Causative mood
In linguistic morphology, causative mood serves to express a causal relation, e.g., a logical inference relation, between the current clause and the clause or sentence it refers to. It occurs, for example, in Eskimo-Aleut languages.
Causative mood is not to be confused with the unrelated notion of causative voice, a valency-shifting operation in many languages.
Inuktitut
[edit]In Inuktitut, the causative is used to link propositions that follow logically. It is much more broadly used in Inuktitut than similar structures are in English. The causative is one of the most important ways of connecting two clauses in Inuktitut:
Qannirmat qainngittunga
ᖃᓐᓂᖅ
qanniq-
to snow
ᒪᑦ
-mat
4 NSP CAUS
ᙯ
qai-
to come
ᙱᑦ
-nngit-
not
ᑐᖓ
-tunga
1SG NSP
Because it is snowing, I am not coming. (Inuktitut, North Baffin dialect)
taku-
to see
-mmat
4 SG NSP
because he sees; when he/she saw. (Arctic Quebec Inuktitut; Dorais 1990,[1] p.225)
West Greenlandic
[edit]In West Greenlandic, the causative (sometimes called the conjunctive) is used to construct subordinate clauses that express cause or time (when in the past) (Fortescue 1990, p.314).[2] It is used to mean "because", "since" or "when", sometimes also "that". The causative is used also in main clauses to imply an underlying cause.[3]
qasu-gami
be tired-CAU/3SG
innar-poq
go to bed-3SG
"He went to bed because he was tired" (Greenlandic)
matta-ttor-ama
blubber-eat-CAU/1SG
"I've eaten blubber (that's why I'm not hungry)" (Greenlandic)
ani-guit
go out-COND/2SG
eqqaama-ssa-vat
remember-FUT-IMP
teriannia-qar-mat
fox-are-CAUS
"If you go out, remember that there are foxes" (Greenlandic)
Yup'ik
[edit]In Central Alaskan Yup'ik, the causal suffix -nga is used to form subordinate clauses that are translated as "because", or "when".