Modern Scythian Grammar 2
Verbs
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Scythian Grammar

2 Verbs


The Scythian verb is quite like the Ganžas verb system, but it has expanded its range of formations, and reanalyzed forms into new meanings. There are 3 primary verb classes, each splitible into two different subtypes, although this system, based on the infinitive, is increasingly unwieldy, with a better distinction being drawn between transitive and intransitive verbs, a distinction which partly coincides with some of the old categories, but also cuts across others. There is also another split among all verbs, those which alternate between z and r between the Aorist and all other tenses, traceable to the common western Evropean sound change which converts a cluster of stop or fricative plus r to the corresponding voiced sound.
The old system of dividing verbs based on their infinitive, still adhered to, is increasingly obsolete, given a few facts about the conjugations:
The I class verbs, mostly consisting of doublets as it was, has unified with one form of the verb continuing to be used widely, with the other serving as an alternate meaning of the infinitive, e.g. maran 'die' and marane 'to commit suicide, to die purposefully'. It is a seemingly random selection which spelling is standardized, as šumane 'sew' is the normal infinitive form of the verb, while šuman is uneducated at best. This distinction is entirely literary, as Scythian does not pronounce written final vowels.
The IIa class is mostly based on derivatives of kaǧê 'do, make' and naǧê 'see' such as sikaǧê 'create wonders, storywrite' and mernaǧê 'patrol'; the IIb series is mostly used in Southern, and southern importations into the standard, such as partaǧan 'to ascend, climb mountains', Southern paṭaǧan. There is no difference between the conjugations of the forms.
The III conjugation is a grab bag, mostly consisting of the irregulars aǧīn, êiê, mariê, and their derivatives.

Example verbs:
Ibbêzan drinkmaran die
IIakaǧê do, makenaǧê see


2.1 Present


ISPSP
1bêzanbêzamazmaranmarmaz
2bêzaǧ(bêzasta)maraǧ(marasta)
3bêzadbêzandmaradmarand
IISPSP
1karinkarīmaǧnênnêmaǧ
2kareǧ(karesta)naleǧ(nalesta)
3karadkarandnaladnaland


The present system has little changed since ancient times. The principle difference is the loss of the second person plural inflection, in favor of a construction using the pronoun aǧê and the 3rd plural inflection; the east and southern dialects do tend to retain the separate inflection more, with some of the dialects bordering on the Central area using aǧê plus the second person inflection.

2.2 Aorist


ISPSP
1bêzanbêzamazmazanmazmaz
2bêzast(bêzasta)mazast(mazasta)
3bêzatbêzanmazatmazan
IISPSP
1karenkaremaǧnalennalemaǧ
2karest(karesta)nalest(nalesta)
3karetkarennaletnalen



The Aorist is the least-used of the tenses, its functions being primarily taken over by the old Preterit; that being said, the language does maintain an imperfect distinction aspectwise: the verb lôbiê (etymologically 'have') is used with the active and passive preterit participles to distinguish perfect aspect when necessary:
Aγalāz lôbiôd ôgênôzi, dên... The snow had finished falling from the mountain(s), when…

2.2 Preterit


ISPSP
1babêzanbabêzamamamranmamrama
2babêzast(babêzasta)mamrast(mamrasta)
3babêzôtbabêzarmamrôtmamrar
IISPSP
1čagôčagamaǧnanlônanlamaǧ
2čagast(čagasta)nanlast(nanlasta)
3čagôtčagarnanlôtnanlar


The Preterit tense, descended from the Proto-Indo-European Perfect, has undergone a levelling in the I class, adopting the endings of the Aorist; the II class has retained the older endings, as well as its own distinctive forms (a feature of its verbs being so commonly used).

2.3 Future


ISPSP
1bêzaninbêzanimamaraninmaranima
2bêzanist(bêzanista)maranist(maranista)
3bêzanidbêzaninmaranidmaranin
IISPSP
1kaǧênkaǧêmanaǧênnaǧêma
2kaǧêst(kaǧêsta)naǧêst(naǧêsta)
3kaǧêdkaǧênnaǧêdnaǧên


The future tense is derived from the infinitive with the addition of a truncated version of êiê 'go'.

2.4 Class III: Irregular verbs


The Old Ganžas language had a great many irregular verbs (not to mention the previously mentioned varied infinitives), but a few stand out: these are asyim (be), aiyāi (go), maryāi (carry), kardyai (do, make), and laubyāi (have, hold). Their conjugations are quite, odd to say the least, particularly in the case of esyim and maryāi. In a great many cases, eiyāi copies esyim, and kardyai partially follows maryāi, but it is best analysed as a different conjugation, given it has many verbs which follow its pattern, and indeed its pattern is generally recognised as the model for the II conjugation. It is primarily included here because in Modern Scythian, it displays features which are only to be found among the irregulars, namely the form of the 1st person plural in –maǧ instead of the I conjugation ending –maz, a feature of unknown origin; it is not found until the early Middle Ganžas period, when it begins to show up in popular dramas. By the Early Modern Scythian Period, it was fully established in the II and III conjugations.

2.4.1 Present


aǧinêiêmariêlôbiê
1zêninmamlôbīn
2êǧmaǧlôbiǧ
3zadzêd*madlôbid
4azamaǧimaǧmarmaǧlôbimaǧ
5zmastaêastamastalôbiasta
6zmandiandmandlôbiar

*this form is a contamination from its counterpart zad.

2.4.2 Aorist


aǧinêiêmariêlôbiê
1azanenmanlôbien
2azastestmaǧlôbiest
3azatetmaratlôbiat
4azazamaǧemaǧmarmaǧlôbiemaǧ
5azmastaestamastalôbiesta
6azmantenmantlôbier


2.4.3 Preterit


aǧinêiêmariêlôbiê
1azômamrôlôbô
2astaêstmamrastlôbest
3azôtiôtmamrôtlôbaut
4azamaǧiêmaǧmamraǧlôbimaǧ
5zmastaiestamanzdalôbiasta
6zmarermamarlôbiar



2.4.4 Future


aǧinêiêmariêlôbiê
1aǧinīnêiênmariênlôbiên
2aǧinêǧêiêǧmariêǧlôbiêǧ
3aǧinêdêiêdmariêdlôbiêd
4aǧinimaǧêimaǧmariêmaǧlôbiêmaǧ
5aǧinêstaêistamariêstalôbiêsta
6aǧinandêandmariêndlôbiênd



2.5 Participles


The participle system is changed little from Ganžas times. The present active participle is formed by palatalizing the last consonant in the stem, and adding the –a of declension 1. This is a direct descendant of the Ganžas form –ias, which had a near-homophone in the demonstrative pronoun yas which could also be suffixed to verbs (to produce a noun), with a very simple distinction between them: the verbal –ias palatalized consonants, while the nominal raised and fronted vowels: maǧa 'dying' versus mera 'death'.

The past participle is a quite old form, deriving directly from Proto-Indo-European *-t-os, through Ganžas –tas. It survives today as the past passive suffix -da. A newer, active passive has been formed, based off the old future active in -us-, and, with allowances for sound changes, has the form -uzi: marada 'dead(pass)’ versus marôzi 'having died'.

2.6 Infinitives


OGMS
Ia-(a)nte-ne
Ib-antam-(n)an
IIa-dyai-ǧê
IIb-dyam-ǧan
IIIa-yāi-jê <-iê>
IIIb-yim-jin <-īn>


2.7 Verb Affixes


Old Ganžas had quite an array of verbal suffixes and prefixes. Many made changes in the inflection of the word they were appended to, such as mar-, a general causative which changed the verbal class to IIa. {To Be Expanded}