Sargaĺk: Argument Structure-altering Constructions

Constructions that alter the number of canonical arguments include:

• the passive and the pegative-passive
• the habitual aspect (which has subject appear in the comitative, and the verb as a habitual participle)
• the construction analogous to "X had better ..."
• the distant past
• verbs of transitions

The passive in Sargalk deletes the highest-ranking nominative. There is a pegative-passive that deletes the pegative. Typically, the pegative is changed to nominative in a passive clause. This does always happen if the omitted argument instead was demoted to an oblique phrase. The passive is formed by replacing the final -VC of the citation form with -game and the pegative-passive -gagame. In the past tense, the two passives are conflated as -gven. In participles, subjects, objects and indirect objects are kept intact.

The habitual aspect usually has the participle appear clause-finally, marked by the suffix -saš (in the passive, -sanaš, in the recipient-voice, -sašen)). Thus:

Indak'-mic sunir-sa higin-saš
Indak-COM net-plur.nom tie-hab.ptcl
Indak regularly ties nets

'X had better' uses 'good' in the pegative form, sibe-ta, followed by up to three nominative arguments. Only the first of these triggers any congruence, and the verb itself takes no pegative congruence marker.

sibe-ta Indak' Mared sunir-sa tor-ju
better-from Indak Mared net-plur.nom sell-3sg
Indak had better sell Mared some nets

The distant past is formed using a few auxiliaries and the subject in the comitative.

ʒeuga (masc sg.), ʒeugi (fem sg.), ʒeugis (masc, fem pl) , ʒeugven (passive)
ʒimena (masc sg.), ʒimeni (fem sg.), ʒimenis (masc, fem pl), ʒimeven (passive)
nade (not marked for gender), nagven (passive)

Thus Jomemai Salaru seukahir ʒimena - Jome travelled to the southern lands, back in the day. Kahimai xəszin ʒeugven –Kahi was poisoned a good while ago.

The main differences are that nagven less often is used with animate subjects, and ʒimena is "further" past than ʒeuga. Ʒimena is almost exclusively used with subjects that are now dead.

The verbs of transition take the original state or the object undergoing a transition in the pegative. The most common is arda, (with the past form orga, exceptionally having a form for far past: ardana, ardani, ardanis, ardanen). Another is boyda. Boyda differs in more often implying that a previous state has been left, rather than just acquiring an additional state. It only has the past form boga) What is considered a state that has been left is rather culturally conditioned. Getting married is considered leaving the state of not being married, and thus mandates boyda. Getting sick is not considered leaving the state of being well. Getting old is considered acquiring age, not losing youth. Getting rich is considered acquiring a feature, not leaving the feature of being poor behind. Improvement in any feature mandates arda.

Jome-ta tempe orga - Jome sick became
Agu-ta pehite-rne arda - Agu chieftain-to become
Korsa-ta ganite orga - Korsa rich became
Seno-ta tusto boyda - Seno wise become
Mabi-ta ontor-rne boga - Mabi outcast became

Noun complements generally have the -rne (lative) case, adjectives are generally "naked".