Dusun Subject and Verb Agreement - Featuring PPISMP TESL SEM II

I have the sweetest smile in the whole wide world

My second day at work and I am already feeling very exhausted. I was in PPISMP TESL class this morning, a grueling 2-hour lecture and the topic mind you was Concord or Subject and Verb Agreement. It is a common phenomenon in every grammar lesson that it could get very boring and I can see that clearly reflected in the expressions of my students – quite, emotionless, lifeless eyes and some forced smiles.

I will keep concentrating to impress her

Which words do I have to use, which words...

Shsss...did you fart?

Concentrate girls, pretend just pretend...

I think the lecturer just farted...

Sir, I think I miss Mr. Joseph...
After starting with some casual conversation however, they started to look interested and I promptly took the opportunity to introduce the lesson. It was my typical approach, requesting a student to read then followed by some explanation and examples, this continued to one grammatical item to the other until all bits and pieces of the lesson are covered. The next activity was my usual approach, breaking the class into groups and asking each of them to construct sentences using the language items that they have just discussed. The group tasks will be a an excellent opportunity for the students to discuss and practice on their newly acquired knowledge.

Our group has always been the best, so no farting please..

I was sitting stock-still in front of the class when suddenly the director came in. Taken aback, not knowing what to do and say, I just grinned and smiled. The director asked the students about their Library corner, but no library of any sort was visible in the class so the monitor explained that they are yet to discuss on the proper placing of the library. I just nodded in conformity, knowing that I was not even the class tutor and has no knowledge of it whatsoever. She left the room and walked slowly to the other classes. Hopefully she will not find any room without a lecturer otherwise the person in concern would be in a hot soup. Pheewwwwwww.....fortunately, I was in class and that’s all what matters.

I am busy writing but deep inside, I am thinking about him

Let us have a laughing competition..

Don't stare at me, I will melt..

After the group task, representatives of each group were again on the whiteboard jotting in the sentences that they just constructed. Handwritings of different styling were displayed but I was not apprehensive of them, as long as they are legible and neat, they are fine with me. Most were able to construct good and correct sentences, however, only a few complied with the instructions.The Dusun sentence structure is different from the English construction. In English the norm of sentences is the S -> V -> O structure, or Subject – Verb – Object, as in the following sentences.

• She farts in the classroom (She=Subject | farts = Verb | classroom = Object)

The Dusun language follows the V – S – O construction instead, such as the following:-

• Nokoontut isio id suang do klas. (Nonontut = Verb | isio = Subject | Object = klas)

In addition, Dusun has no sense of S – V agreement as the English does. Verb inflection is non-existent when used to refer to either a singular or plural subjects, and the corresponding third person singular is also not present. Consider the following:

• Teo loves Geviana. (Subject is the first person singular)

• Guminawo ih Teo di Geviana. (No inflection in the Verb “guminawo” even if the Subject “Teo” is in the third person singular.)

• The ladies fart in the classroom. (Subject is plural)

• Nokoontut it konduan id suang do klas. (Subject “konduan” – ladies, is plural but the verb “nokoontut” still remain uninflected)

I am taller and I can write further up

I will try and write better than the others

This rule applies to other types of agreement including the use of modifying phrase, conjunctions, and indefinite pronouns and so on and so forth. Verb and noun inflections in the Dusun Language however are frequent and are the core of the language itself.
For more information on the Verb and Noun inflections of the Dusun Language, please click here.