View source for Preverb

{{Short description|Verb prefix in Caucasian languages}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2009}}
Although not used in general [[linguistics|linguistic]] [[theoretical linguistics|theory]], the term '''preverb''' is used in [[Caucasian languages|Caucasian]] (including all three families: [[Northwest Caucasian languages|Northwest Caucasian]], [[Northeast Caucasian languages|Northeast Caucasian]] and [[Kartvelian languages|Kartvelian]]), [[Caddoan languages|Caddoan]], [[Athabaskan languages|Athabaskan]], and [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]] linguistics to describe certain elements prefixed to verbs. In the context of [[Indo-European languages]], the term is usually used for [[separable verb|separable verb prefixes]].<ref>{{Cite book|doi=10.1007/978-1-4020-1513-7_1|hdl=1871/11412|chapter=Preverbs: An introduction|title=Yearbook of Morphology 2003|pages=1|series=Yearbook of Morphology|year=2003|last1=Booij|first1=Geert|last2=Van Kemenade|first2=Ans|isbn=978-1-4020-1272-3}}</ref>

Theoretically, any prefix could be called a preverbal element. However, in practice, the term ''preverb'' applies more narrowly in those families and refers to a prefixed element that is normally outside the premise of verbal morphology like locations of noun elements or, less often, noun elements themselves.

==Algonquian==
In Algonquian languages, preverbs can be described as phonologically separate words that may precede a verb and share its inflection. In particular, pronominal prefixes or initial change are applied to the first preverb, if any, of the verb complex rather than to the verb stem. Their meaning can range from [[past tense]] or [[perfective aspect]] to meanings for which English might use an adverb or another verb, like these from [[Ojibwe language|Ojibwe]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Ojibwe
! English
! Comment
|-
| {{lang|oj|nibaa}}
| he/she sleeps
| has no preverb
|-
| {{lang|oj|ninibaamin}}
| we sleep
| likewise, with pronominal prefix
|-
| {{lang|oj|gii'-nibaa}}
| he/she slept
| has past tense preverb
|-
| {{lang|oj|ningii'-nibaamin}}
| we slept
| likewise, with pronominal prefix
|-
| {{lang|oj|gii'-maajii-nibaa}}
| he/she started to sleep
| has past preverb, and a lexical preverb
|-
| {{lang|oj|ningii'-maajii-nibaamin}}
| we started to sleep
| likewise, with pronominal prefix
|}

In [[Munsee grammar|Munsee]], some words can come between a preverb and its verb.

See also [[prenoun]] in such languages.

==Caddoan==
In [[Caddoan]] linguistics, preverbal elements are less well defined as a class, and often, "preverb" designates a part of the verbal root that can be separated from the rest of the root by certain prefixes, as in this [[Wichita language|Wichita]] example:

{{interlinear|indent=2
|top= {{lang|wic|taatíísaaskinnaʔas}}
|ta- i- aa- tíísaas kir ri- ʔa -s
|{{gcl|INDIC|Indicative mood}}- 3SG- PVB- medicine liquid portative- come -IMPERF
|He is bringing (liquid) medicine}}

==Northwest Caucasian languages==
In Northwest Caucasian languages, they can have [[noun]]s, directional and locative preverbs (like [[preposition]]s), like in this example from [[Ubykh language|Ubykh]]:

{{interlinear|indent=2
|top={{IPA|lang=uby|sɨbʁʲɜwqʼɜnɜjtʼ}}
|sɨ- bʁʲɜ- w- qʼɜ -nɜjtʼ
|1SG- PVB- 2SG- talk -{{gcl|IMPERF|Imperfect}}
|You were talking about me<br/>(literally, 'you were talking on me')}}

==Mandarin Chinese==
For [[Mandarin Chinese]] and many other [[varieties of Chinese]], the term refers to some words that carry the meanings of [[prepositions]] in English. In Chinese, they are lexically verbs and appear before the noun in question. They are more commonly referred to as [[coverb]]s.

==Georgian==
In [[Georgian language|Georgian]], a Kartvelian language, the main function of a preverb is to distinguish the present tenses and the future tenses. To turn a present tense verb into a future tense, a preverb is added to the verb compound. In addition, preverbs also have directional meanings in Georgian.

Preverbs are directly attached to the beginning of the verb compound:

:{{lang|ka|აკეთებს}} {{Transliteration|ka|ak'etebs}} {{gloss|he does it}} and {{lang|ka|'''გა'''აკეთებს}} {{Transliteration|ka|'''ga'''ak'etebs}} {{gloss|he will do it}}
:{{lang|ka|ვწერ}} {{Transliteration|ka|vts'er}} {{gloss|I am writing}} and {{lang|ka|'''და'''ვწერ}} {{Transliteration|ka|'''da'''vts'er}} {{gloss|I will write}}

Note in those two examples that the meaning of the future tense is achieved only by adding the preverb; no other grammatical change occurs. In these examples, preverbs have directional meanings:

:{{lang|ka|'''მო'''დის}} {{Transliteration|ka|'''mo'''dis}} {{gloss|he/she is coming}}
:{{lang|ka|'''მი'''დის}} {{Transliteration|ka|'''mi'''dis}} {{gloss|he/she is going}}
:{{lang|ka|'''ა'''დის}} {{Transliteration|ka|'''a'''dis}} {{gloss|he/she is going up (the stairs), he/she is getting on (a bus)}}
:{{lang|ka|'''ჩამო'''დის}} {{Transliteration|ka|'''chamo'''dis}} {{gloss|he/she is arriving}}
:{{lang|ka|'''შემო'''დის}} {{Transliteration|ka|'''shemo'''dis}} {{gloss|he/she is entering}}

Again, note that only the preverbs are changed to convey the meaning of various directional meanings.

Preverbs add directional meanings not only to the verbs of motion but also to any other kind of verbs. Compare the examples of the verb {{Transliteration|ka|-ts'er-}} {{gloss|write}}:

:{{lang|ka|'''და'''ვწერე}} {{Transliteration|ka|'''da'''vts'ere}} {{gloss|I wrote it}}
:{{lang|ka|'''მო'''გწერე}} {{Transliteration|ka|'''mo'''gts'ere}} {{gloss|I wrote it ''to'' you}}
:{{lang|ka|'''მი'''ვწერე}} {{Transliteration|ka|'''mi'''vts'ere}} {{gloss|I wrote it ''to'' him/them}}
:{{lang|ka|'''გადა'''გიწერე}} {{Transliteration|ka|'''gada'''gits'ere}} {{gloss|I wrote to you (''from a place'')}}

As can be seen from the examples, the preverb changes according to the indirect object (the person for (to) whom the verb is being done).

Many verbs have a common root. For example, "end" and "stay" have the same verb root, {{Transliteration|ka|-rch-}}. The meanings of the verbs are distinguished by their preverbs and other elements of the verb compound:

:{{lang|ka|რჩება}} {{Transliteration|ka|rcheba}} {{gloss|he is staying}}, {{lang|ka|'''და'''რჩება}} {{Transliteration|ka|'''da'''rcheba}} {{gloss|he will stay}}
:{{lang|ka|რჩება}} {{Transliteration|ka|rcheba}} {{gloss|it is ending}}, {{lang|ka|'''მო'''რჩება}} {{Transliteration|ka|'''mo'''rcheba}} {{gloss|it will end}}

As is clear, the verbs are identical in the present tense but differ in the future tense by their preverbs.

==Modern Persian==
A preverb is a morpheme, which is applied together with the participles modifying their meaning and the meaning of their derivates.

Some Persian preverbs, referred to as "pīš fi'l" or "pīšvand e fi'l", are:

*bar (meaning up, upon, from [[Middle Persian]] abar) 
*bar (meaning fruit, from [[Middle Persian]] bar)
*bar (bar meaning chest, side, direction, from [[Middle Persian]] war) and var (alternative form of bar)
*bāz 
*far and fara
*farāz
*foru and forud
*ham and an 
*ni 
*go (e.g godāxtan, gozāštan, gorīxtan, etc...)
*negah and negāh
*pas
*piš
*ru
*sar
*vā
*andar and dar
*pay 
*ā 
*tar and tara
*par and para

Pre-verbs can modify the procedure attribute of the verbs and the infinitives, but they do not change their objective attribute:

{{fs interlinear|indent=2
|.او کتابی داشت |c1=(static attribute)
|U ketābi dāsht.
|3.PN- book.DEF- have.PAST
|}}

{{fs interlinear|indent=2
|.او کتابی را برداشت |c1=(dynamic attribute)
|U ketabi bar dāsht.
|3.PN- book.DEF- PVB- have.PAST
|}} {{Clarify|reason=را / ra is not mentioned here.|date=June 2017}}

The Pre-verb is normally positioned ahead of the verb. If the verb is composed of two separable components, the pre-verb is positioned ahead of the second component. The Pre-verb can be positioned at the end of the sentence, owing to versification requirements:

از کارِ خير عزمِ تو هرگز نگشت باز

هرگز زِ راه بازنگشته‌ست هيچ تير

Manuchehri (11th - 12th Century AD)

== Pingelapese ==
[[Pingelapese language|Pingelapese]] is a language spoken on the Island of Pingelap atoll, located in Micronesia. This language uses preverbs in existential sentences, one of their four sentence structures. The verb is used when a character of a story or statement is already known.<ref>{{cite thesis |last= Hattori|first= Ryoko|date= 2012|title= Preverbal Particles in Pingelapese: A Language of Micronesia|isbn= 978-1-2678-1721-1}}</ref>

== Toki Pona ==
In the [[constructed language]] [[Toki Pona]], a preverb is a class of words that can be placed at the start of the predicate in front of the verb.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lang |first=Sonja |title=Toki Pona: The Language of Good |publisher=Tawhid |year=2014 |isbn=978-0978292300 |oclc=921253340 |author-link=Sonja Lang |chapter=Lesson 13: Pre-Verbs |page=48}}</ref> Toki Pona preverbs have various functions, such as marking [[grammatical mood]] or [[grammatical aspect|aspect]].

Some examples:

{{interlinear|indent=2
|mi [[null morpheme|∅]] '''wile''' moku
|1.PN {{gcl|PM|predicate marker}} '''DES''' eat
|I/we '''want''' to eat}}

{{interlinear|indent=2
|o '''awen''' pona
|OPT.{{gcl|PM|predicate marker}} '''CONT''' good
|'''Stay''' good<br/>(e.g. keep being well, may you stay healthy, etc.)}}

{{interlinear|indent=2
|ona li '''ken''' ala '''kama''' sona e ni
|3.PN {{gcl|PM|predicate marker}} '''POT''' NEG '''INCEP''' know {{gcl|DO|direct object marker}} DEM.PN
|They aren't capable of learning this<br/>(More literally: They '''can''' not '''come''' to know this)}}

== References ==
<references />

<section begin="list-of-glossing-abbreviations"/><div style="display:none;">
PVB:preverb
</div><section end="list-of-glossing-abbreviations"/>

{{Lexical categories|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Grammar]]
[[Category:Parts of speech]]