Grammar Sketch Mon -

selected features of modern Mon

Mathias Jenny

University of Zurich

jenny@spw.uzh.ch

Noteworthy grammatical features of Mon

1. Basic word order

2. Clause linkage

3. Long distance reflexives

4. Position of interrogatives

5. Causative directionals

6. Double prepositions

Basic word order and pragmatic changes

SV VS

AVP PAV APV

AVGT TAVG GAVT

Restrictions in dependent clauses:

SV/VS

AVP

AVGT

Clause linkage

Tail-head linkage

Relative clauses - no relativizer

Complement clauses - before or after matrix clause

Adverbial clauses - nouns as subordinator

Conditional markers - clause initial and clause final

Purposive - same subject and different subject

Long-distance reflexives

Position of interrogatives - pronominal

Attributive interrogatives - prenominal modifiers

ɲèh.kɔ̀h kon? kon này rɔ̀t.mɔ̀n raʔ.who offspring offspring mister PN FOC‘Whose son is he?’ ‘[He’s] Mr. Rot Mon’s son.’

ɲɔʔ mùʔ hwaʔ rao? hwaʔ kaʔ raʔ.NML.this what curry Q curry fish FOC‘What curry is this?’ ‘It’s fish curry.’

Causative directionals

Double prepositions - combinations with oblique kɒ

nɛ̀ʔ kɒ ‘by, with’ nù kɒ ‘from’ ɗɔə kɒ ‘in’

ex. nù mòttəmaʔ tɤʔ həlɛ̀ʔ nɛ̀ŋ, ABL PN DIST release CAUS.come

nù kɒ mòtməlɤ̀m nɔʔ həlɛ̀h na.ABL OBL PN PROX release CAUS.go‘They shot from over there in Mottama, we shot from here in Mawlamyaing.’