Detail #99: A verb/determiner quirk

As a side note, this blog just passed 10 000 pageviews which I feel is not all that bad for a conlanging blog. So hooray for that, I guess.

Let us assume a language with fairly strict word order either along SVO or SOV order (applies, mutatis mutandis, to OVS, OSV, etc). Like many European languages, it also is pretty strict about requiring verbs in clauses. However, certain determiners - especially interrogative ones - serve both as verbs and determiners. This has two effects:

• it permits odd gaps in sentences, where the "verb-like thing" is in peculiar places and
• creates some slightly odd situations when there is a verb that normally should be finite verb present as well.

For instance, 'some' also operates as an existential predicate:

 naw maŋra - there is food (some food)

sil əisyl naun maŋran kairril
they us-dat some.acc food.acc give-past-3pl

maŋra vispr-yl-ix mirə
food important is-3sg
(visprylix is formed with a 'derivative dative', which appears in a lot of adjectives.)

maŋra naw kadžylix mipqi
food some good be-participle
(kadsylix too has the derivative dative)