Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Contributed by Sergey Say (Academia.edu profile )
The data were gathered in 2019 in Urmiya, Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The Russian version of the questionnaire was used for elicitation. Data collection was supported by a grant from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research: “Documentation of Northeastern Neo-Aramaic spoken in Russia”, grant No. 20-012-00312.
How to cite
Say, Sergey. 2020. Bivalent patterns in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic.
In: Say, Sergey (ed.). BivalTyp: Typological database of bivalent verbs and their encoding frames.
St. Petersburg: Institute for Linguistic Studies, RAS.
(Data first published on August 19, 2020;
last revised on November 15, 2020.) (Available online at https://www.bivaltyp.info ,
Accessed on
Basic info
Coordinates: 37.33, 45.04 .
Genealogy (as given in WALS ). Family: Afro-Asiatic, genus: Semitic.
Macro-area: West Asia and the Caucasus.
"Assyrian Neo-Aramaic" is a conventional label for Northeastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) varieties spoken by Christians who identify themselves as "Assyrians". Assyrians' homeland is a large area near the borders of modern (Northwestern) Iran, (Northern) Iraq, (Southeastern) Turkey and (Northeastern) Syria, as represented on the map . Presently, many Assyrians are dispersed around the world, including several communities in the South Caucasus and in the South of Russia.
The data for this project were gathered from Assyrians living in Urmiya, Krasnodar Krai, Russia. A majority of Assyrians in Urmiya speak the Urmi dialect of NENA, originating from the area near Urmia in modern Iran. Other consultants are descendants of settlers originating from the highlands in the Southeast of modern Turkey. Sentences elicited from the latter group of speakers are marked "Non-Urmi speaker" below. Valency patterns in the Urmi and non-Urmi varieties attested in the village of Urmiya do not exhibit significant differences, but see (Say, 2020) for details.
Say, S. S. 2020. Markirovanie aktantov dvuxmestnyx predikatov v novoaramejskix idiomax sela Urmiya [Bivalent predicates’ argument encoding in Neo-Aramaic varieties spoken in Urmiya, Krasnodar Krai]. Acta Linguistica Petropolitana , V. 16, Part 2. 654-689. (in Russian)
Grammar notes
Basic clause structure and the transitive construction
There is no flagging for subjects (A- and S-arguments) or direct objects (P-arguments). The person, number and sometimes gender of the subject are obligatorily indexed on the verb, while indexing of the direct object is optional (Differential Object Indexing). The choice of indices for subjects and objects depends on tense and aspect, as summarized in Table 1.
Table 1. The choice of subject and object person indices in tense and aspect subsystems
Subject
Direct object
Present
S-suffixes (SS.1F etc.)
L-suffixes (LS.1SG etc.)
Past
L-suffixes (LS.1SG etc.)
S-suffixes (SS.1F etc.)
Progressive
Copulas (1M etc.)
Possessive suffixes (P.1SG etc.)
Resultative
Copulas (1M etc.)
Possessive suffixes (P.1SG etc.)
The two variants of the transitive construction — with and without object indexing — are in (1) and (2).
(1) brata ctava dvəkt-u=la
girl(F) book(M) seize.RES.F-P.3M=3F
‘The girl is holding a book.’
(2) brata dvəkt=əla ctava
girl(F) seize.RES.F=3F book(M)
‘The girl is holding a book.’
Non-core arguments are typically flagged by prepositions. Some non-core arguments have the status represented as "BARE", see (Say, in prep.) for details.
Case system
There is no morphological case on nouns.
Verb lemmas
Verbs are shown in the so-called patəx form: this is the present tense (PRS) form with the zero-realized 3rd person masculine singular S-suffix and no L-suffix.
Glossing abbreviations
1, 2, 3 — 1st, 2nd, 3rd person; DEM1, DEM2, DEM3, DEM4 — demonstratives; EXI — existential copula; F — feminine; LS — L-suffix; M — masculine; NEG — negation; O — object; OBL — oblique; P — possessive; PL — plural; PN — person name; PRF — perfect; PROG — progressive; PRON — pronoun; PRS — present; PST — past; REL — relator; RES — resultative; SS — S-suffix.
Data
Subset examples by valency pattern
Any
NA
BARE_BARE
BARE_men
BARE_PRED
BARE_SBJ
ces_SBJ
ka_SBJ
OBJAGR_BARE
SBJ_al
SBJ_bar
SBJ_BARE
SBJ_bi
SBJ_gu
SBJ_ka
SBJ_lab
SBJ_men
TR
Subset examples by locus
Any
*
TR
X
XY
Y
Valency pattern:
BARE_SBJ
X: BARE
Y: SBJ
Locus: X
brata
riš-o
+mray=əl
girl(
f
)
head(
m
)-
p
.3
f
ache.
prog
=3
m
‘The girl has a headache.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bi
X: SBJ
Y: bi
Locus: Y
brata
+mrit=əla
bi
gripp
girl(
f
)
ache.
res
.
f
=3
f
with
flu(
m
)
‘The girl has the flu.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
yala
mən
calba
+bəzday=əl
boy(
m
)
from
dog(
m
)
be_afraid.
prog
=3
m
‘The boy is afraid of the dog.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
cipa
+ruppi-la
brata
stone(
m
)
throw.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
girl(
f
)
‘The girl threw the stone.’
Valency pattern:
ka_SBJ
X: ka
Y: SBJ
Locus: X
adi
zuyzə
ka
brata
bəxzay=əna
now
money(
pl
)
to
girl(
f
)
see.
prog
=3
pl
‘Now the girl has enough money.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_al
X: SBJ
Y: al
Locus: Y
+avvo
yala
bədmay=əl
+al
savun-u
dem
3.
m
boy(
m
)
resemble.
prog
=3
m
on
grandfather(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘This boy resembles his grandfather.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_al
X: SBJ
Y: al
Locus: Y
+avvo
naša
hammun=əl
+al
baxt-u
dem
3.
m
person(
m
)
believe.
prog
=3
m
on
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘This man believes his wife.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
škəl-la
ctava
mən
+ustol
girl(
f
)
take.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
book(
m
)
from
table(
m
)
‘The girl took the book from the table.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
xzi-la
beta
girl(
f
)
see.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
house(
m
)
‘The girl saw the house.’
Valency pattern:
NA
X: *
Y: *
Locus: *
*
*
*
Note: No satisfactory translation has been obtained.
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
yala
tpək-lə
mən
švava
boy(
m
)
meet.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
from
neighbour(
m
)
‘The boy ran into his neughbor.’
Note: Some speakers use preposition am .
Valency pattern:
SBJ_gu
X: SBJ
Y: gu
Locus: Y
brata
+vər-ra
gu
beta
girl(
f
)
enter.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
in
house(
m
)
‘The girl entered the house.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
SBJ_ka
X: SBJ
Y: ka
Locus: Y
brata
+krəm-la
ka
axun-o
girl(
f
)
win.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
to
brother(
m
)-
p
.3
f
‘The girl beat her brother.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
brata
+pləṭ-la
mən
beta
girl(
f
)
leave.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
from
house(
m
)
‘The girl went out of the house.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
+bəṭray=əla
tavərt-o
gu
+bukra
girl(
f
)
drive.
prog
=3
f
cow(
f
)-
p
.3
f
in
herd(
m
)
‘The girl is driving the cow to the pasture’ (lit. ‘into the herd’).
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
+Ašur
+ṭip-e-lə
+pavan=ət
ilana
pn
bend.
pst
-
ss
(
o
).3
pl
-
ls
.3
m
branch(
m
).
pl
=
rel
tree(
m
)
‘Ashur bent the branch.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_ka
X: SBJ
Y: ka
Locus: Y
+Ašur
tuni-l
ka
+xor-u
atə
bet-u
arxa
pn
say.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
to
friend(
m
)-
p
.3
m
come.
prs
house(
m
)-
p
.3
m
guest(
m
)
‘Ashur told his friend: “Call me this evening.”’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
ctava
dvəkt-u=la
ṗ
id-o
girl(
f
)
book(
m
)
seize.
res
.
f
-
p
.3
m
=3
f
with
hand(
f
)-
p
.3
f
‘The girl is holding a book in her hands.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_ka
X: SBJ
Y: ka
Locus: Y
naša
+mṭi-l
ka
baxt-u
person(
m
)
arrive.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
to
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘The man caught up with his wife.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
baxta
+xliv-e-la
tavəryay
woman(
f
)
milk.
pst
-
ss
(
o
).3
pl
-
ls
.3
f
cow(
f
).
pl
‘The woman milked the cows.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_al
X: SBJ
Y: al
Locus: Y
naša
+məṭy=əl
+al
bərza
person(
m
)
arrive.
res
.
m
=3
m
on
dry_land(
m
)
‘The man reached the bank.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bi
X: SBJ
Y: bi
Locus: Y
yala
kət-lə
bi
guyda
boy(
m
)
knock.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
with
wall(
m
)
‘The boy touched the wall.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
+Ašur
+ṗlaš=əl
mən
švav-u
pn
fight.
prog
=3
m
from
neighbour(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur is fighting with his neighbor.’
Note: Some speakers use preposition am .
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
yala
+xorvayta
vad=əl
mən
švav-u
boy(
m
)
friendship(
f
)
do.
prog
=3
m
from
neighbour(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘The boy is friends with his neighbor.’
Note: Some speakers use preposition am .
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bar
X: SBJ
Y: bar
Locus: Y
naša
taxmun=əl
+bar
baxt-u
person(
m
)
think.
prog
=3
m
after
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘The man is thinking about his wife.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
yala
+xəl-lə
xabuyša
boy(
m
)
eat.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
apple(
m
)
‘The boy ate an apple.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
sava
kuli-lə
nuyna
old.
m
fry(tr).
pst
-
ls
.3
m
fish(
f
)
‘The oldman fried the fish.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_al
X: SBJ
Y: al
Locus: Y
yala
bəxmal=əl
+al
švav-u
boy(
m
)
wait.
prog
=3
m
on
neighbour(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘The boy is waiting for his neighbor.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
yala
munšiyy-o=l
crita
urxa
boy(
m
)
forget.
res
.
m
-
p
.3
f
=3
m
short.
f
way(
f
)
‘The boy forgot about the other road.’
Valency pattern:
NA
X: *
Y: *
Locus: *
*
*
*
Note: No satisfactory translation has been obtained.
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
naša
+kəry-a-l
baxt-u
person(
m
)
call.
pst
-
ss
.3
f
-
ls
.3
m
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘The man called his wife.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
+Ašur
kam-+yahə-la
baxt-u
tre
šənnə
kam
hadiyya
pn
prf
-know.
prs
-
ls
.3
f
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
two
year(
f
).
pl
before
now
‘Ashur got to know his wife two years ago.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker. +yahə is a dialect variant of the verb stem +yaṭṭə .
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
+Ašur
+bədday=əl
švav-u
pn
know.
prog
=3
m
neighbour(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur knows his neighbor.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
SBJ_al
X: SBJ
Y: al
Locus: Y
+Ašur
ṭavul=ələ
+al
zurna
pn
play.
prog
=3
m
on
zurna(?)
‘Ashur is playing the zurna.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
+Ašur
gan-u
+ṭašuy-o=l
mən
švav-u
pn
refl
(
f
)-
p
.3
m
hide(tr).
prog
-
p
.3
f
=3
m
from
neighbour(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur avoids his neighbor’ (lit. ‘hides himself from his neighbor’).
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
+Ašur
+turəs-lə
cursa
pn
build.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
chair(
m
)
‘Ashur made a chair.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bi
X: SBJ
Y: bi
Locus: Y
+Ašur
gaxəc
bi
švav-u
pn
laugh.
prs
with
neighbour(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur will make fun of his neighbor.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker. The actual form of the verb stem in the example is [ɟaxət], most likely a dialect realization of gaxəc .
Valency pattern:
OBJAGR_BARE
X: OBJAGR
Y: BARE
Locus: XY
+Ašur
ət-lə
mašina
pn
exi
-
ls
.3
m
car(
f
)
‘Ashur has a car.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bar
X: SBJ
Y: bar
Locus: Y
baxta
+ṭavvuy=la
+bar
kdilə
woman(
f
)
seek.
prog
=3
f
after
key(
m
).
pl
‘The woman is looking for her keys.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
sava
məxy-e-l
rang
guydanə
old.
m
beat.
pst
-
ss
(
o
).3
pl
-
ls
.3
m
color(
m
)
wall(
m
).
pl
‘The oldman painted the walls.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
calba
+krəṭ-o=l
girl(
f
)
dog(
m
)
bite.
pst
-
p
.3
f
=3
m
‘A dog bit the girl.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_lab
X: SBJ
Y: la_b
Locus: Y
sava
pəš-lə
la
b
bet-u
old.
m
remain.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
neg
with
house(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘The oldman lost his house.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
bədvak-o=la
+kaṭu
girl(
f
)
seize.
prog
-
p
.3
f
=3
f
cat(
f
)
‘The girl is trying to catch the cat.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
yala
kesa
+šməṭ-lə
boy(
m
)
wood(
m
)
break.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
‘The boy broke a stick.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_ka
X: SBJ
Y: ka
Locus: Y
yala
mxay=ələ
məšxa
ka
d-e
brata
boy(
m
)
beat.
prog
=3
m
fat(
m
)
to
obl
-
dem
4.
f
girl(
f
)
‘The boy is flattering this girl.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
gavr-o
+bəbah-o=lə
baxt-u
man(
m
)-
p
.3
f
love.
prog
-
p
.3
f
=3
m
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘Husband loves his wife.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker. +bəbah is a dialect variant of the progressive stem (+byay in the Urmi dialect).
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
+bəššaš-o=la
+yaləxta
ṗ
id-o
girl(
f
)
shake.
prog
-
p
.3
f
=3
f
handkerchief(
f
)
with
hand(
f
)-
p
.3
f
‘The girl is waving a handkerchief.’
Valency pattern:
NA
X: *
Y: *
Locus: *
*
*
*
Note: No satisfactory translation has been obtained.
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
baxta
+xulləl-la
+stican
woman(
f
)
wash.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
glass(
m
)
‘The woman washed the glass.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
yala
lvəš-lə
+šalvar
boy(
m
)
put_on.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
trousers(
m
)
‘The boy put on his trousers.’
Valency pattern:
BARE_PRED
X: BARE
Y: PRED
Locus: XY
+avva
məndi
šəmm-u
kompas=əl
dem
2.
m
thing(
m
)
name(
m
)-
p
.3
m
compass(?)=3
m
‘This thing is called a compass.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
SBJ_ka
X: SBJ
Y: ka
Locus: Y
baxta
+suvər-ra
ka
brat-o
woman(
f
)
swear.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
to
girl(
f
)-
p
.3
f
‘The woman punished her daughter.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker. Arguably, the translation is not very accurate. +taləm 'to punish' seems to belong to the same class.
Valency pattern:
SBJ_al
X: SBJ
Y: al
Locus: Y
dəbba
pəl-la
+al
d-o
naša
bear(
f
)
fall.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
on
obl
-
dem
4.
m
person(
m
)
‘A bear attacked a man.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
vadra
mli-lə
miyya
bucket(
m
)
fill.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
water(
pl
)
‘The bucket filled with water.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
yala
mučx-e-lə
kdilə
boy(
m
)
find.
pst
-
ss
(
o
).3
pl
-
ls
.3
m
key(
m
).
pl
‘The boy found the keys.’
Valency pattern:
ka_SBJ
X: ka
Y: SBJ
Locus: X
ka
+Ašur
la
xzi-lun
zuyzə
(zavən
bilet)
to
pn
neg
see.
pst
-
ls
.3
pl
money(
pl
)
buy.
prs
ticket(?)
‘Ashur lacks the money to buy a ticket.’
Valency pattern:
BARE_men
X: BARE
Y: men
Locus: XY
ət
+Ašur
ləbb-u
ṗkay=əl
mən
švav-u
rel
pn
heart(
m
)-
p
.3
m
split(intr).
prog
=3
m
from
neighbour(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur hates his neighbor.’
Valency pattern:
BARE_men
X: BARE
Y: men
Locus: XY
+Ašur
xoš-u
bitay=əla
mən
d-a
+sudra
pn
happiness(
f
)-
p
.3
m
come.
prog
=3
f
from
obl
-
dem
1.
sg
shirt(
f
)
‘Ashur likes this shirt.’
Valency pattern:
ka_SBJ
X: ka
Y: SBJ
Locus: X
ka
ayya
baxta
+lazəm=ən
zuzə
to
dem
2.
f
woman(
f
)
necessary=3
pl
money(
pl
)
‘This woman needs money.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker. Non-verbal predicate.
Valency pattern:
NA
X: *
Y: *
Locus: *
*
*
*
Note: No satisfactory translation has been obtained.
Valency pattern:
ces_SBJ
X: ces
Y: SBJ
Locus: X
cəs
yala
sura
pəš-lə
əmma
+manət
zuzə
near
boy(
m
)
small.
m
remain.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
hundred
rouble(
m
)
money(
pl
)
‘The boy has one hundred roubles left.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
SBJ_ka
X: SBJ
Y: ka
Locus: Y
yala
yuvvəl-lə
+ǧuvvab
ka
+rabi
boy(
m
)
give.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
answer(
m
)
to
teacher(
m
)
‘The boy answered the teacher.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
ptəx-la
banka
girl(
f
)
open.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
can(?)
‘The girl opened a can.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
+sudra
di
praš=əla
mən
d-e
diyy-ux
shirt(
f
)
obl
.
pron
.1
sg
separate.
prog
=3
f
from
obl
-
dem
4.
f
obl
.
pron
-
p
.2
m
‘My shirt is different from yours.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
urza
pəš-lə
+baray
mən
baxta
man(
m
)
remain.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
behind
from
woman(
f
)
‘The man fell behind the woman.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
sava
+bəṭray-o=l
+mazra
old.
m
plough.
prog
-
p
.3
f
=3
m
field(
f
)
‘The oldman is ploughing the field.’
Valency pattern:
NA
X: *
Y: *
Locus: *
mən
id-i
rex=ət
+nuyṭa
bitay=əl
from
hand(
f
)-
p
.1
sg
smell(
m
)=
rel
oil(
m
)
come.
prog
=3
m
‘My hands smell of gasoline.’
Note: Not included in the database because Y is expressed as an NP-internal modifier.
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
sava
urxa
+vər-a-l
old.
m
way(
f
)
enter.
pst
-
ss
.3
f
-
ls
.3
m
‘The oldman crossed the road.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
xa
yala
zmər-rə
d-a
zmarta
one
boy(
m
)
sing.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
obl
-
dem
1.
sg
song(
f
)
‘The boy sang this song.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
xa
yala
ctəv-lə
xa
ctava
ka
+xavr-u
one
boy(
m
)
write.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
one
book(
m
)
to
friend(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘The boy wrote a letter.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
šti-la
+xalva
girl(
f
)
drink.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
milk(
m
)
‘The girl drank the milk.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
yala
mupšər-rə
prəzla
boy(
m
)
melt(tr).
pst
-
ls
.3
m
iron(
m
)
‘The boy melted the iron.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_ka
X: SBJ
Y: ka
Locus: Y
a
camar
bəlxam=əl
ka
+oym-i
dem
1.
sg
waist(
m
)
suit.
prog
=3
m
to
dress(
f
)-
p
.1
sg
‘This belt matches my dress.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
+Ašur
xəš-lə
mən
mat=ət
gan-u
pn
go.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
from
village(
f
)=
rel
refl
(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur left his native village.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_ka
X: SBJ
Y: ka
Locus: Y
+xali
muccəs-la
ka
cullə
+ustol
carpet(
f
)
cover.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
to
all
table(
m
)
‘The carpet covers the whole table.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
sava
+spay
bətxar=ələ
bet=ət
gan-u
old.
m
good
remember.
prog
=3
m
house(
m
)=
rel
refl
(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘The oldman remembers his house well.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
SBJ_ka
X: SBJ
Y: ka
Locus: Y
+Ašur
comac
vəd-lə
ka
+xor-u
pn
help(
f
)
do.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
to
friend(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur helped his friend.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brun-i
+ṗarmuy=əl
lišana=ət
suray
son(
m
)-
p
.1
sg
understand.
prog
=3
m
language(
m
)=
rel
a
ssyrian.
pl
‘My son understands the Assyrian language.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_gu
X: SBJ
Y: gu
Locus: Y
bərka
mxi-l
gu
beta
lightning(
m
)
beat.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
in
house(
m
)
‘Lightning hit the house.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bi
X: SBJ
Y: bi
Locus: Y
yala
gan-u
prim-a-l
bi
+magreta
boy(
m
)
refl
(
f
)-
p
.3
m
cut.
pst
-
ss
.3
f
-
ls
.3
m
with
razor(
f
)
‘The boy cut himself with a razor.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_al
X: SBJ
Y: al
Locus: Y
stacan
+šiyy=əl
+al
+ustol
glass(
m
)
stick.
res
.
m
=3
m
on
table(
m
)
‘The glass got stuck to the table.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_ka
X: SBJ
Y: ka
Locus: Y
+Ašur
+mukrəm-lə
ka
axun-u
pn
lose.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
to
brother(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur lost to his brother.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bi
X: SBJ
Y: bi
Locus: Y
brata
xdi-la
bi
ctava
girl(
f
)
rejoice.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
with
letter(
m
)
‘The girl was glad about the letter.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
+avvo
sava
hamzum=əl
mən
brat-u
dem
3.
m
old.
m
speak.
prog
=3
m
from
girl(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘This oldman is speaking with a girl.’
Note: Some speakers use preposition am .
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
xat-i
bri-la
bruna
sister(
f
)-
p
.1
sg
create.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
son(
m
)
‘My sister gave birth to a son.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
baxt-u
munpəl-la
stacan
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
drop.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
glass(
m
)
‘The woman dropped the glass.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_BARE
X: SBJ
Y: BARE
Locus: Y
+avvo
naša
+gur=ət
mat=əl
dem
3.
m
person(
m
)
big=
rel
village(
f
)=3
m
‘This man runs our village.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker. Non-verbal predicate, avə is 'to be'.
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bar
X: SBJ
Y: bar
Locus: Y
urza
maxnuy=əl
+bar
baxt-u
man(
m
)
miss.
prog
=3
m
after
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘This man misses his wife.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bar
X: SBJ
Y: bar
Locus: Y
ayya
baxta
bəšš=əla
+bar
+gor-o
dem
2.
f
woman(
f
)
go.
prog
=3
f
after
man(
m
)-
p
.3
f
‘This woman follows her husband.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
+avvo
naša
+sli-lə
mən
suysa
dem
3.
m
person(
m
)
descend.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
from
horse(
m
)
‘This man got down from the horse.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brat-i
+bəšmay=əla
praskala
girl(
f
)-
p
.1
sg
hear.
prog
=3
f
radio(?)
‘My daughter is listening to radio.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_ka
X: SBJ
Y: ka
Locus: Y
yala
+bəšmay=əl
ka
+rabit-u
boy(
m
)
hear.
prog
=3
m
to
teacher(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘This boy obeys his mother.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
+xor-i
+bəšmay=əl
zmarta
friend(
m
)-
p
.1
sg
hear.
prog
=3
m
song(
f
)
‘My friend hears the song.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bi
X: SBJ
Y: bi
Locus: Y
duyša
+xvəṭ-lə
bi
+xalva
honey(
m
)
mix.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
with
milk(
m
)
‘The honey got mixed with the milk.’
Note: Some speakers use preposition am .
Valency pattern:
SBJ_al
X: SBJ
Y: al
Locus: Y
yala
gašuk=əl
+al
+ayvə
cumə
boy(
m
)
observe.
prog
=3
m
on
cloud(
f
).
pl
black.
pl
‘The boy is looking at the clouds.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
kam-šalx-a-la
+oym-o
girl(
f
)
prf
-undress.
prs
-
ss
.3
f
-
ls
.3
f
dress(
f
)-
p
.3
f
‘The girl took off her dress.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
+avvo
yala
bi
xulm-u
xəzy-a-l
baxt-u
dem
3.
m
boy(
m
)
with
dream(
m
)-
p
.3
m
see.
pst
-
ss
.3
f
-
ls
.3
m
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘This guy dreams about his wife.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
+gor-o
+razi
vi-lə
mən
baxta
man(
m
)-
p
.3
f
willing
be.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
from
woman(
f
)
‘Lit. ‘Her husband agreed with the woman.’’
Note: Non-verbal predicate, avə is 'to be'. Some speakers use preposition am .
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
naša
+mukrəss=əl
mən
baxt-u
person(
m
)
quarrel.
res
.
m
=3
m
from
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘This man had a quarrel with his wife.’
Note: Some speakers use preposition am .
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
+sudra
+dakr-a
əmma
+manət
shirt(
f
)
cost.
prs
-
ss
.3
f
hundred
rouble(
m
)
‘This shirt costs one hundred roubles.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_gu
X: SBJ
Y: gu
Locus: Y
sava
črət-lə
gu
səprita
old.
m
fire.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
in
birdie(
f
)
‘The oldman shot at the bird.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
baxta
dri-la
šacar
gu
mana
woman(
f
)
pour.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
sugar(
m
)
in
vessel(
m
)
‘The woman poured the sugar into the cup.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker.
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
kdilə
tulk-e-la
girl(
f
)
key(
m
).
pl
lose.
pst
-
ss
(
o
).3
pl
-
ls
.3
f
‘The girl lost her keys.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_gu
X: SBJ
Y: gu
Locus: Y
kesa
+ṭbi-l
gu
miyya
wood(
m
)
sink.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
in
water(
pl
)
‘The log sank in water.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
švava
švot-u
+kṭil-a-l
neighbour(
m
)
neighbour(
f
)-
p
.3
m
kill.
pst
-
ss
.3
f
-
ls
.3
m
‘The neighbor (he) killed his neighbor (her).’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
baxta
məxy-a-la
švot-o
woman(
f
)
beat.
pst
-
ss
.3
f
-
ls
.3
f
neighbour(
f
)-
p
.3
f
‘The woman hit her neighbor.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
yala
nšik-a-l
brata
boy(
m
)
kiss-
ss
.3
f
-
ls
.3
m
girl(
f
)
‘The boy kissed the girl.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
+kri-la
+spay
ctava
girl(
f
)
read.
pst
-
ls
.3
f
good
book(
m
)
‘The girl read a good book.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
muǧviǧ-é-la
+suṗṗat-o
girl(
f
)
move(tr).
pst
-
ss
(
o
).3
pl
-
ls
.3
f
finger(
f
).
pl
-
p
.3
f
‘The girl moved her finger.’
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
+Ašur
maɣɣub-u=l
švav-u
pn
like.
prog
-
p
.3
m
=3
m
neighbour(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur respects his neighbor.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
xat-i
di
ganguz=əla
mən
šəxtanə
manə
čamčə
sister(
f
)-
p
.1
sg
obl
.
pron
.1
sg
loathe.
prog
=3
f
from
dirty.
pl
vessel(
m
).
pl
spoon(
m
).
pl
‘My sister is squeamish about dirty dishes.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bi
X: SBJ
Y: bi
Locus: Y
+Ašur
+razi=lə
bi
brun-u
pn
willing=3
m
with
son(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur is content with his son.’
Note: Non-verbal predicate, avə is 'to be'.
Valency pattern:
BARE_men
X: BARE
Y: men
Locus: XY
+Ašur
xoš-u
bitay=əla
mən
švot-u
pn
happiness(
f
)-
p
.3
m
come.
prog
=3
f
from
neighbour(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur fell in love with his neighbor.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bi
X: SBJ
Y: bi
Locus: Y
+avvo
naša
+ərxay=ələ
bi
baxt-u
dem
3.
m
person(
m
)
secure=3
m
with
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘This man trusts his wife.’
Note: Non-verbal predicate, avə is 'to be'. +ərxay is a dialect realization of +arxayən .
Valency pattern:
BARE_BARE
X: BARE
Y: BARE
Locus: XY
aha
naša
+xṭit=ət
yəmm-u
bitay=əla
dem
1.
sg
person(
m
)
sin(
f
)=
rel
mother(
f
)-
p
.3
m
come.
prog
=3
f
‘This man sympathizes with his mother.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bi
X: SBJ
Y: bi
Locus: Y
+Ašur
baxxul=əl
bi
švav-u
pn
envy.
prog
=3
m
with
neighbour(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur envies his neighbor.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_al
X: SBJ
Y: al
Locus: Y
+Ašur
bəcrab=əl
+al
baxt-u
pn
be_angry.
prog
=3
m
on
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur is angry with his wife.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bi
X: SBJ
Y: bi
Locus: Y
ana
+uǧǧəb-li
b
d-a
pəštəš
i
be_surprised.
pst
-
ls
.1
sg
with
obl
-
dem
1.
sg
gift(
f
)
‘I was surprised at this gift.’
Note: pəštaš is a dialect realization of pašcaš or pəšcaš .
Valency pattern:
BARE_men
X: BARE
Y: men
Locus: XY
ayyé
baxta
xoš-o
bitay=əla
mən
+čay
dem
3.
f
woman(
f
)
happiness(
f
)-
p
.3
f
come.
prog
=3
f
from
tea(
m
)
‘This woman loves tea.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_bi
X: SBJ
Y: bi
Locus: Y
yala
vad=ələ
ceyp-u
bi
+čay
boy(
m
)
do.
prog
=3
m
pleasure(
f
)-
p
.3
m
with
tea(
m
)
‘The boy enjoys tea.’
Note: Non-Urmi speaker. ceyp is a dialect realization of cep .
Valency pattern:
TR
X: SBJ
Y: DO
Locus: TR
brata
+byay=əla
taza
telefon
girl(
f
)
want.
prog
=3
f
new
phone(?)
‘The girl wants a new phone.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_al
X: SBJ
Y: al
Locus: Y
+Ašur
bəcrab=əl
+al
baxt-u
pn
be_angry.
prog
=3
m
on
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur has a grudge against his wife.’
Valency pattern:
BARE_men
X: BARE
Y: men
Locus: XY
axun-i
ceyp-u
pəšta=əla
mən
baxt-u
brother(
m
)-
p
.1
sg
pleasure(
f
)-
p
.3
m
remain.
res
.
f
=3
f
from
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
‘My brother got cross with his wife.’
Note: ceyp is a dialect realization of cep .
Valency pattern:
SBJ_BARE
X: SBJ
Y: BARE
Locus: Y
a
naša
+raba
ləbb=ət
baxt-u
muppəš-lə
dem
1.
sg
person(
m
)
many
heart(
m
)=
rel
woman(
f
)-
p
.3
m
leave.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
‘This man greatly upset his wife.’
Valency pattern:
NA
X: *
Y: *
Locus: *
*
*
*
Note: No satisfactory translation has been obtained.
Valency pattern:
BARE_men
X: BARE
Y: men
Locus: XY
+Ašur
+ayn-u
+plaṭ=əna
mən
švav-u
pn
eye(
f
).
pl
-
p
.3
m
leave.
prog
=3
pl
from
neighbour(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur despises his neighbor.’
Valency pattern:
BARE_men
X: BARE
Y: men
Locus: XY
ləbb=ət
+Ašur
muppəš-lə
mən
brun-u
heart(
m
)=
rel
pn
leave.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
from
son(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘Ashur got upset with his son.’
Valency pattern:
BARE_men
X: BARE
Y: men
Locus: XY
ləbb=ət
sava
+srəx-lə
mən
navəgta
heart(
m
)=
rel
old.
m
be_mad.
pst
-
ls
.3
m
from
granddaughter(
f
)
‘The oldman is irritated with his daughter.’
Valency pattern:
BARE_SBJ
X: BARE
Y: SBJ
Locus: X
a
naša
+raba
gu
ləbb-i
+vir=əl
dem
1.
sg
person(
m
)
very
in
heart(
m
)-
p
.1
sg
enter.
res
.
m
=3
m
‘I am fond of this person.’
Valency pattern:
SBJ_men
X: SBJ
Y: men
Locus: Y
+avvo
yala
bənxap=əl
mən
d-a
kom-u
dem
3.
m
boy(
m
)
be_ashamed.
prog
=3
m
from
obl
-
dem
1.
sg
size(
m
)-
p
.3
m
‘This boy is shy about his height.’
