Hallo!

On Wed, 11 Aug 2004 08:24:40 -0700,
Elliott Lash <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>  In Silindion, the past tense is the most variable
> from verb to verb, being formed with 8 suffixes which
> attach to the root in 3 different types of ways.
>
> The first type of past tense is the "Root" past tense.
> This attaches one of the 8 suffixes to the root of the
> verb.
>
> The following suffixes are used:
>
> Consonantal:        Non-Consontantal:
>    -si                  -zero
>    -ssi                 -i
>    -ti                  -ë
>    -na
>    -në
>
  [examples snipped]

Nice morpho-phoemic processes and alternations you have here.
And these suffixes are not predictable, but must be learned for
each verb?

> -----------------------------------------------
> The second type of past tense is the "consonant
> extension past tense". This is used with a small
> amount of verbs whose root is extended by "l" or "n"
> in some forms, like the past and the passive
> participle. They all form the past with the extension
> plus the suffix -ë
>
> ne- "to give"  anelë "he gave"
> ya- "to go"    ayanë "he went"
>   (this one has an irregular augment to, it doesn't
>    become  ëanë , like expected)
>
> u- "to gleam"  olë "it gleamed"
> hya- "to age"  ahyanë "he aged"
>
> (Those whose extension is an "n" look like the Root
> past tense with the suffix -në , and this might be the
> origin of this odd suffix. They are different from the
> verb neit- with its odd suffix, in that they have the
> extension in many other forms as well)

I see.  The extension cannot be counted as part of the past tense
suffix because it also occurs in other forms that do not contain
a past tense suffix.  Right?

> -----------------------------------------------
> The third and last type of past tense is the
> zero-grade past tense. This adds a suffix, either -si
> or -ti to a form of the root which lacks its
> charecteristic vowel. This is very rare, only occuring
> in 4 verbs, two of which have alternate Root past
> tenses:
>
>   vow- "to be, exist, have essence"
>    vusi "it was, there was"
>    (High and Middle Silindion, unaugmented. The
>     -w- becomes a -u- between two consonants)
>
>   ra- "to have, hold"    arti "he had, held"
>    (as opposed to  "arena")
>
>   se- "to seem"          asti "it seemed"
>    (as opposed to "asena")
>
>   the- "to be necessary"  thi "it was necessary"
>    (this has the suffix -ti, added to an original
>     *st-. The combination *st-ti, became *st-i and
>     then "st" became "th" in Silindion)
>
> And there you have it.

This is really good stuff.  I enjoyed it!  Thanks!

Greetings,

Jörg.