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A grammar of Pite Saami, 2014

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13.1 Declarative clauses<br />

(15) motora<br />

motora<br />

vadnasij.<br />

vadnasi-j<br />

motor\gen.sg boat-com.pl<br />

sáme<br />

sáme<br />

<strong>Saami</strong>\gen.sg<br />

“motora”<br />

motora<br />

“motor”<br />

gielan<br />

giela-n<br />

language-iness.sg<br />

ij gävdnu<br />

ij gävdnu<br />

neg\3sg.prs exist\conneg<br />

‘…with motor boats. There is no (word for) “motor” in the <strong>Saami</strong><br />

language.’<br />

[pit080924.482,484]<br />

13.1.4 Copular clauses<br />

There are several types <strong>of</strong> copular clauses in <strong>Pite</strong> <strong>Saami</strong>. All <strong>of</strong> these feature<br />

the copular verb årrot ‘be’ (see §8.5.7 for more details). Copular clauses can be<br />

used to express a variety <strong>of</strong> information about the subject referent, and these are<br />

discussed below.<br />

When the complement <strong>of</strong> the copula is an NP in nominative case, it identifies<br />

or classifies the subject referent, as in (16) and (17), respectively.<br />

(16) Mattijá<br />

Mattijá<br />

lij<br />

li-j<br />

morbror<br />

morbror 5<br />

munje<br />

munje<br />

Matthias\nom.sg be-3sg.pst maternal.uncle\nom.sg 1sg.ill<br />

‘Matthias was my maternal uncle.’<br />

[pit0906_Ahkajavvre_a.007]<br />

(17) mån<br />

mån<br />

lev<br />

le-v<br />

sábme<br />

sábme<br />

1sg.nom be-1sg.prs <strong>Saami</strong>\nom.sg<br />

‘I am a <strong>Saami</strong>.’ [pit080813.00m35s]<br />

The complement <strong>of</strong> a copular clause can be one or more adjectival phrases<br />

headed by a predicative adjective which ascribes properties to the subject referent,<br />

as in (18).<br />

(18) buhtsoj<br />

buhtsoj<br />

lä nav buojde<br />

lä nav buojde<br />

reindeer\nom.pl be\3pl.prs so fat\pl<br />

‘The reindeer are so fat and beautiful.’<br />

ja tjábbe<br />

ja tjábbe<br />

and beautiful\pl<br />

[pit080703.014]<br />

The complement <strong>of</strong> a copular clause can be an NP in the inessive case in which<br />

case it describes the location <strong>of</strong> the subject referent, as in (19).<br />

5 Note that morbror is a nonce borrowing from Swedish. Cf. Swedish morbror ‘maternal uncle’.<br />

235

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