Deverbal nouns. Sandawe has several types of deverbal nouns. Two types are described here: the infinitive and the deverbal noun as marked by –o´. At the end of the section, three other types are introduced only briefly, as the exact distribution and meaning of these forms are not yeat clear. The first type of deverbal nouns is formed by suffixing –ʔoˆŋ to the verb root or verb stem. This deverbal noun is the citation form of the verb and can be derived from any regular verb root. All deverbal nouns of this type have masculine gender. sı´ye´–ʔoˆŋ < sı´ye´ to take, taking maˆntsha`–ʔoˆŋ < maˆntsha` to eat, eating !'o`o´–5ı´–ʔoˆŋ < !'o`o´–5ı´ to meet each other, meeting The suffix –ʔoˆŋ is glossed INF (infinitive). In natural texts this type of deverbal nouns occurs only rarely. Two examples are given below. pa`a` 5'e´e´–ʔoˆn–ts'=a` 5he´ʔe´ CNJ2.3 cry-INF-LOC=3 hear He heard the crying. wa`ro`ŋge`e´ su´ŋ–me`e´ Tboˆ–ʔoˆŋ ŋ|we´e´–ʔoˆn–ta`=a` ma`na`–ts'ı´ God we-sake POSS.say-INF do-INF-in=3 know-MID1 The speaking of God to us is known in deed(s). The second type of deverbal nouns contains nouns that denote an act. They all have masculine gender. The exact semantics of this type, as compared to the first type of deverbal nouns, is unclear. The occurrence of this type of nouns is more frequent in texts. The deverbal noun is characterized by a final vowel –o´, which replaces the original final vowel. The tone pattern of the noun is all high. The examples below illustrate deverbal nouns and the verb root or stem from which they are derived. fa´ro´ act of lying, lie (n.) < fa`re´ lie ma´xo´ cleverness < ma`xe´ be clever ho´no´ (act of) collecting < ho`na´ collect (honey) phu´mphu´so´ (act of) offering < phu`mphu`–se´ offer 'u´u´wa´ŋ5o´ (act of) dancing < 'u`u´–wa´ŋ5ı´ dance with each other The deverbal marker –o´ is glossed NMN (nominalization). The following examples illustrate the use of this type of deverbal noun in noun phrases and sentences. In noun phrases, deverbal nouns may occur as a nominal head, or as a dependent element. Examine the following examples. In the first example, both deverbal nouns are head of the noun phrase. Together, the two phrases form the title of a procedural text. mı`sı´5o´o´ T!'a´m–o´ ha`a` tshıˆŋ ho´n–o´ beehive POSS.shape.IT-NMN and honey (POSS.)collect_honey-NMN The construction of a beehive and the collecting of honey. In the examples below, the deverbal nouns are the dependent element of the possessive phrase. When the nominal head of the phras...
