Nominal and verbal conjunctions (Northern Mansi)

Juxta: Both nominal and verbal conjunction are expressed through juxtaposition.

NomConj=VConj: Nominal conjunction and verbal conjunction are expressed through the use of the same coordinating conjunction(s).

NomConjNotVConj: Nominal conjunction and verbal conjunction are expressed through distinct strategies.


(1) oma-m jaγ-ǝm aγmǝŋ-yγ.
mother-1sg father-1sg sick-du 
‘My mother and my father are sick.’ (S. D.)


(2) oma-m aγmǝŋ, jaγ-ǝm aγmǝŋ.
mother-1sg sick father-1sg sick
‘My mother and my father are sick.’ (Kálmán 1976: 67)


(3) oma-m ōs jaγ-ǝm aγmǝŋ-yγ.
mother-1sg and father-1sg sick-du 
‘My mother and my father are sick.’ (S. D.)


(4) ēkwa-γ ōjka-γ ōl-ǝγ.
old_woman-3du old_man-3du él-3du
‘There lives an old man and an old woman.’ (S. D.)


(5) ālpǝl am kwāl-s-um, lowtχat-as-um.
morning I stand_upl-pst-1sg wash-pst-1sg
‘I woke up in the morning and washed myself.’ (S. D.)


(6) ēkwa pyγ-riś juw ta min-as ākwe palt, ōs ań ta
woman boy-dim to_home pcl go-pst.3sg old_woman toward and now pcl
śuńi […]
become_rich.prs.3sg
‘The son of the woman returned to the old lady and now he is getting richer […]’ (Popova 2001: 68)


In Northern Mansi, nominal coordination can be coded in several ways:

  a) unmarked, bare juxtaposition of the elements (1)

b) unmarked, bare juxtaposition of the elements with the repetition of the verb (2)

c) using the ōs ‘and’ complementizer (3)

d) attaching a dual marker to both nominals (4)


On the other hand, the following configurations can be used to coordinate verbs:

a) unmarked, bare juxtaposition of the elements (5)

b) using the ōs ‘and’ complementizer (6)

In both cases, the bare juxtaposition of the elements and connecting them with a complementizer are both acceptable (Rombandeeva 1979), but nominal coordination has more structural coding possibilities.

Author: 

Szilvia Németh