Lesson 8:
Postpositions

Spatial Postpositions

Formation

Postpositions are the Qtwyqp Qly equivalent of prepositions. They are identified by the fact that their only vowel is w. Postpositions, like adjectives, have strength and affirmation indicated by the nasal which follows the vowels. Strong indicates a precise location, while weak indicates an approximate location. Negating a postposition in Qtwyqp Qly is like placing "not" before a preposition in English.

Syntax

Postpositions are called such, because they follow the nouns which they indicate the relative positions of. English usually has the order: Noun1 Preposition Noun2, but Qtwyqp Qly used the order: Noun1 Noun2 Postposition. Furthermore, in Qtwyqp Qly, postpositions in combination with the nouns that they govern function much like adjectives. The noun governed by the postposition is always in the objective case.

Qn'rmqq n'yam n'r zhymph ddwm zzor.

The ones right next to the river are my children.

Temporal Postpositions

Contrast with Spatial Prepositions

Temporal prepositions are grammatically identical to spatial prepositions, which poses a problem: While conceptually, these prepositions modify the verb, grammatically they modify whichever one of the nouns is most appropriate. Sometimes you can get around this by using conjunctions instead.

Nlor mlor dhdw n'lay qhyaybh.

I threw a snowball at him after (I threw a snowball at) her.

Other Postpositions

Use

Other postpositions, such as those which translate "to" and "from" conceptually serve to introduce other nominal cases, but grammatically they modify whichever one of the nouns is most appropriate.

Dympsh n'laym phwb qnyqq n'yam qn'ymphp n'ya phwd doypsh.

My son gave the gift from me to my spouse.