User:Masako/nkala: Difference between revisions

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* '''wakálá''' - I speak   
* '''wakálá''' - I speak   
* '''nikálí''' - you spoke
* '''nikálí''' - you spoke
* '''wakálutlá''' - I may speak to him
* '''pukálámí''' - did he speak to someone else?
* '''nikálí''' - you had spoken
* '''inikálí''' - you were spoken to
* '''nikál!''' - speak to me!
* '''kálúna''' - made to speak
* '''nimpukálí''' - you were speaking to him
* '''únyikálanká''' - they are not speaking to each other
* '''kálanyá''' - and he keeps on speaking


== break ==
== break ==


* '''put''' - break
* '''tak''' - break
* '''puputí''' - it broke
* '''puputásá''' - it’s beginning to break
* '''wampuputí''' - I broke it
* '''mwaputúní''' - he made me break it
* '''puputanyá''' - it is broken again

Revision as of 05:01, 22 September 2016

sounds

consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive p t k (ʔ)
Affricate ts~tʃ
Fricative s~ʃ
Nasal m n
Approximant l (t͡ɬ) j w

vowels

Short Long
Front Back Front Back
Close i u
Open ɑ ~ ə

nouns

Nouns can be marked for gender, number, size, and in several other ways.

  • ka- - plural; several [PL]
kayul - ka-yul - PL-dog - dogs
  • kwi- - good; pleasant; "regular"
  • mí- - female; feminine [FEM]
  • nyi- - same; reflexive [REFL]
  • pa- - pair of; both
  • pya- - group; collection; mass of [COL]
  • tlá- - male; masculine [MASC]
  • twa- - other; different
  • wi- - abstract
  • ya- - that [over there] [DIST]
  • yi- - this [by me] [PROX]
  • yu- - that [by you] [MED]

pronouns

subject

Singular Dual Plural
1st wa- pwá- kwa-
2nd ni- - (n)ki-
3rd ú- ku-

object

Singular Dual Plural
1st mwa- twá- skwa-
2nd mi- (n)tí- ski-
3rd (m)pu- - sku-

verbs

  • Pronominal prefix - VERB STEM - tense/aspect-modal

tenses

There are three tenses...nonpast, past, and distant past.

  • - non-past [NPST]
wanuyá - wa-nuy-á - 1S-eat-NPST - I eat.
  • - past [PST]
ninuyí - ni-nuy-í - 2S-eat-PST - You ate.
  • -íyí - distant past [DSPT]
pwánuyíyí - pwá-nuy-íyí - 1DU-eat-DPST - We (two) ate long ago.

other modifiers

Various moods (or modals), aspects, and syntactic markers are used to add nuance and subtlety.

  • -ank- - negative [NEG]
skumatankí - sku-mat-ank-í - 3PL-kill-NEG-PST - They were not killed.
mwanapanká - mwa-nap-ank-á - 1SG.OBJ-hear-NEG-NPST - I am not heard. | She/he doesn't hear me.
  • -iy- - obligation [OBG]
walakiyá - wa-lak-iy-á - 1SG-go-OBG-NPST - I should go.
ninapiyí - ni-nap-iy-í - 2SG-listen-OBG-PST - You should have listened.
  • -úy- - ability [ABIL]
tumúyá - tum-úy-á - attend-ABIL-NPST - She/he is able to attend.

lexicon

These are listed by stem, and do not distinguish nominal and verbal meanings or usages.

  • kál - say; tongue; voice; language; talk
  • mat - cut; kill; knife
  • yim - eat; nourish; bread

examples

speak

  • kál - speak
  • wakálá - I speak   
  • nikálí - you spoke

break

  • tak - break