Interlingua/Morphology: Difference between revisions
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==Articles== | ==Articles== | ||
The definite articles are is ''{{ | The definite articles are is ''{{term|le}}'' or ''{{term|la}}'' and indefinite articles are ''{{term|un}}'' or ''{{term|una}}'' (the same as the number "one"). They are invariable and are used roughly as in English. The prepositions ''{{term|a}}'' 'to' and ''{{term|de}}'' 'of' can optionally be fused with the definite articles into ''{{term|del}}'' and ''{{term|al}}'', the masculine and feminine respectively. | ||
==Nouns== | ==Nouns== | ||
Nouns inflect for number. Plural nouns take ''{{ | Nouns inflect for number. Plural nouns take ''{{term|-s}}'' after a vowel, ''-es'' after a consonant (but final ''-c'' changes to ''-ches'' to preserve the {{IPA|[k]}} sound of ''c''). | ||
:''{{ | :''{{term|catto}}'' 'cat' → ''cattos'' 'cats' | ||
:''{{ | :''{{term|can}}'' 'dog' → ''canes'' 'dogs' | ||
:''{{ | :''{{term|roc}}'' 'rook' [chess] → ''roches'' 'rooks' | ||
Interlingua has no grammatical gender, unlike all Romance languages. Animate nouns are sex-neutral, unless they refer specifically to a male or a female in the lexicon. Thus, ''{{term|jornalista}}'' 'journalist' and ''{{term|scientista}}'' 'scientist' are usable of both men and women, even though ''{{term|rege}}'' 'king' and ''{{term|regina}}'' 'queen' are sex-specific. Feminine forms can be created by substituting final ''{{term|-a}}'' for a final ''-o'' or ''-e'' or by adding the suffix ''{{term|-essa}}''. So it is that gender refers more to the form (i.e. ending) than to sex. | |||
:''{{ | :''{{term|puero}}'' 'boy' → ''puera'' 'girl' | ||
:''{{ | :''{{term|tigre}}'' 'tiger' → ''tigressa'' 'female tiger' | ||
These color the regular forms as masculine when they appear in the same context. | These color the regular forms as masculine when they appear in the same context. | ||
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: ''una bona idea, una idea ingeniosa'' 'a good idea, an ingenious idea' | : ''una bona idea, una idea ingeniosa'' 'a good idea, an ingenious idea' | ||
Comparative degree is expressed by ''{{term|plus}}'' or ''{{term|minus}}'' preceding the adjective and superlative degree by ''le plus'' or ''la minus''. | |||
Comparative degree is expressed by ''{{ | |||
:''un plus feroce leon'' 'a fiercer lion' | :''un plus feroce leon'' 'a fiercer lion' | ||
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:''le solution le minus costose'' 'the least costly solution'. | :''le solution le minus costose'' 'the least costly solution'. | ||
The suffix ''{{ | The suffix ''{{term|-issime}}'' may be used to express the absolute superlative degree. | ||
:''una aventura excellentissima'' 'a most excellent adventure' | :''una aventura excellentissima'' 'a most excellent adventure' | ||
The adjectives ''{{ | The adjectives ''{{term|bon}}'' 'good', ''{{term|mal}}'' 'bad', ''{{term|magne}}'' 'great', and ''{{term|parve}}'' 'small' have optional irregular forms for the comparative and superlative. | ||
:{| | :{| | ||
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==Adverbs== | ==Adverbs== | ||
There are two types of adverbs, primary and secondary. Primary adverbs are a closed class of grammatical operators, such as ''{{ | There are two types of adverbs, primary and secondary. Primary adverbs are a closed class of grammatical operators, such as ''{{term|quasi}},'' 'almost'; ''{{term|jam}}'', 'already'; and ''{{term|totevi}},'' 'anyway'. Secondary adverbs are an open class derived from corresponding adjectives by adding the suffix ''{{term|-menti}}'' (''-amenti'' after final ''-c''). | ||
:''felice'' 'happy' → ''felicementi'' 'happily' | :''felice'' 'happy' → ''felicementi'' 'happily' | ||
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: ''Da le can a illes.'' 'Give them the dog.' | : ''Da le can a illes.'' 'Give them the dog.' | ||
Interlingua follows the European custom of using the plural forms ''vos'' etc. rather than ''tu'' etc. in formal situations. | |||
: ''Esque vos passava un viage placente, Seniora Chan?'' 'Did you have a pleasant trip, Mrs. Chan?' | : ''Esque vos passava un viage placente, Seniora Chan?'' 'Did you have a pleasant trip, Mrs. Chan?' | ||
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There are four simple tenses: the present, past, future, and conditional. | There are four simple tenses: the present, past, future, and conditional. | ||
* The present tense can be formed from the infinitive by removing the final ''-r''. It covers the simple and continuous present tenses in English. The verbs ''esser'' 'to be', ''haber'' 'to have', and ''vader'' 'to go' normally take the short forms ''es, ha,'' and ''va'' rather than ''esse, habe,'' and ''vade''. | * The present tense can be formed from the infinitive by removing the final ''-r''. It covers the simple and continuous present tenses in English. The verbs ''esser'' 'to be', ''haber'' 'to have', and ''{{C|vader}}'' 'to go' normally take the short forms ''es, ha,'' and ''va'' rather than ''esse, habe,'' and ''vade''. | ||
:: ''Io ama mangos; io mangia un justo ora.'' 'I love mangoes; I'm eating one right now.' | :: ''Io ama mangos; io mangia un justo ora.'' 'I love mangoes; I'm eating one right now.' | ||
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*Gode, Alexander, and Hugh E. Blair. ''Interlingua: a grammar of the international language''. Storm Publishers, New York, 1951. | *Gode, Alexander, and Hugh E. Blair. ''Interlingua: a grammar of the international language''. Storm Publishers, New York, 1951. | ||
{{Aquatiki}} | |||
[[Category: | [[Category:Interlingua]] | ||