Alternations of Mapudungun
| Alternation name | Coded? | Description | Examples | Verbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
C
|
y | The suffix -lel ~ -el ~ -l (and possibly also -ül) is added to the verb stem; the semantic/pragmatic yield is usually benefactive. | 41 | |
|
C
|
y | The suffix -ñma ~ -ma is added to the verb stem. The semantic/pragmatic yield, especially with bivalent predicates, is usually malefactive. | 44 | |
|
C
|
y | Root serialization with tu- 'get, take' forms a new verb stem. The range of possible semantic roles of the applied object is wide (as are the syntactic effects: sometimes no discernible yield is found, and sometimes the operation detransitivizes the predicate); high-frequency motion verbs incorporate a goal to the case frame with this process. | 12 | |
|
C
|
y | Root serialization with ye- 'carry, bring' forms a new verb stem. The range of possible semantic roles of the applied object is wide (as are the syntactic effects: sometimes no discernible yield is found); high-frequency verba dicendi incorporate a topic/content to the case frame with this process. | 8 | |
|
C
|
y | high-control causative; suffixation of -lel ~ -el ~ -l | 23 | |
|
C
|
y | low-control causative; suffixation of -(ü)m (stem-final f and g regularly change to p and k before the suffix) | 6 | |
|
C
|
y | The suffix -(u)w is added to the verb stem. Reciprocal meaning is prominent with some roots (e.g. elu- 'give'), but it usually requires the addition of epuñpüle / wetrukon 'each other'. | 14 | |
|
U
|
n | 15 |