User:Aegon/High Valyrian Tutorial/1-6
Lesson 6| Pronouns
Vocabulary
Lesson Vocabulary | |
---|---|
High Valyrian | English |
gelte (4lun.) | helmet, helm |
morghon (3ter.) | wall |
perzys (2sol.) | fire, flame |
perzītsos (3sol.) | little flame |
qilōnarion (3ter.) | punishment, chastisement |
raqiros (3sol.) | friend |
vīlībāzma (1lun.) | war, battle |
zentys (2sol.) | guest |
hēzīr (adv.) | henceforth, from now on |
konīr (adv.) | there |
gīmigon (v-fin.) | to know facts or information |
iderēbagon (c-fin.) | to choose, decide, select |
kustikagon (c-fin.) | to strengthen, enable, encouurage |
laodigon (v-fin.) | to steal, abduct |
lykemagon (c-fin.) | to silence, calm |
onduragon (c-fin.) | to grasp, take up, grab, seize |
morghūljagon (c-fin.) | to die |
pryjagon (c-fin.) | to destroy, break, strike off |
Personal Pronouns
Pronouns are nouns which are used instead of another noun ('pro', in place of 'noun', noun.)
There are three categories of pronouns which are divided up into persons: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. In addition, pronouns can be singular or plural. They are declined like all other nouns.
Person | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
1st | I | we |
2nd | you | y'all |
3rd | he/she/it | they |
Table of Personal Pronouns in all of their cases: I, you, he/she/it, we, y'all, they
Note: you is the singular of the plural y'all, itself a contraction of you all - it is a perfectly grammatically correct second person plural pronoun in English, useful for distinguishing you (singular) from you (plural). After working with folks who spoke the Southern U.S. English regional dialect, the versatility and usefulness of the pronoun y'all became abundantly clear, as the second person plural pronoun is rarely used in standard English.
High Valyrian has two third person personal pronouns: ziry, for lunar and solar nouns and ūja, for terrestrial and aquatic nouns. Generally, ziry is used for animates and ūja for inanimates. However, there is flexibility and ūja may be used for animates as well. This linguistic feature is useful for sentences where you are keeping track of two generic participants like the following example:
Explanation- Should he steal something from him, his punishment will be death. | |||||||||
High Valyrian: | Ūja | hen | zirȳ | mirros | laodios(1), | jāhon | qilōnarion | morghon | kesos(2). |
English: | He | from | him | something | [if, should] [he] steal | his | punishment | death | [will] be. |
- (1) laodigon, to steal (v-fin.). laodios, (3s. prs. subj.).
- (2) sagon, to be. kesos, (3s. fut. subj.).
In English, who is being executed? The thief or the one who had something stolen? Your brain knows even though the sentence doesn't! If there was a passage written like this, you would likely be confused. In High Valyrian, it is clear ūja is the thief to be executed.
Zirȳ is in the locative because of the preposition hen; hen zirȳ constitutes a prepositional phrase.
Jāhon is a singular and nominative possessive adjective in agreement with the terrestrial qilōnarion, from which the possessive adjective takes its gender.
The subjunctive will be covered later. For now recognize that it may be translated as 'should' or 'if' and conveys a hypothetical action or an action that may not occur. The future subjunctive can be used in tandem with the present subjunctive to convey a cause → effect (present subjunctive → future subjunctive) flow like this sentence.
Singular | Plural | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case | 1st Person | 2nd Person | 3nd Person | 3nd Person | 1st Person | 2nd Person | 2nd Person | |||||||
Nominative | nyke | I | ao | you | ziry | he/she/it | ūja | he/she/it | īlon | we | jeme | y'all | pōnta | they |
Accusative | yne | me | avy | you | ziry | he/she/it | ūī | he/she/it | īlōn | us | jemī | y'all | pōnte | them |
Genitive | yno | of me | aō | of you | zijo | of him/her/it | ūō | of him/her/it | īlo | of us | jemo | of y'all | pōnto | of them |
Dative | ynot | for me | aōt | for you | zijot | for him/her/it | ūjōt | for him/her/it | īlot | for us | jemot | for y'all | pōntot | for them |
Locative | nykē | on me | aō | on you | zirȳ | on him/her/it | ūjā | on him/her/it | īlō | on us | jemē | on y'all | pōntā | on them |
Instrumental | ynoma | with me | aōma | with you | zijosy | with him/her/it | josa | with him/her/it | īloma | with us | jemme | with y'all | pōntosa | with them |
Comitative | ynoma | with me | aōma | with you | zijomy | with him/her/it | joma | with him/her/it | īloma | with us | jemme | with y'all | pōntoma | with them |
Vocative | nykys | me | aōs | you | zirys | him/her/it | ūjus | him/her/it | īlos | us | jemys | y'all | pōntus | them |
Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives indicate possession of a participant in a sentence like 'my sister' or 'your bicycle.' These modify nouns; they take the gender of the noun which they modify and agree in case and number.
High Valyrian | English |
---|---|
ñuh-a ys on or | my |
aōh-a ys on or | your |
zȳh-a ys on or | his/hers, its |
jāh-a ys on or | his/hers, its |
īlv-a ys on or | our |
jev-a ys on or | y'alls |
pōj-a ys on or | their |
Examples
High Valyrian | English |
Ñuhe zokle, ñuhi azanti, ñuhon lenton, ñuhor qintrā jorrāelan | I love my wolf, my knight, my house, and my turtle |
This sentence shows the first person possessive adjective declined in all four grammatical genders with the coordinative vowel lengthening in the final element of the list to indicate 'and.'
Reflexive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun means something like 'myself or yourself' and is used to provide added emphasis to a sentence participant. It declines and is used like like a typical first lunar noun; it may be either a subject or an object.
High Valyrian | English |
---|---|
nykēla | myself |
aōla | yourself |
zirȳla | himself/herself/itself |
jemēla | himself/herself/itself |
īlōnda | ourselves |
jemēla | yourselves |
pōntāla | themselves |
Examples
High Valyrian | English |
---|---|
Hēzīr, jevi brōza jemēle iderēbilātās. | From this day forward, you will choose your own names. |
This example uses a possessive adjective to modify the noun brōza "names", as well as a reflexive pronoun jemēle "yourselves" to say 'your own', literally "You will choose your names yourselves".
Three additional examples of reflexive pronouns:
High Valyrian | English |
---|---|
Jemēla zȳhys perzī ondurilāt? | Will you take up her flames yourselves? |
Nykēla avy sēninna. | I will kill you myself. |
Aōle lykemās, perzītsos. | Calm yourself, little flame. |
Demonstrative and Interrogative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns indicate location relative to the speaker; in English are 'this', for that which is near (proximal), and 'that' for that which is far (distal). In High Valyrian, these words are class I adjectives that also distinguish the animacy of a modified noun. Like possessive adjectives they take the gender of the modified noun and agree in case and number like a typical adjective.
There exist two types of demonstrative pronouns, those that look like bisa or kona that are adjectives for all intents and purposes and those that look like bisy or kesir that are nouns (technically substantivized adjectives).
Interrogative pronouns are question words, like 'who, what, when, where, and why.' In High Valyrian, the core interrogative pronouns, from which more interrogative pronouns are derived, behave identically to demonstrative pronouns except as class II adjectives; thusly, it makes sense to learn their forms together.
For animate nouns (like 'this mother' or 'that father') we have:
High Valyrian | English |
---|---|
bis-a ys on or (adj. I) | this |
bon-a ys on or (adj. I) | that |
spar-e ior (adj. II) | which |
Note that the animacy of animals is up to the speaker.
For inanimate nouns (like 'this table' or 'that sword') we have:
High Valyrian | English |
---|---|
kes-a ys on or (adj. I) | this |
kon-a ys on or (adj. I) | that |
skor-e ior (adj. II) | which |
Examples
High Valyrian | English |
bisi vali īlvyz zentyssy issi | these men are our guests |
Bisi is an adjective; it is a plural and nominative demonstrative pronoun that agrees with vali from which it takes both its gender and its animacy.
Īlvyz is an adjective; it is a plural, nominative, and solar possessive adjective; it taking its solar gender from the solar zentyssy.
High Valyrian | English |
Iōnos kono qubo korzoti hakos | Jon is annoyed because of those low-quality swords |
Here, the demonstrative pronoun kono is plural, locative, and lunar to modify qubo korzoti from where it takes its number, case, and gender.
Korzoti is locative because the verb hakogon is one of the verbs that takes locative arguments. Here, the locative specifies that the poor-quality swords are bothering the subject, Jon.
High Valyrian | English |
bonys azantys geltose jomīsos daor | that knight is not wearing a helmet |
Bonys is a demonstrative pronoun taking animacy, number, case, and gender from azantys. If you recall, jomīsagon, to wear, takes an instrumental, geltose, as the item worn.
This is the first example of a negation thus far; they are simply formed using the subjunctive followed with daor.
Substantive Form
The substantive form is a noun and occurs when no noun is explicitly stated for an adjective to modify; thusly, the adjective must become a noun. Like the adjectival forms above, they also distinguish animacy while adding abstraction. All adjectives may be transformed into nouns via substantive forms; this will be covered later. For now, recognize that type I substantives convey concrete, countable items and type II substantives convey abstract uncountable items. Type I looks like -y and -ir; type II looks like -os and -ion.
Note that these substantives do not take the gender of a noun, as they are nouns themselves; they only take animacy and abstraction for agreement.
For animates:
High Valyrian | English |
---|---|
bisy (2lun. subst. I) | this (concrete) |
bisir (5aq. subst. II) | this (abstract) |
bony (2lun. subst. I) | that (concrete) |
bonir (5aq. subst. II) | that (abstract) |
sparos (3sol. subst. I) | who (concrete) |
sparion (3ter. subst. II) | who (abstract) |
For inanimates:
High Valyrian | English |
---|---|
kesy (2lun. subst. I) | this (concrete) |
kesir (2lun. subst. II) | this (abstract) |
kony (2lun. subst. I) | that (concrete) |
konir (2lun. subst. II) | that (abstract) |
skoros (3sol. subst. I) | what (concrete) |
skorion (3ter. subst. II) | what (abstract) |
Examples
High Valyrian | English |
kesy īlva vīlībāzma sīr issa | this is our war now |
Kesy is a type I substantive noun that takes its inanimacy and tangibility from vīlībāzma and does not modify another; it stands alone.
Īlva is a possessive adjective declined nominative, lunar, and singular noun to agree with vīlībāzma.
High Valyrian | English |
kesir gīmī | you know this |
Kesir is a type II substantive noun that has nothing to base animacy or tangibility on, for it is conveying an abstract concept.
Interrogative Pronouns
From the above discussion, we have learned how to derive the core interrogative pronouns, sparos, sparion, skoros, and skorion from taking the substantive of the demonstrative adjectives spare -ior and skore -ior.
Lets begin with interrogative pronouns derived from cases of skorion, the type II substantive (or abstract, generic form) of 'what.' To say 'where', take the locative case, skoriot; to say 'why', take the instrumental case, skorȳso.
High Valyrian | English |
---|---|
sparos (3sol. subst. I) | who (concrete) |
sparion (3ter. subst. II) | who (abstract) |
skoros (3sol. subst. I) | what (concrete) |
skorion (3ter. subst. II) | what (abstract) |
skoriot (3ter. loc.) | where |
skorȳso (3ter. inst.) | why, because |
skorī (indeclinable) | when |
skoro syt (postp. phrase) | why |
skorkydoso (indeclinable) | how |
skorlūs (3sol.) | what kind of → gen. |
skorverdon (3sol.) | how many → gen. |
Relative Pronouns
A relative pronoun allows for formation of relative clauses, adjectival phrases that describe a head noun, the noun modified through the relative clause. For examples in English:
The man(1) that(2) spoke to the queen(3) went to the market.
The knight(1) who(2) defends the kingdom(3) is resting at the inn.
- (1) head noun.
- (2) relative pronominal adjective.
- (3) relative clause.
Notice how 'spoke to the queen' and 'defends the kingdom' serve as adjectives to 'the knight.'
Relative clauses in High Valyrian use the relative pronominal adjective, lua, which may be translated as 'that, who, whom, where, or when.' You can think of the relative clause as a long, multi-word, prepositive adjective. See the below diagram.
relative clause |
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relative pronominal adjective |
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head noun |
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main clause |
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Notice that relative clauses have different syntax in High Valyrian than in English! Like other pronominal adjectives, lua agrees with the modified noun in case, gender, and number. The following declination table shows the forms that lua may assume. Note it generally follows the pattern of a class I adjective with a few irregularities in boldface.
nom. | acc. | gen. | dat. | loc. | inst. | com. | voc. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
lun. | sg. | lua | lue | luo | luo | luā | luos | luon | lūs |
pl. | lī | lī | luo | luo | luo | luos | luon | lis | |
sol. | sg. | lȳs | lī | luo | luo | lȳ | luos | luon | lȳs |
pl. | lȳz | lī | luo | luo | lī | luos | luon | lȳz | |
ter. | sg. | luon | luon | luo | luo | luo | luos | luon | luos |
pl. | lua | lua | luo | luo | luo | luos | luon | luas | |
aq. | sg. | luor | luor | luro | luro | luro | luros | luron | luos |
pl. | lura | lura | luro | luro | luro | luros | luron | luas |
If you want to get technical, for the plural solar, the form is lȳz before a vowel or a voiced consonant (otherwise, lȳs). Italics represents a spelling change that requires a '-t' added before a consonant generally in the genitive, locative, and/or dative. For the comitative, the form is -om before a vowel or a labial consonant.
Head Noun is Subject
Relative clauses where the head noun is the subject have clearer English translations, using 'who' as opposed to 'whom.' They are more direct and easier to grasp, so we'll begin here.
Explanation- The man who encouraged the woman is a friend. | |||||||||
High Valyrian: | Ābre | kustittas(1) | lua | vala | raqiros | issa. | |||
English: | [the, a] woman | [she] was encouraged | who | [the, a] man | [a, the] friend | is. | |||
Explanation: | RELATIVE CLAUSE | RELATIVE PRONOMIAL ADJECTIVE | HEAD NOUN | MAIN CLAUSE |
- (1) kustikagon, to encourage, strengthen (c-fin.). kustittas, (3s. pfv. ind.).
This example showcases the head noun, vala as both the subject of the main clause and the relative clause. Vala is singular, lunar, and nominative; it sets the number, gender, and case of the relative pronominal adjective, lua. Preceding lua is a verbal clause ābre kustittas that serves as an adjective to describe vala.
Explanation- I saw the man who encouraged the woman. | |||||
High Valyrian: | Ābre | kustittas | lue | vale | ūndetan(1). |
English: | [the, a] woman | [she] was encouraged | who | [the, a] man | [I] saw. |
Explanation: | RELATIVE CLAUSE | RELATIVE PRONOMIAL ADJECTIVE | HEAD NOUN | MAIN CLAUSE |
- (1) ūndegon, to see, to sight (v-fin.). ūndetan, (1s. pfv. ind.).
This example showcases the head noun, vale as the object of the main clause and the subject of the relative clause. Vale is singular, lunar, and accusative for it is the object of ūndetan; it sets the number, gender, and case of the relative pronominal adjective, lue. Preceding lue is the same adjectival verbal clause ābre kustittas as above.
Head Noun is Object
Relative clauses where the head noun serves as the object translate as 'whom' as in 'the man whom the woman encouraged is a friend.'
Explanation- The man whom the woman encouraged is a friend. | |||||||||
High Valyrian: | Ābra | kustittas | lua | vala | raqiros | issa. | |||
English: | [the, a] woman | [she] encouraged | whom | [the, a] man | [a, the] friend | is. | |||
Explanation: | RELATIVE CLAUSE | RELATIVE PRONOMIAL ADJECTIVE | HEAD NOUN | MAIN CLAUSE |
This example showcases the head noun, vala as both the subject of the main clause and the object of the relative clause. Vala is singular, lunar, and nominative; it sets the number, gender, and case of the relative pronominal adjective, lua. Preceding lua is a verbal clause ābra kustittas, where the woman is the subject, or the one encouraging that serves as an adjective to describe vala.
Explanation- I saw the man whom the woman encouraged. | |||||||||
High Valyrian: | Ābra | kustittas | lue | vale | ūndetan. | ||||
English: | [the, a] woman | [she] encouraged | whom | [the, a] man | [I] saw. | ||||
Explanation: | RELATIVE CLAUSE | RELATIVE PRONOMIAL ADJECTIVE | HEAD NOUN | MAIN CLAUSE |
Special Uses
Location- The house where the woman died was destroyed. | |||||||
High Valyrian: | konīr(1) | ābra | morghūltas | luon | lenton | pryjataks. | |
English: | there | [the, a] woman | [she] died | where | [the, a] house | was destroyed. | |
Explanation: | RELATIVE CLAUSE | RELATIVE PRONOMIAL ADJECTIVE | HEAD NOUN | MAIN CLAUSE |
- (1) konīr, to see, to sight (v-fin.). ūndetan, (1s. pfv. ind.).
- (2) morghūljagon, to die (v-fin.). morghūltas, (3s. pfv. ind.).
- (3) pryjagon, to destroy (v-fin.). pryjataks, (3s. pfv. ind. pass.).
Konīr is a clue word that luon ought to be translated as 'where.' This sentence introduces the passive voice that translates usually with a form of the verb 'to be' in English; this will be covered later.
High Valyrian relative clauses can also take equative or comparative adjectives.
Comparative Adjective- The man who the woman is happier than is a friend. | |||||||||
High Valyrian: | ābra | zijosy | kirinkte(1) | issa | lua | vala | raqiros | issa. | |
English: | [the, a] woman | [with] him | happier | is | than | [the, a] man | [the, a] friend | is. | |
Explanation: | RELATIVE CLAUSE | RELATIVE PRONOMIAL ADJECTIVE | HEAD NOUN | MAIN CLAUSE |
- (1) kirine, happy (adj. II). kirinkte, (comparative adj. acc.).
This example does not require zijosy that is used to improve clarity.
High Valyrian relative clauses can also take prepositional or postpositional phrases; combined, these are called adpositions.
Adposition- The man that the woman walked up to is a friend. | |||||||||
High Valyrian: | ābra | va | zijot | dekurūptas(1) | lua | vala | raqiros | issa. | |
English: | [the, a] woman | to | [to, for] him | [she] walked | that | [the, a] man | [the, a] friend | is. | |
Explanation: | RELATIVE CLAUSE | RELATIVE PRONOMIAL ADJECTIVE | HEAD NOUN | MAIN CLAUSE |
- (1) dekurūbagon, to walk (c-fin.). dekurūptas, (3s. pft. ind.).
This example does not require va zijot that is used to improve clarity.
Substantive Form
Like the demonstrative pronominal adjectives that may be substantivized into a specific (I) or a generic (II) noun, the relative pronominal adjective may be substantivized into two nouns as well. Thusly, the specific form lȳ generally follows the second lunar declination and the generic form līr mostly follows the fifth aquatic declination; both have irregularities. Think of the relative clause as an adjective for lȳ or līr that takes its case as any ordinary noun and may be modified with an adjective.
Lȳ, the specific or type I substantivized form, means something like 'one who, one which, whoever.'
Līr, the generic or type II substantivized form, means something like 'that which, or whatever.'
Explanation- The one who encouraged the woman is good. | |||||
High Valyrian: | Ābre | kustittas | lȳ | sȳz | issa. |
English: | [the, a] woman | [she] was encouraged | one | good | is. |
Explanation: | RELATIVE CLAUSE | RELATIVE PRONOMIAL ADJECTIVE | MAIN CLAUSE |
Ābre is in the accusative case to indicate that lȳ, the one (in the nominative and modified with the adjective sȳz), is taking the action to encourage her.
Explanation- I saw the one who encouraged the woman. | ||||
High Valyrian: | Ābre | kustittas | lī | ūndetan. |
English: | [the, a] woman | [she] was encouraged | one | [I] saw. |
Explanation: | RELATIVE CLAUSE | RELATIVE PRONOMIAL ADJECTIVE | MAIN CLAUSE |
Ābre is in the accusative case to indicate that lī, the one (in the accusative and the object of ūndetan), is taking the action to encourage her and 'I' saw the one.
Explanation- The one whom the woman encouraged is good. | |||||
High Valyrian: | Ābra | kustittas | lȳ | sȳz | issa. |
English: | [the, a] woman | [she] encouraged | one | good | is. |
Explanation: | RELATIVE CLAUSE | RELATIVE PRONOMIAL ADJECTIVE | MAIN CLAUSE |
Ābra is in the nominative case to indicate that she is the one encouraging; lȳ is nominative because sagon accepts nominative arguments.
Explanation- I saw the one whom the woman encouraged. | ||||
High Valyrian: | Ābra | kustittas | lī | ūndetan. |
English: | [the, a] woman | [she] encouraged | one | [I] saw. |
Explanation: | RELATIVE CLAUSE | RELATIVE PRONOMIAL ADJECTIVE | MAIN CLAUSE |
Ābra is in the nominative case to indicate that she is the one encouraging; lī is accusative to agree with the transitive verb ūndetan, which accepts accusative arguments.
Below is a table of the declinations of the substantiated relative adjectival pronoun for singular and plural number.
nom. | acc. | gen. | dat. | loc. | inst. | com. | voc. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
specific | sg. | lȳ | lī | luo | luot | lȳ | luomy | luomy | lȳs |
pl. | lī | lī | luoti | luoti | lī | luommi | luommi | lȳs | |
generic | sg. | līr | līr | lurio | luriot | līr | lurȳsi | lurȳmi | lȳs |
pl. | lura | lura | lurȳti | lurȳti | lurȳti | lurȳssi | lurȳmmi | luas |
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns do not refer to something in particular; 'something' literally is an example of one! Paucal. Collective mirror 'whatever'.
daor- | meaning | mirr- | meaning | olv- | meaning | tolv- | meaning | tol- | meaning | mirt- | meaning | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
adj. | dōre ior | none, no, not | olvie ior | many | tolvie ior | every | tolie ior | other | ||||
adv. | dōrī | never | olvī | a lot | tolī | excessively | ||||||
sg. | daorys daorion |
no one nowhere |
mirros | something | tolvys | everyone | tolys | someone else, other | mirtys | someone | ||
pauc. | daorun | nothing | mirrun | some (people) | olvȳn | many | tolvȳn | everything | ||||
loc. | daoriot | nowhere | mirriot | somewhere | tolviot | everywhere |