Editing Kot Wawa (section)

== Rule #16 – pre-verbs ==

PV VP

Most verbs in Kot Wawa take a noun as an object. There are two verbs that don’t. They instead take a verb phrase as immediate object. You say them just before the verb you apply them to. They are called ''pre-verbs''.


{| class="wikitable"
|-
| | àn ''x.''
| | “It’s an instance of doing ''x.''”
|| < a common Germanic verb ending - nl ''-an'' and en ''-en''
|-
|  | ʉ̀ŋ ''x''.
|  | “It’s not an instance of doing ''x''.”
|  | 
|-
|  | ní li án zòn.
|  | “This is knowledge.”
|  | 
|-
|  | ní li àn bàl bòn.
|  | “This is good work.”
|  | 
|-
|  | ní li ʉ̀ŋ bàl bàna dàu-sína.
|  | “This is not work for you.”, “This is not being done for you.”
|  | 
|}


“ʉ̀ŋ” is the negative form of “àn” created by Rule #11 – Negation.

The pre-verbs can also be inflected into nouns. The pre-verb noun “án” allows you to refer the action performed by a verb phrase in any place where a noun would go.


{| class="wikitable"
|-
| | án ''x''.
| | “An instance of doing ''x''.”, “The instance of doing ''x''.”
|| 
|-
|  | ŋʉ́ ''x''.
|  | “Something other than an instance of doing ''x''.”
|  | 
|-
|  | mí li wìl-án zòn.
|  | “I want the knowing.”,“I want to know.”
|  | 
|-
|  | mí li dàu-án màlak.
|  | “I go to the noise making.”, “I’m going to the concert.”, “I’m going to make some noise.”
|  | 
|-
|  | mí li zòn-án màlak.
|  | “I know the noise making.”, “I know how to make noise.”
|  | 
|}


These can be interpreted as acting on an event that is happening outside the subject, or one that is done by the subject itself. The sense where it is the speaker doing the action, is very productive.


{| class="wikitable"
|-
| | gèn.
| | “It can do it.”
|| < tok ''ken'', ult. < en ''can''
|-
|  | ján li gèn-ní.
|  | “The person can do this.”
|  | 
|-
|  | ján li gèn-án bàl-kóm.
|  | “The person can make food/drink.”
|  | 
|-
|  | kíl li wèn.
|  | “Some fruit stays.”
|  | 
|-
|  | gèu-kíl.
|  | “Some fruit stays.”, “The fruit is kept.”
|  | 
|-
|  | sówel li gèu-kíl.
|  | “The beast keeps fruit.”
|  | 
|-
|  | sówel li gèu-án mòk.
|  | “The beast keeps eating.”
|  | 
|-
|  | làpe.
|  | “It sleeps.”, “It rests.”, “It lazes.”
|  | < tok ''lape'' cf. en ''sleep''
|-
|  | mí li làpe.
|  | “I sleep.”, “I’m asleep.”
|  | 
|-
|  | mí li wìl-án gèu-án làpe.
|  | “I want to keep sleeping.”
|  | 
|-
|  | èpo.
|  | “It begins.”, “It starts.”, “It opens up.”
|  | < ◁''òpe''
|-
|  | òpe.
|  | “It starts it.”, “It opens it.”
|  | < tok ''open'' < en ''open''
|-
|  | mí li òpe-ní.
|  | “I’m opening this.”, “I’m starting this.”
|  | 
|-
|  | mí li òpe-án lùki.
|  | “I’m starting the looking.”, “I’m starting to look.”
|  | 
|-
|  | sówel li gàm.
|  | “A beast is coming.”
|  | 
|-
|  | sówel li gàm-án zùl.
|  | “A beast is approaching largeness.”, “The beast is growing.”
|  | 
|}


“án” effectively provides another way to turn verbs into nouns. It can be seen as an infinitive, action nominalisation, or -ness suffix for adjectives.