Modern Figo morphology
- Main article: Modern Figo
This page gives an extensive description of modern Figo morphological features.
Numerals
The numeral system relies on a decimal base.
The first ten cardinal numbers are noun-like forms on their own:
| šwov | |
| ug | |
| miɣwo | |
| nwoh | |
| šwõ | |
| fwa | |
| hoše | |
| fu | |
| čwi | |
| fjev |
Numerals from 11 to 19 are built with the construction NUM + fjev, with some irregularities:
| šwofjev | |
| uɣifjev | |
| miɣwofjev | |
| nwofjev | |
| šwõfjev | |
| fwafjev | |
| hošefjev | |
| fufjev | |
| čwifjev |
The numerals for (one) hundred and (one) thousand are noun-like forms on their own:
| ňwož | |
| řa |
The numerals for the multiples of tens, hundreds and thousands are built with the construction NUM + fjewdũ / ňwoždũ / řadũ, with some irregularities:
| uɣifjewdəj | uɣiňwoždũ | uɣiřadũ | |
| miɣwofjewdũ | miɣwoňwoždũ | miɣwořadũ | |
| nwofjewdũ | nwoňwoždũ | nwořadũ | |
| šwõfjewdũ | šwõňwoždũ | šwõřadũ | |
| fwafjewdũ | fwaňwoždũ | fwařadũ | |
| hošefjewdũ | hošeňwoždũ | hošeřadũ | |
| fufjewdũ | fuňwoždũ | fuřadũ | |
| čwifjewdũ | čwiňwoždũ | čwiřadũ |
Composite numbers are built by just putting them beside, without any conjunction, in descending order:
- 1985: řa čwiňwoždũ fufjewdũ šwõ
All cardinal numerals up to these forms are meant as invariable.
Numerals for “million” and “billion” are loanwords from other languages:
| čãčãr (from β. ʈʂʼamʈʂʼam) | |
| mešurentur (from I. mêšúrěntu ) |
These forms are treated as regularly declinable nouns:
| miɣwo čãčãrĩ | |
| fwa mešurenturĩ |
If these numerals are used as simple count forms, they are declined in the nominative case. Inside of a structured sentence, they are declined according the case required by their syntactical role. Nouns adjoining such numerals are declined in the oblique case:
šwov čãčãr fožašũ one million people
kwov ug mešurentušu fožašũ to two billions people
In the earlier modern period the idea of “zero” is introduced from Iðâɣ language. This numeral is however usually limited to mathematics:
| xesu (from I. xesú) |
Ordinal numerals are formed by adding the ordinal ending -dur (-d) to the cardinal numeral form, with an irregular suppletive form and some other irregularities:
| rošdur (rošd) | |
| uɣidur (uɣid) | |
| miɣwodur (miɣwod) | |
| nudur (nud) | |
| šwõdur (šwõd) | |
| fwadur (fwad) | |
| hošedur (hošed) | |
| fudur (fud) | |
| čwidur (čwid) | |
| fjewdur (fjewd) | |
| šwofjewdur (šwofjewd) | |
| uɣifjewdur (uɣifjewd) | |
| uɣifjewdəjdur (uɣifjewdəjd) | |
| fwafjewdũdur (fwafjewdũd) |
Ordinal numerals for “millionth” and “billionth” are regularly formed from their corresponding cardinal forms, while their multiples are formed by unifying the separated forms in an only adjectival word:
| čãčãdur (čãčãd) | |
| mešurentudur (mešurentud) | |
| miɣwomešurentudur (mešurentud) |
If the numeral form is composite, the ending is added only to the last numeral form:
- 25th: uɣifjedəj šwõdur
Pronominal numerals
Every cardinal number may display, moreover, a special pronominal form. This form is to be used strictly when referring to human beings. This numerals are built by adding the derivative ending -for to the cardinal numeral form, with some irregularities:
| uɣifor | |
| miɣwofor | |
| nufor | |
| šwõfor | |
| fwafor | |
| hošefor | |
| fufor | |
| čwifor | |
| fjewfor | |
| šwofjewfor | |
| uɣifjewfor | |
| uɣifjewdəjfor | |
| fwafjewdũfor |
If the numeral form is composite, the ending is added only to the last numeral form:
- 25: uɣifjedəj šwõfor
Pronominal numerals can be formed from every cardinal numeral, except for the numeral "one", "million" and "billion" and the multiples of the latter two ones.
These forms decline only in singular number. They, however, display a complete singular declension. If present, the verb always agrees with the personal numeral in the singular number.
miɣwofo řirušjidũ jẽnõ we saw three (of them)
miɣwofor õt řirušjid jẽh three (of them) saw us
The pronominal forms, however, can be adjoined by a noun. This is built with a peculiar construction. The personal numerals are declined in the singular, while the adjoining nouns are always declined in the oblique plural form. If present, the verb always agrees with the personal numeral in the singular number.
miɣwofo řirušũ řirušjidũ jẽnõ we saw three men
miɣwofor řirušũ õt řirušjid jẽh three men saw us
The pronominal forms tend to be placed before the adjoining nouns. In colloquial language and in some texts, the adjoining noun can be placed before the pronominal numeral.
řirušũ miɣwofor õt řirušjid jẽh three men saw us
This placement, albeit spreading in some dialects, is not accepted in formal language and widely deprecated by grammarians.
