User:Masako/pataka

phonology

consonants

• Nasals: /m n ɳ ŋ/ <m n ny nk>
• Stops: /p~t k kʷ/ <t k kw>
• Fricatives: /ɦ~h/ <h>
• Approximants: /j w/ <y w>

• Unvoiced stops > voiced when preceded by same consonant

vowels

• /a e o aˑ eˑ oˑ/ <a e o á é ó>

nouns

cases

• nkato /ŋaˈto/ - dog

• NOM/ABS - - - nkato
• ACC - -to - nkatoto /ŋaˈtodo/
• GEN - -yo - nkatoyo /ŋaˈtojo/
• DAT - -ho - nkatoho /ŋaˈtoho/
• LOC - -mo - nkatomo /ŋaˈtomo/
• INST - -wé - nkatowé /ŋaˈtoweˑ/

gender

• tá- - masculine
• yé- - feminine

number

• ka- - plural
• ná- - collective

pronouns

	NOM	ACC	GEN	DAT	LOC
1s	wa-	áwa-	wayo	waha	wamá
2s	ne-	áne-	neyo	neha	nemá
3s	o-	áho-	oyo	oha	omá
1s	kwa-	ákwa-	kwayo	kwaha	kwamá
2s	nke-	ánke-	nkeyo	nkeha	nkemá
3s	ko-	áko-	koyo	koha	komá

verbs

All roots are verbal, i.e. (CV)C. So, yom- means "to relate, be akin to, or have association with". Nouns are derived from these roots.

• yoma - to relate, be akin to, or have association with

táyomato wayo | MASC-relate-IMPV | He's my brother. (lit: He relates mine.)

yomo | relate-NOM | relative; something/one that relates

tense, aspect, and mood

There is no tense, only the perfective and imperfective aspects. Imperfective verbs are marked by -a.

• kwanka | 1pl-eat-IMPV | We eat / We are eating

Future events can be indicated by a tentative mood affix -eny-

• nenkenya | 2s-eat-TENT-IMPV | You might eat / be eating

The perfective is indicated by the affix -e

• wanke | 1s-eat-PFV | I ate / have eaten

To negate verbs, the affix -ók is used

• kwankóka | 1pl-eat-NEG-IMPV | We do not eat / We are not eating

The interrogative mood is marked with the affix -em

• nenkeme | 2s-eat-Q-PFV | Have you eaten / Did you eat

vocabulary

verbs

• ma - do; make; cause; form; create
• na - see; know; be aware; look
• nka - eat; drink; ingest; consume
• nyata - burn; be alight; shine
• ta - be; exist; live
• teya - give; donate; transfer
• ya - have; possess; hold
• yoma - relate; be akin; associate

nouns

• nkato - dog; wolf; bear

examples

• wayóka | 1s-have-NEG-IMPV | I don't have it.

The object is understood.

• kwayéne | 1pl-FEM-see-PFV | We saw her.

• nkatoto áhonkenya | dog-ACC ACC-3s-eat-TENT-IMPV | The dog might be eaten.