main verb noye for more.

sede

Sede is used as a regular auxiliary to denote progressive, provided the subject of the verb is a rational animate. See the main verb sede for more.

seppe

Seppe is an auxiliary only verb ‘fail to V’. Some less transparent constructions are da-seppe=S ‘S avoid, shun, fail to go’ (AVOIDED=du) and se-seppe=S ‘S misspeak’.

Seppe is derived from sede plus the particle pe ‘from’.

tello

Tello is an auxiliary only verb ‘must V’ expressing strong obligation. Tello is used for polite imperatives, as in: Kuno-tello=di=nu! ‘You must get the thing!’ or ‘Get the thing!’.

Tello is derived from tene and the obsolete particle lo ‘up’.

tene

Tene is used as a regular auxiliary to denote progressive, provided the subject of the verb is not a rational animate. See the main verb tene for more.

tetta

Tetta is an auxiliary only verb ‘stop Ving’, denoting cessation. tetta is derived from tene plus the obsolete particle ta ‘down’.

V-tetta is the most common way to stop V-ing, and can be used with most every verb. It is not, however, used with data. Instead seje is used in place of an auxiliary as it implies coming to a natural end. Aside from this and a few other verbs, seje is not used as an auxiliary.

wo

Wo is an auxiliary only verb negating the main verb, ‘not V’. It can also form the negative imperative interjection ‘don’t’.

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