Categorical status of auxiliaries (Synja Khanty)

AuxVInfl: Auxiliary verbs are verbs, and the inflection of lexical and auxiliary verbs is the same.

AuxNotVInfl: Auxiliaries are verbs, but the inflection of auxiliaries is not identical to that of lexical verbs.


the conjugation of the verb mati ‘give’


Present tense

Past tense


Sg

Du

Pl

Sg

Du

Pl

1.

ma-l-ǝm

ma-l-mǝn

ma-l-uw

ma-s-ǝm

ma-s-mǝn

ma-s-uw

2.

ma-l-ǝn

ma-l-tǝn

ma-l-ti

ma-s-ǝn

ma-s-tǝn

ma-s-ti

3.

ma-l

ma-l-ŋǝn

ma-l-ǝt

ma-s

ma-s-ŋǝn

ma-s-ǝt









Future tense




1.

mati pit-l-ǝm

mati pit-lǝ-mǝn

mati pit-l-uw




2.

mati pit-l-ǝn

mati pit-lǝ-tǝn

mati pit-lǝ-ti




3.

mati pit-l

mati pit-lǝ-ŋǝn

mati pit-l-ǝt




(Onina 2009: 34‒35)


(1) wera-ja jol-n ūl-ti mɔ̄s-l.

Vera-lat home-loc be-inf must/have_to-3sg

‘Vera has to be at home.’ (F. L.)


In Synja Khanty, auxiliaries are conjugated as verbs (e.g. pit- ‘begin’ is used as an auxiliary to express future tense) (Onina  2009:  34‒35, Honti 1984: 51‒52). The mɔ̄s ‘must/have to’ modal auxiliary has an incomplete paradigm as it has only one (a third person singular) form (S. O., F. L.).

Author: 

Nikolett F. Gulyás