ünite oniki Mood-formants: Imperative; optative; conditional.

UNIT TWELVE

Mood-formants: Imperative; optative; conditional.

Imperative Mood

The imperative mood is the mood of command and order, and in this mood we find the bare stem of the verb used. This occurs in the 2nd p. sg. In the other persons endings are used. In the other persons endings are used.

 epĕ vulam, pĕlem, şyram   let me read, know, write!
 esĕ vula, pĕl, şyr   read! know! write!
 văl vulatăr, pĕltĕr, şyrtăr  let him read, know, write!
 epir vular, pĕler, şyrar  let‘s read, let‘s know, let‘s write!
 esir vulăr, pĕlĕr, şyrăr  read! know! write!
 vĕsem vulachchăr, pĕlchchĕr, şyrchchăr let them read, know, write!

The negative imperative adds the postposed morpheme mar in the 1st p. sg. and pl.‚ and the preposed morpheme of similar meaning, an, in the other persons, viz.

 vulam mar    pĕlem mar
 an vula     an pĕl
 an vulatăr    an pĕltĕr

 vular mar    pĕler mar
 an vulăr    an pĕlĕr
 an vulachchăr    an pĕlchchĕr

Examples of the usage in this mood are the following.

 atja epir anar   well then, let‘s go down (to the earthly world)
 lesh tĕnchene ansa kurar let‘s go down and see the other world
 esĕ ăna syhla   you watch him
 an şyvăr   don‘t sleep
 tytta an jar   hold on and don‘t release him
 hăvah kaj   go yourself!
 pĕtĕm Raşşeje kursa surer let‘s ride and see all of Russia
 şüle kajar-i je şĕre kajar-i shall we go to the sky or to the earth
 kus kajsa kan ĕntĕ  go and return and rest now
 halĕ hu pytan    now you hide yourself
 şyvra karas pulăsem sürechchĕr Let carp-fish go in the water!

Conditional Mood

This mood is used for actions in which the possibility of the action occurring is only probable, or is contingent upon some other happening. Thus, it is translated by words like “would, if“ etc. It is characterized by the conditional morpheme {(Ă)ttĂm}. Note the close resemblance of these forms to those of the durative past formation in -ttăm. The conditional has a short ă before the ending. The 1st and 2nd ps. are also often used with the past morpheme -chchĕ‚ to create the nuance “would have.“ Note the lack of vowel harmony in the 3rd p. sg. and pl.

 vulăttăm pĕlĕttĕm  şyrăttăm kajăttăm
 vulăttăn pĕlĕttĕn  şyrăttăn kajăttăn
 vulĕchchĕ pĕlĕchchĕ  şyrĕchchĕ kajĕchchĕ

 vulăttămăr pĕlĕttĕmĕr  şyrăttămăr kajăttămăr
 vulăttăr pĕlĕttĕr  şyrăttăr kajăttăr
 vulĕchchĕş pĕlĕchchĕş  şyrĕchchĕş kajĕchchĕş

The negation to the above employs the allomorph -m- of the negative morpheme.

 vulamăttăm pĕlmĕttĕm
 vulamăttăn pĕlmĕttĕn
 vulamĕchchĕ pĕlmĕchchĕ

 vulamăttămăr pĕlmĕttĕmĕr
 vulamăttăr pĕlmĕttĕr
 vulamĕchchĕş pĕlmĕchchĕş

The negative may also employ the suffixed morpheme –chchĕ. Examples of this mood are the following.

 vulăttăm   I would read (but I have no book)
 ilĕttĕm    I would buy (but I have no money)
 kalăttăm   I would say (If I dared)
 kajmăttăm   I wouldn‘t go (but I can‘t refuse)
 ilmĕttĕm   I wouldn‘t buy it (but I have to)
 jarăttăm ta   I would release you, but
 ‘kajăttăm ta ürkenetĕp‘  “I would go, but I am lazy“ he said

An artificial past tense is formed to the conditional by the use of the nomen perfecti in -nă to which the conditional of pul ‘to be, become‘ is added, thus, şyrrnă pulăttăm “I would have written“ lit. I would become one who has written.


Optative (Subjunctive) Mood

This mood expresses the hope that something will come to be, in the sense “would that it should happen, would that he come,“ or the concessive idea of “even if he should come.“ It is relatively little used, and in its formation appears to arise from two form-classes, the 2nd p. forms being suppletive.

 vulăpin  pĕlĕpin  larăpin
 vulăsăn  pĕlĕsĕn  larăsăn
 vulin  pĕlin  larin

 vulăpărin pĕlĕpĕrin larăpărin
 vulăsăr  pĕlĕsĕr  larăsăr
 vulăşin  pĕlĕşin  larăşin

The negative forms of the above are the following.

 vulamăpin pĕlmĕpin larmăpin
 vulamăsăn pĕlmĕsĕn larmăsăn
 vulamin  pĕlmin  larmin

 vulamăpărin pĕlmĕpĕrin larmăpărin
 vulamăsăr pĕlmĕsĕr larmăsăr
 vulamăşin pĕlmĕşin larmăşin

There is also an artificial past tense formed from the nomen perfecti in -na plus the subjunctive of pul-, thus:

 şyrnă pulăpin    şyrman pulăpin
 etc.     etc.

According to the Chuvash grammarians, a true optative mood is formed by adding the morpheme -chchĕ to the forms given in the first paragraph. However, today, such expression of desire as “would that…“ is rendered by the imperative mood.