31 - Karen morphology (categories) and syntax

Summary

Karen represents a relatively pure type of monosyllabic, isolating language. Categories of noun, pronoun, numeral, and verb-adjective can be distinguished, as in Tibeto-Burman. The object follows rather than precedes the verb, although in disjunction the object is placed at the head of the sentence. Modifying words follow verbs as well as nouns. Relating elements, some of which precede rather than follow, make for flexibility in word-order, e.g. the most important such element in Pwo is lö, as in ya le lö wį takhǫ ‘I go to Rangoon (city)’; ya phe sabwa lö li? la bį (or ya phe li? la bį lösabwa) ‘I give Sabwa a book’. Numerals are employed with numeral adjuncts or ‘classifiers’ (quantifiers), and the whole phrase is placed after the noun, much as in Burmese; cf. Pwo li? la bį ‘book one flat-thing (bį)’ = ‘one book’; γį ni phlǫ ‘house two round-things (phlǫ)’ = ‘two houses’; γį a phlǫ ‘many houses’. Karen syntax in general, however, with the object placed at or near the end of the sentence and with relating elements preceding as well as following, stands close to Chinese and even closer to unrelated Thai, which has perhaps exerted some influence here.