Rotokas
Nouns table
| gloss | layer | sg | du | pl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| offspring m (1a) | lexeme | oviito | ovvitoarei | oviiirara |
| offspring m (1a) | suffix | to(a) | toarei | irara |
| offspring f (1a) | lexeme | oviiva | ovvirirei | oviiriako |
| offspring f (1a) | suffix | va | rirei | riako |
| child m (1b) | lexeme | kakaeto | kakaetoarei | kakaevure |
| child m (1b) | suffix | to(a) | toarei | vure |
| child f (1b) | lexeme | kakaeva | kakaerirei | kakaeriako |
| child f (1b) | suffix | va | rirei | riako |
| man (1c) | lexeme | oirato | oiratoarei | oirara |
| man (1c) | suffix | to(a) | toarei | ra |
| woman (1c) | lexeme | riakova | riakorirei | riakora |
| woman (1c) | suffix | va | rirei | ra |
| pig (living) m (2a) | lexeme | koieto | koietoarei | koiekara |
| pig (living) m (2a) | suffix | to(a) | toarei | kare |
| pig (living) f (2a) | lexeme | koieva | koierirei | koiekara |
| pig (living) f (2a) | suffix | va | rirei | kare |
| snake m (2b) | lexeme | rakoruto | rakorutoarei | rakorukare |
| snake m (2b) | suffix | to(a) | toarei | kare |
| snake f (2b) | lexeme | rakoru | rakorurirei | rakorukare |
| snake f (2b) | suffix | zero | rirei | kare |
| coconut.tree (3) | lexeme | opitato | opitaara | |
| coconut.tree (3) | suffix | to(a) | toarei | ara |
| stone (4) | lexeme | avekeva | avekerirei | avekeara |
| stone (4) | suffix | va | rirei | ara |
| village (5) | lexeme | uruia | uruirei | uruiara |
| village (5) | suffix | a | (a)rei | ara |
Verbs table
| gloss | layer | sg | du | pl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| offspring m (1a) | lexeme | oviito | ovvitoarei | oviiirara |
| offspring m (1a) | suffix | to(a) | toarei | irara |
| offspring f (1a) | lexeme | oviiva | ovvirirei | oviiriako |
| offspring f (1a) | suffix | va | rirei | riako |
| child m (1b) | lexeme | kakaeto | kakaetoarei | kakaevure |
| child m (1b) | suffix | to(a) | toarei | vure |
| child f (1b) | lexeme | kakaeva | kakaerirei | kakaeriako |
| child f (1b) | suffix | va | rirei | riako |
| man (1c) | lexeme | oirato | oiratoarei | oirara |
| man (1c) | suffix | to(a) | toarei | ra |
| woman (1c) | lexeme | riakova | riakorirei | riakora |
| woman (1c) | suffix | va | rirei | ra |
| pig (living) m (2a) | lexeme | koieto | koietoarei | koiekara |
| pig (living) m (2a) | suffix | to(a) | toarei | kare |
| pig (living) f (2a) | lexeme | koieva | koierirei | koiekara |
| pig (living) f (2a) | suffix | va | rirei | kare |
| snake m (2b) | lexeme | rakoruto | rakorutoarei | rakorukare |
| snake m (2b) | suffix | to(a) | toarei | kare |
| snake f (2b) | lexeme | rakoru | rakorurirei | rakorukare |
| snake f (2b) | suffix | zero | rirei | kare |
| coconut.tree (3) | lexeme | opitato | opitaara | |
| coconut.tree (3) | suffix | to(a) | toarei | ara |
| stone (4) | lexeme | avekeva | avekerirei | avekeara |
| stone (4) | suffix | va | rirei | ara |
| village (5) | lexeme | uruia | uruirei | uruiara |
| village (5) | suffix | a | (a)rei | ara |
Rotokas notes
Verbs
Subject inflection ocurs according to two patterns, which Robinson labels α vs.β. At a gross level the contrast is between transitive and intransitive verbs:
- transitive verbs take β marking
- derived intransitives take α marking
Other intransitives take either pattern; the difference appears to be lexically specified. This is illustrated in the database by the contrast between 'sleep' and 'cry'.
References
Stewart Robinson. 2011. Split Intransitivity in Rotokas, a Papuan Language of Bougainville. PhD thesis, Radboud University.