Negation in Qiang grammar

Abstract

In Qiang grammar, negation occurs both at the clause and the constituent level. Negation in indicative sentences is marked by the negative adverbial /ma-/ which is prefixed to verbal and adjectival predicates. Clauses can have more than one verb. However, the negative adverbial prefix almost always falls on the final verb in an independent clause. In sentences with more than one clause, this rule still holds true regardless of the order of the clauses in the sentence. Negative imperative forms are created by prefixing the negative imperative /tpi-/ to a verb. The semantic impact of these clauses can be weakened with mood markers resulting in an utterance that resembles a suggestion. A weaker imperative form occurs when the word /je/ `can' is negated and the entire preceding sentence string is nominalized by the verbal suffix /-s/. Qiang negative interrogative constructions are generated with the negative adverbial prefix /ma-/ and a sentence final /tpia/. Constituent negation is a little used aspect of Qiang grammar. It materializes when a negated predicate is nominalized by the verbal suffix I-m/. This is the only opportunity for a negative adverbial prefix to fall anywhere else in the sentence string than with the last verb in an independent clause. Chinese loans have influenced everyday Qiang usage. This process has affected negation and it is described herein.