Verbs
Arcadia's verbs dictate sentence structure, shaping syntax based on verb type. The verb determines word order and conveys extensive grammatical information through prefixes and suffixes, integrating mood, tense, aspect, and person distinctions.
All personal verbs in Arcadia require a focus, which is always in the nominative case. Each section specifies which case applies to an argument when unfocused.
Arcadia does not categorize verbs by transitivity; instead, it distinguishes four core verb types:
Weather Verbs
Weather verbs describe general states without requiring a subject (e.g., "It is raining").
Name
Despite the name, these verbs extend beyond weather-related phenomena to impersonal conditions.
Syntax
Verb
Focus
- Since there is no subject, weather verbs do not take personal suffixes.
Linking Verbs
Linking verbs connect a subject to a predicate, identifying or describing it (e.g., "I am a doctor", "The roses smell nice").
Syntax
Verb – Subject – Predicate
Focus
- The predicate takes the predicative case, agreeing in number with the subject.
- The subject is always in the nominative case as it is the only possible focus.
Experiential Verbs
Experiential verbs describe states, sensations, or emotions (e.g., "I sleep", "I feel cold").
Syntax
Verb – Experiencer – Stimulus
Focus
- Default focus: Experiencer.
- Unfocused experiencer: Absolutive case.
- Unfocused stimulus: Thematic case.
Action Verbs
Action verbs describe physical or mental actions (e.g., "The birds are singing", "I sold a book to Adam").
Syntax
Verb – Actor – Patient – Recipient
Focus
- Default focus: Actor.
- Unfocused actor: Ergative case.
- Unfocused patient: Accusative case.
- Unfocused recipient: Dative case.
Focus
Focus can be omitted, particularly for the first, second, and fourth persons.
Focus Shifting
Arcadia allows focus shifting for experience and action verbs, achieved by modifying:
- The case of the focused argument.
- The verb form, as detailed in the verb generation guide.
Valid Focus
Apart from the basic focus, Arcadia allows following additional focus options: - Stimulus for experiential verbs - Patient for action verbs - Recipient for action verbs - Instrument - Beneficiary
Reflexivity and Reciprocity
Arcadia uses prefixes to indicate reflexive and reciprocal actions. The reflexivity prefix is applied first, followed by the focus-shifting prefix, ensuring the reflexive element remains closest to the verb root.
The full set of reflexive and reciprocal markers is detailed in the verb generation guide.