User:Masako/nkala

sounds

A macron is used to indicate vowel length.

• ā ī ū

consonants

Consonants	Labial	Coronal	Dorsal
Nasal	m	n~ɲ
Plosive	p~ᵐp	t	k~kʷ
Fricative		s~t͡ʃ
Approximant	w	l~t͡ɬ	j (y)

vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i~iː		u~uː
Open		a~aː

nouns

gender

Gender is typically not indicated. If necessary, nouns may be prefixed with mu- (male) or yi- (female).

• yimala

FEM-speak-NPST

She speaks.

• mulumātli

MASC-sleep-maybe-PST

He may have slept.

pronouns

	singular	plural
1	wa-	kwa-
2	ni-	pi- (-mpi-)
3	-	ku-

• nyi is the reflexive

wanyina - 1SG-REFL-know-NPST - I know myself.

• pwa is the first person plural exclusive [we but not you]

pwakini - 1PL.EXCL-INDEF-see-PST - We saw someone.

locative prefixes

• na- - in; at; on
• ti- - behind; after

verbs

Verbs are the workhorses of Malu. They can mark for both agent and patient as well as tense. Many simple sentences are composed of only a verb. Verbs can also be marked with several suffixes to add or change meaning. The modals and tense affixes can be added in different order to a verb to create a new meaning…their placement is not always fixed.

Subject	Number	Gender	Object	Root	Mood/Aspect	Mood/Aspect	Tense
0	ka-	mu-	wa-	mal	-āp	-ūk	-i
0	PL	MASC	1SG	speak	VOL	NEG	PST

• kamuwamalāpūki

The men did not intend to speak to me.

tense

Tense is also distinguished, but only in the indicative. There are two tenses:

• present, which is also used for future events (nonpast tense), marked with -a.
  • kwita

eat-NPST

She/he/it eats.

• general past, marked with -i.
  • kwiti

eat-PST

She/he/it ate.

examples

• wanimalūki

wa-ni-mal-ūk-i

1sg-2sg-speak-NEG-PST

I did not speak to you

• wata

wa-t-a

1sg-be-NPST

I am

• kuwani

ku-wa-n-i

3pl-1sg-see-PST

They saw me (I was seen)

• kutūki

ku-t-ūk-i

3pl-be-NEG-PST

They were not

• tatimu

ta-tim-u

animal-bleed-NOM

animal blood

• kwitūka

kwit-ūk-a

eat-NEG-NPST

(She/He/It) does not eat

• kimpimalātli

ki-mpi-mal-ātl-i

SB-2pl-speak-maybe-PST

Someone may have spoken to you (all)

• kiluma

ki-lum-a

SB-sleep-NPST

Someone is sleeping