Burushaski (Isolate)

Mismatch: morphosyntax: pseudo-object

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Verbs are lexically marked for whether or not they take pronominal prefixes, which mark the subject in intransitives and the object in transitives (meanwhile, all verbs mark the subject by suffixes). Pronominal prefixes distinguish the following person-number-gender forms:

	gender
	feminine	masculine	x	y
1SG	a-	a-
1PL	mi-	mi-
2SG	gu-	gu-
2PL	ma-	ma-
3SG	mu-	mu-	mu-	mu-
3PL	u-	u-	u-	mu-

(masculine and feminine are for humans only, gender x is for non-human animates and some inanimates, gender y for remaining inanimates)

Some transitive verbs invariably take the 3PL prefix u-, regardless of the object, e.g. d-u-mar- 'ask for', d-u-guy- 'shake down (fruit)' (p. 120). Note that both the preceding roots also occur without a pronominal prefix (with a different meaning): d-mar- 'relieve of a burden', d-giy- 'cut down trees (and take them to the village)'.

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References

Berger, Hermann. 1998. Die Burushaski-Sprache von Hunza und Nager. Volume 1: Grammatik . Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.