LOCATIVES
caution: page under heavy construction !
To express location, direction or motion, draqa uses bound particles known as locatives:
- hr- -- located at
- ieh- -- successfully to
- saga- -- unsuccessfully toward
- ei- -- to(ward) a particular destination
- co- -- departing from
- yáer- -- in the general direction of
- t'ageh- -- in a general direction away from
They are used like this:
- i wiax hrlan - [I] [at + home] = I am at home
- i wiax iehlan - [I] [successfully to + home] = I go (went) home (successfully)
- i wiax sagalan - [I] [unsuccessfully to + home] = I go homewards, but don't make it there
- i wiax eilan - [I] [to + home] = I go home / I'm going home
- i wiax colan - [I] [from + home] = I leave from home
- i wiax yáerlan - [I] [direction of + home] = I go in the direction of home (but not necessarily with the intent to
actually arrive at home)
- i wiax t'agehlan - [I] [direction away from + home] = I travel away from home (but not necessarily starting from
home)
Note: This is one of the instances where 'wiax' and 'xan' are NOT interchangeable. 'xan' can never stand alone (it
appears only in bound form), and is usually never directly prefixed by a locative (iehwiax, etc.) There is ONE
exception to the latter rule.
As you can see, there is much expressive power in the use of these locative forms. This power is exploited in the
metaphorical formulas that provide the basis for another crucial draqa construction:
- i mehi hrfwaxan - [she] [at + liking + my] = I like her
- i moi iehfwaxan - I like her (*more common than above, as it implies a process, i.e. "I have come to like her")
- i moi sagafwaxan - [she] [unsuccesfully to + liking + my] = I try to like her / She tries to get me to like her, but it
just doesn't happen
- i fiehwa hrfweacorxan - [it] [at + display + my] = It is shown to me
- i bacoi sagakiafamoi - [that (abstract)] [unsuccesfully to + understanding + her] = She fails to understand that
Note: 'saga-' does not imply on whose part (if anybody's) the effort was made; it merely emphasizes the
unsuccessfulness of the effort. 'i mehi sagafwaxan' is an example of how a good English translation can be
impossible.
The other prominent construction that draqa uses its locatives for are to describe parts of a whole:
- xan-hrta - [I] [at + eyes] = my eyes
- mehi-hrtak - [she] [at + finger/toe] = her finger/toe
- dehi-hrkubo - [she (obviate)] [at + belly] = her (the other one's) belly
- xan-hrpewa - [I] [at + lips] = my lips
* In rapid speech, 'hr' often sounds like 'or'. This is especially the case with this construction.
Note: Another example of the difference between 'xan' and 'wiax'. 'xan' is generally preferred (but not mandatory) in
these constructions and even appear with locative prefixes: iehxan-hrta 'successfully to my eyes, i.e. I see it'.
Another kind of locative is also found in draqa. This is a 3-part construction as shown in the chart below:
ehyeh Inside of |
neh Structure |
wehi Just outside/ inside of |
mor Boundary |
waseh Outside of |
loi (Immersive) substance |
|
fwea Above |
(')a Touching, Attached |
juka Below |
soi Not touching, Not attached |
dio Level with |
da General direction |
|
kawa Behind |
(')a Touching, Attached |
kubo In front of |
soi Not touching, Not attached |
daya Beside, Next to |
da General direction |
These are constructed in the form: I + II + Root:
- ehyehnehpiac - [inside of + structure + building] = inside of the building
- wasehmorKrya - [outside of + boundary + Krya] = outside of Krya
- wehiloixlóha - [just in/outside of + immersion + river] = at the surface of the river
- fwea'asba - [above + touching + flat surface] = on top of the table, counter, etc.
- juksoisba - [below + not touching + flat surface] = under the table (not touching)
- juka'asba - [below + touching + flat surface] = under the table (e.g. stuck to the bottom, etc.)
- kubodamoi - [in front of + general direction + her] = ahead of her
These locatives can also be combined with those described above:
- i wiax co-ehyehnehpiac = I come out from inside of [the / a] building
Last Updated: February 28, 2000