SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This work is based on the assumption that linguistic analysis is the abstraction of units and the arrangement of these unite in categories. This involves the abstraction of types of relationship between these unite, since it is these types that are the formal criteria by which the categories are set up. We abstract two main categories, root and affix. Groups of these are of three types, adjunct, conjunct and relatio. An adjunct is composed of members (which can be roots, adjuncts, conjuncts or certain types of relatio) linked together by juxtaposition or by the use of certain affixes called "links". A conjunct is composed of a louse" (which can be a root, an adjunct, a conjunct or certain types of relatio) and one or more affixes of the class called "formatives." A relatio is composed of relata (which can be roots, adjuncts, conjuncts or certain types of relatio) and certain affixes called 1marks". We depart from the traditional order of grammatical analysis and begin with the study, not of nominals and verbals (which are classes of roots, conjuncts and adjuncts) but of "relation. We do this for two reasons:- 1. Because theoretically it is more in accord with the descending approach, from the whole to the abstracted components. 2. The marks of the relatios are in some cases the only formal criteria for differentiating between a term when it is verial or nominal. A brief survey of the nominal relatum, root, adjunct and conjunct, is followed by a fuller account of the verbal relatum. Prefixes and infixes can be joined to the verbal, whether a base of a conjunct, a member of an adjunct or a relatum. But particular suffixes arc used for each case. These prefixes, infixes and suffixes are exdonents of a number of categories such as mood, negation, voice, mode, c)ncord and aseect. ,e conclude with the study of the "relaLio adjunct". This is a grow, of nexal relatias formally related in one or two ways:-1. By the fact that a nexal relutio functions as a relatum in a larger :moul relatio. 2. By the use x certain affixes to link two nexal relatios. Fifteen texts with translation are given at the end. One of these is fully analysed so as to illustrate these points.