09 Referentials

9.0 Referentials

Referentials function much like personal pronouns in other languages, although they are more dynamic in their morphology. There are ten Referentials, each distinguishing three Effects (see Sec. 5.4 for an explanation of Effect).

::: Warning Revisor’s Comment

A Referential assumes to be a shortcut for the morphologically equivalent formative, and therefore can be modified by affixual adjunct and modular adjunct.

Similar to the behavior of the Suppletive adjuncts, the use of Referential implies CCN Case-scope; if the Referential has non-default Case-scope, use either a Specialized Referential Root or an affix to show the case-scope.

:::

9.1 Single-Referent Referential

The structure of a Single-Referent Referential is as follows, where C₁ is a consonantal form indicating the particular party being referenced, and Vc₁ is a vocalic affix representing the case of the referent (using the same 68 Vc case-affixes from formative Slot IX). Note that combinations are permissible in Slot 1 (e.g., smlo you (sg.) and (s)he and I-ERGATIVE) as long as the combination is phonotactically permissible. The epenthetic -ë- vowel appears before or within C₁ combinations if necessary due to phonotactic rules (e.g., zëmse it and s/he and you(sg.)-ABS), and may also be suffixed to Slot 4 if necessary for phonotactic purposes. A second case may be stacked on Referent A by filling in Slot 3 but leaving Slot 4 empty.

1

(ë)C₁((ë)C₁((ë)C₁))

Referentials A

2

Vc₁

Case of Referential A

Same affixes as formative Slot IX

The C₁ values themselves and their meaning are shown below:

EFFECT	NEUTRAL	BENEFICIAL	DETRIMENTAL
1m	l	r	ř
2m	s	š	ž
2p	n	t	d
ma	m	p	b
pa	ň	k	g
mi	z	ţ	ḑ
pi	ẓ	f	v
Mx	c	č	j
Rdp	th	ph	kh
Obv	ll / lç/*	rr / rç/*	řř / řç/*
PVS	mm / mç/*	nn / nç/*	ňň / ňç/*

* the alternate forms of the Obv and PVS categories are used in Referential Affixes (see Sec. 4.6.5 below) to avoid ambiguity with geminated Ca forms

1m

monadic speaker

I

2m

monadic addressee

you (sg.)

2p

polyadic addressee

you (pl.)

ma

monadic animate 3rd party

he / she / they (sg.)

pa

polyadic animate 3rd party

they (pl.)

mi

monadic inanimate 3rd party

it

pi

polyadic inanimate 3rd party

these things / those things

Mx

mixed animate/inanimate 3rd party

Mixed animate+inanimate, e.g., s/he+it, they+those, it+they, those+s/he, etc.

Rdp

Reduplicative

(i.e., resumptive)

refers back to the previously named party (often used with SWR affix)

Obv

Obviative

3rd-party other than one previously referenced aka so-called “4th person”

PVS

Provisional

whatever [see Sec. 9.3 below]

To show AGGLOMERATIVE or NOMIC or ABSTRACT categories as a Referential, add the following affixes immediately preceding or following one of the affixes above (as phonotactically permissible):

• AGGLOMERATIVE: -ļ- / -tļ-
• NOMIC: -ç- / -x-
• ABSTRACT: -w / -y

9.2 Dual-Referent Referential

If there are two or more personal referents and each has a different case, this can be shown using a Dual-Referent Referential whose structure is shown below:

1

(ë)C₁((ë)C₁((ë)C₁))

Referentials A

2

Vc₁

Case of Referential A

Same affixes as formative Slot IX

3

(w/y + Vc₂

Case of Referential B, or in absence of Referential B, to add (i.e., stack) a 2nd Case on to Referential A. Same affixes as formative Slot IX

4

(C₂(ë)))

Referentials B

5

STRESS

monosyllabic or penultimate = default

ultimate = adjunct carries RPV Essence *

Examples: ëztewim, zëmse, smoyút, triwejvë

For personal referents other than the MONADIC speaker ‘I’, if represented by a single consonant, one may show two separate (i.e., different) instances of that referent in one category by placing one instance of the consonant in Slot 1, and another in Slot 4, e.g., püwüp [ma/BEN/DAT-ma/BEN/DAT] ‘to him/her and to (a different) him/her’, zäwiez [mi/INS-mi/TRA] ‘with it and for (a different) it’.

Note that this dual-referent Referential structure can instead be used to stack a second case onto a single referent by filling in Slot 3 but leaving Slot 4 empty. Examples: laiwe, smeʼe, kaʼu, foʼweʼis (Note that the last three of these examples illustrate that Sec. 2.2, Rule 3, applies to Slot 2 Vc₁ and Slot 3 Vc₂ for Cases 37 through 52.)

The tell-tale sign of a Referential (i.e., what distinguishes its phonological structure from a formative) is its (ë)C(C)-V or (ë)C(C)-V-w/y-V-C structure (Formative Slot II has no Vv value -ë- nor any Slot IV Ca value containing -w- or -y-).

9.3 The Provisional Referential

The PVS Provisional Referential refers to a vague, unspecified, potential, uncertain or unknown party/entity which can be marked for case. Ostensibly, the closest English translation would be “whatever.” However, since the identity of the entity is provisional/potential/uncertain, the focus of the personal reference is on the case-relationship being expressed, so that the meaning of the case often determines the proper English translation. For example, in phrases/sentences using IRG Illocution, the Referential would correspond most closely to an English WH-interrogative pronoun such as PVS-LOC where? (“whatever location”), PVS-PURwhy? (“whatever purpose”), PVS-PRP whose? (“whatever owner”), etc.

Note

For more information on New Ithkuil equivalents to English WH-interrogatives, see Sec. 10.6.

9.4 Impersonal and Abstract Reference

To express impersonal referential categories such as “one”, “someone”, “something”, “a thing”, “things”, etc., add the NOMIC affix above to the ma or mi referential affixes above, depending on the intended meaning. Applying the ABSTRACT affix to a tangible Referential form gives a word meaning “all that X is” or “everything about X” as in “all about me”, “everything having to do with you” or “everything about it”. When appled to the Mx Referential, the ABSTRACT affix gives the meaning “everything and everyone” or “all that there is”.

9.5 Combination Referential with Case-Stacking

A third Referential structure exists called a Combination Referential. It is used to add Case, Specification, VxCs affix information or a second case (case-stacking) to one of the Referential forms. The tell-tale signs of this adjunct are the Slot 4 consonant-forms containing -x-, -xt-, -xp-, or -xx- in what looks like the Ca slot of a formative (these four consonant conjuncts are not possible Ca forms). Examples: slex, poxtanz, ëtkexpa, ëlsuoxxéd.

1

(ë-) + C₁ (+ C₂ (+ C₃ ))

Combination Referential

2

Vc

Case of Combination Referential: from formative Slot IX

3

x / xt / xp / xx

Specification of Combination Referential

• x = BSC
• xt = CTE
• xp = CSV
• xx = OBJ

4

(VxCs…)

VxCs affix(es)

5

(Vc₂ or epenthetic -a)

2nd (stacked) case of Combination Referential IX: same affixes as formative Slot IX except for THM case = -üa

6

Stress

Penultimate stress = default

Ultimate stress = adjunct has RPV Essence.

9.6 Applying Carrier, Quotative, Naming, and Phrasal Adjunct Forms to Referentials

In addition to the Referential affixes shown in Sec. 9.1, the C₁ slot of the Single- or Dual-Referent Referential in Sec. 9.2 may also take any of the Cp Suppletive Adjunct affixes (hl-, hm-, hn-, hň-), thus allowing these adjuncts the same scope and flexibility as Referentials in terms of showing Specification, VxCs affixes, and case-stacking for a following proper noun, foreign word/phrase, or quote.

NOTE

When using a Cp Suppletive Adjunct form in Slot 1 of a Referential it is necessary to prefix the Cp form by an epenthetic vowel, as follows:

• If using a Cp Suppletive Adjunct form in Slot 1 of a Combination Referential from Sec. 9.5 above, the Cp value must be preceded by a- to avoid the adjunct being mistaken for a Concatenated Formative.

• If using a Cp Suppletive Adjunct form in Slot 1 of a Single- or Dual-Referential from Sec. 9.1 and Sec. 9.2 above, the Cp value must be preceded by the word-initial diphthong üo- to avoid the adjunct being mistaken for a Modular Adjunct.