Kjaxono verbs

Due to its complexity and widespread irregularities, unique words to describe unusual concepts in regards to conjugation, and concepts with little if any equivelant in any other natural language, verbs in Kjaxono often pose a mammoth stonewall to learners of the language. This article presupposes familiarity with Kjaxono grammar.

Overview

Kjaxono verbs are constructed agglutinatively, though they show many fusional features.

Kjaxono verbs are unique in that there are only 200-300 verbs in the language; more precise meanings are expressed by auxiliary verbs, or serial strings of other verbs. Kjaxono verbs are extremely closed class, contrasting with nouns, which are not.

A unique feature only found in the Xjedgjaŋ language family is the prescence of what is translated as pattern. Pattern is described in most grammars of Kjaxono as an event's manner, in relation to time. Pattern should not be confused with aspect, with aspect being how an event extends over time. The two are often entangled, and in combination can produce many very precise scenarios. There are four patterns in Kjaxono:

• The punctual pattern describes any event that occurs or is finished at a single moment in time. The event in question is usually very brief in duration. Some examples of such events would be the flick of a match, a clap, etc.
• The repetitive pattern describes any event that occurs or is finished at many moments in time, with the length of time between each event being regular.
• The irregularitive pattern describes any event that occurs or is finished at many moments in time, with the length of time between each event being irregular.
• The fragmentative pattern describes any event that occurs or is finished at many moments in time, but in short bursts, or fragments, with the length of time between each event being irregular. The fragmentative pattern is occasionally considered a subpattern within the irregularitive pattern, but this article will treat the fragmentative pattern as a seperate pattern.

Kjaxono verbs conjugate for the following:

• Tense
  • Past
  • Hodiernal past
  • Present
  • Future
• Mood
  • Indicative
  • Conditional
  • Hypothetical
  • Imperative
    • Hard
    • Soft
• Evidentiality
  • Direct
  • Reportative
  • Assumptive
• Voice
  • Active
  • Middle
  • Passive
• Aspect
  • Perfective
  • Habitual
  • Continuous
  • Gnomic
• Pattern
  • Punctual
  • Repetitive
  • Irregularitive
  • Fragmentative
• Person

Kjaxono verbs are unique cross-linguistically in that for the most part, the full meaning that is conjugated for is only represented via the consonants, with the vowels in every slot except the verb stem being inserted to avoid illegal consonant clusters. The vowel that is inserted into the verb depends on the vowel in the verb stem: if the verb stem has no vowel, /æ/ is the vowel that is inserted, if a verb stem has one vowel, the vowel that is in the verb stem is inserted, and in verb stems with more than one vowel, the final vowel of the verb stem is inserted.

An exception to this above rule is when inflecting for evidentiality. When inflecting for evidentiality, a system of vowel grades is employed, which change depending on the stem and tense and mood affix.

Verb structure

Kjaxono uses a variety of prefixes and suffixes to conjugate verbs. The following chart shows the maximum amount of affixes and alterations a verb in Kjaxono can take in their usual order. Note that in everyday speech, most Kjaxono verbs do not take the amount of forms that the table may suggest. Kjaxono linguistics assigns names to the affixes; this is shown on the first row. For example, the pC slot refers to a polypersonal circumfix, the TM slot refers to the combined tense mood slot, and so on.

Kjaxono verb template

PC	(v)	TM	E	STEM	(V)	VPA	TM	P
Polypersonal clitic		Tense	Evidentiality			Voice	Mood	Postverb
		Mood	or Vowel(s)			Pattern
1	2	3	4	5	6	Aspect	8	9
						7

Only the tense and mood affix is required to be present within a Kjaxono verb. This is what is most commonly employed, though in semi-formal and formal speech more inflection is employed.

Irregular verbs