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{{Kala 2}}
{{Kala 2}}


{{wip}}


<big>'''THIS SECTION IS CURRENTLY BEING UPDATED TO REFLECT A NEW GRAMMAR.'''</big>


*'''Kala''' is meant to be a simple and euphonic personal conlang.
The Kala conlang...


*Many lexical entries are inspired/influenced/borrowed by/from any number of natlangs
* [[Kala/calendar|calendar]]
* [[Kala/chat|conversations]]
* [[Kala/etymology|etymology]]
** [[Kala/roots|roots]]
* [[Kala/lexicon|lexicon]]
** [[Kala/affixes|affixes]]
** [[Kala/lexicon/theme|thematic lexicon]]
* [[Kala/particles|particles]]
* [[Kala/phrases|phrases]]
* [[Kala/affixes|word formation]]
* [[Kala/writing|writing]]


==Pronunciation==


* Where '''~''' appears, it indicates [[Wikipedia:Free_variation|free variation]] between phonemes.


===Vowels===


{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!'''Front'''
!'''Central'''
!'''Back'''
|-align=center
!'''Close'''
|{{IPA|i~i:}} '''(i)'''  || || {{IPA|u~u:}} '''(u)'''
|-align=center
!'''Mid'''
|{{IPA|e~e:}} '''(e)''' || || {{IPA|o~o:}} '''(o)'''
|-align=center
!'''Open'''
| || {{IPA|a~a:}} '''(a)''' ||
|}


====Diphthongs====
[[Category:Conlangs]][[Category:Conscripts]][[Category:Kala]]
 
=====falling=====
 
*{{IPA|[aɪ~aɪ:]}} - '''ai'''
*{{IPA|[aʊ~aʊ:]}} - '''ao'''
 
=====rising=====
 
*{{IPA|[wa~wa:]}} - '''ua'''
*{{IPA|[waɪ~waɪ:]}} - '''uai'''
*{{IPA|[ja~ja:]}} - '''ya'''
*{{IPA|[jaʊ~jaʊ:]}} - '''yao'''
*{{IPA|[je~je:]}} - '''ye'''
*{{IPA|[jo~jo:]}} - '''yo'''
 
===Consonants===
 
{| class="IPA wikitable"
! rowspan="2"|
! rowspan="2"|Labial
! colspan="2"|Dental
! rowspan="2"|Palatal
! colspan="2"|Velar
! rowspan="2"|Glottal
|-align=center
!<small>central</small>
!<small>lateral</small>
!<small>plain</small>
!<small>labial</small>
|-align=center
! Nasal
| {{IPA|m}} '''(m)''' [[File:Naua ma.png]]
| {{IPA|n}} '''(n)''' [[File:Naua na.png]]
|
| {{IPA|ɲ}} '''(ny)''' [[File:Naua nya.png]]
|
|
|
|-align=center
!Plosive
| {{IPA|p~b}} '''(p)''' [[File:Naua pa.png]]
| {{IPA|t~d}} '''(t)''' [[File:Naua ta.png]]
|
|
| {{IPA|k~g}} '''(k)''' [[File:Naua ka.png]]
| {{IPA|kʷ~gʷ}} '''(ku)''' [[File:Naua kua.png]]
| {{IPA|ʔ}} '''(')'''
|-align=center
!Fricative
|
| {{IPA|s}} '''(s)''' [[File:Naua sa2.png]]
|
| {{IPA|ʃ}} '''(s)''' [[File:Naua sa2.png]]
|
|
| {{IPA|h~ɦ}} '''(h)''' [[File:Naua ha.png]]
|-align=center
!Affricate
|
| {{IPA|ts}} '''(ts)''' [[File:Naua tsa.png]]
| {{IPA|tɬ}} '''(tl)''' [[File:Naua tla.png]]
| {{IPA|tʃ}} '''(ts)''' [[File:Naua tsa.png]]
|
|
|
|-align=center
! Approximant
|
|
| {{IPA|l~r}} '''(l)''' [[File:Naua la.png]]
| {{IPA|j}} '''(y)''' [[File:Naua ya.png]]
|
| {{IPA|w}} '''(u)''' [[File:Naua ua.png]]
|
|}
 
==== Syllable Structure ====
 
* (N)(C)V
* N = prenasal /n/ or /m/
 
* The three codas are /k/, /m/, and /n/.
*/k/ only occurs as a final coda to negate verbs and nouns.
 
====Prenasalized consonants====
 
* In Kala, almost every consonant can be [[Wikipedia:Prenasalized_consonant|prenasalized]], but primarily the plosives /p/, /t/ and /k/ can be analyzed as prenasalized,
:while most other instances could be easily analyzed as cases  of [[Wikipedia:Syllabic_consonant|syllabic]] /n/ or /m/.
 
* '''mb''' /mp~mb/
:Example: '''mpaka''' /ˈmpa.ka/ - ''n'' - boundary / border / line
* '''nt''' /nt~nd/
:Example: '''ntama''' /ˈnta.ma/ - ''n'' - calf (a young cow or bull)
* '''nk''' /ŋk~ŋɡ/
:Example: '''nkapa''' /ˈŋka.pa/ - ''n'' - alcohol / grog
 
==Writing System==
 
''See'': [[Kala writing|Moya]]
 
==Grammatical Principles==
 
* The grammar of [[Kala]] should be regarded as a guide indicating how grammatical distinctions of gender, number, tense/aspect, noun, verb and particles are made. I have adopted the Arab grammarian's division into three categories (1) Noun ['''no / ata'''] [[File:Naua no.png]] / [[File:Naua ata.png]], (2) Particle ['''peya'''] [[File:Naua peya.png]], (3) Verb ['''uati'''] [[File:Naua uati.png]]. [[Kala]] does not always follow European models. It discards all redundancies. In English we say “two boys came yesterday”; in [[Kala]] “two boy come yesterday” ['''ta’o tahi yomaye tala'''] it is clear that more than one boy is already indicated by ‘two,’ while ‘yesterday’ shows the time, or tense of the verb.
 
== Sentences ==
 
* Most sentences in [[Kala]] contain a verb phrase, typically denoting the occurrence of an action. A verb phrase consists of a verb plus any modifiers.
 
* Most sentences also contain at least one noun phrase, typically denoting a person or thing. A noun phrase consists of a noun plus any modifiers.
 
* The two most important noun phrases are the subject and the object. Their exact meaning depends on the choice of verb, but
:loosely speaking, the subject is the person or thing that carries out the action, and the object is the person or thing that is directly affected by the action.
 
=== Word Order ===
 
* Basic word order is '''SOV''' and is invariable.
-
* ''(subject) - (object) - (verb)''
:'''tlaka (ke) naka anya'''
:<tt>man (TOP) woman see</tt>
: The man sees the woman.
* ''(subject) - (verb)''
:'''nahi apuaye'''
:<tt>girl sing.PAST</tt>
: The girl sang. / The girl did sing.
* ''(subject) - (complement) - (verb)''
:'''ina manka a'''
:<tt>food cold COP</tt>
: The food is cold.
* ''(subject) - (prepositional phrase) - (verb)''
:'''naka tsa'e kama yalaye'''
:<tt>woman through village walk.PAST</tt>
: The woman walked through the village.
* ''(subject) - (prepositional phrase) - (object) - (verb)''
:'''na'eta itla omena yeta'''
:<tt>1s.ACC.2s this apple give</tt>
: I give to you this apple.
::(''In this case, the prepositional phrase is replaced by the pronominal construction.'')
* ''(subject) - (prepositional phrase) - (verb)''
:'''ta kima poto tayo tse'ek'''
:<tt>2s like photo 2s.POSS appear.NEG</tt>
: You do not look like your photo.
 
====Clauses====
*In addition to phrases, some sentences contain clauses, which resemble smaller sentences nested within the larger sentence.
:They can modify noun phrases, verb phrases, or the whole of the larger sentence.
-
* ''(subject) - (clause) - (prepositional phrase) - (verb)''
:'''tlaka ke asaye hina ka'e nuyoku yalaye'''
:<tt>man CONJ live.PAST here to New York go.PAST</tt>
: The man who lived here went to New York.
* ''(subject) - (clause) - (verb)''
:'''na ke ha aya a omu'''
:<tt>1s CONJ 3s beautiful COP think</tt>
: I think that she is beautiful.
 
==Nouns==
 
* Nouns include [[Wikipedia:Pronoun|pronouns]], [[Wikipedia:Adjective|adjectives]] (nouns of quality), and [[Wikipedia:Determiner_(linguistics)|determiners]].
 
=== Affect / Degree ===
 
* The diminutive is formed with '''-hi''', and the augmentative with '''-ha'''.
These are respectively realized as '''-ki''' and '''-ka''' when attached to a word that has a final syllable containing '''h''' or '''y'''.
:Example : '''ina''' - food, meal | '''inahi''' - snack, morsel | '''inaha''' - feast, banquet
:Example : '''tsaka''' - house, home, dwelling | '''tsakahi''' - shack, hut, cabin | '''tsakaha''' - palace, mansion
 
* These are also used to differentiate hue, or shade.
:Example : '''yanahi''' - light yellow, '''kuyaha''' - dark green
 
* In [[Kala]] the concepts of comparative and superlative degree of an adjective are merged into a single form, the elative. How this form is understood or translated depends upon context and definiteness. In the absence of comparison, the elative conveys the notion of “greatest”, “supreme.”
:Example : '''tahaka''' - bigger/biggest | '''tsaka hayo ke nayo tahaka''' - His house is bigger than mine.
:Example : '''yanaha''' - more yellow/most yellow | '''ke huam tayo yanaha''' - Your flowers are the most yellow.
 
===Gender===
 
*In general, nouns do not indicate their gender. To distinguish the sexes, one can use the adjectival endings '''-ta''' and '''-na'''.
:Example : '''nikata''' "a male dog", '''nikana''' "a female dog".
 
=== Articles ===
 
*There is only one article in '''Kala''', '''ke'''. It is used primarily as a "noun marker".
 
*It is ambi-definite, meaning it can be either definite or indefinite. The distinction is made through context.
:Example : '''kama''' "village", '''ke kama''' "the/a village", '''ke kama'a''' "the villages"
:Example : '''inahi''' "snack", '''ke inahi''' "the/a snack", '''ke inahim''' "the snacks"
 
===Number===
 
* Nouns are either singular, plural or collective.
 
* Concrete nouns are pluralized by suffixing '''-m'''.
:Examples :  '''kono''' - stone > '''konom''' - stones | '''naka''' - woman > '''nakam''' - women
 
* When the last syllable of a word contains an '''m''', the plural is marked by reduplicating the final vowel.
:Examples : '''kama''' - village > '''kama'a''' - villages | '''teyemi''' - phrase > '''teyemi'i''' - phrases
 
* Collective (plural) nouns are marked by prefixing '''tli-'''.
:Examples : '''tsaka''' - house > '''tlitsaka''' - neighborhood | '''yama''' - mountain > '''tliyama''' - mountain range
 
* Nouns need not be marked plural if a number is used to show quantity.
:Example : '''sahi''' - color > '''sahim''' - colors > '''sahi ya'o''' - five color(s)
 
* Adjectives do not show plural agreement. However, when an adjective is used nominally, it can be pluralized.
:Example : '''nyeli''' - pink > '''nyelim''' - (the) pink (ones)
 
===Pronouns===
 
* [[Kala]] generally distinguishes four persons, the fourth person indicating abstract and inanimate nouns – both in the singular and plural numbers.
There is also a distinction between inclusive (I/we and you) and exclusive (we but not you) forms of the first person plural.
 
{| class="wikitable" border=1
|-
! !! ''Nominative'' !! ''Accusative'' !! ''Possessive'' !! ''Reflexive'' !! ''Reciprocal''
|- align=center
! ''1S''
|| na || ena || nayo || na'i || ''' '''
|- align=center
! ''2S''
|| ta || eta ||tayo || ta'i || ''' '''
|- align=center
! ''3S''
|| ha || eha || hayo || ha'i || ''' '''
|- align=center
! ''4S''
|| tla || etla || tlayo || tla'i || ''' '''
|- align=center
! ''1P''
|| nam || enam || namyo || nami || nanku
|- align=center
! ''1P'' (EXCL)
|| na'am || ena'am || na'amyo || na'ami || na'anku
|- align=center
! ''2P''
|| tam || etam || tamyo || tami || tanku
|- align=center
! ''3P''
|| kam || ekam || kamyo || kami || kanku
|- align=center
! ''4P''
|| tlam || etlam || tlamyo || tlami || tlanku
|-
|}
 
* A chart of the agent-patient transitivity constructions;
{| class="wikitable" border=1
|+ '''A-P''' ''construction''
! !! ''1<sup>st</sup> sing'' !! ''2<sup>nd</sup> sing'' !! ''3<sup>rd</sup> sing'' !! ''1<sup>st</sup> plu'' !! ''2<sup>nd</sup> plu'' !! ''3<sup>rd</sup> plu''
|- align=center
! ''1<sup>st</sup> sing''
|| '''-''' || na'eta || na'eha || '''-''' || na'etam || na'ekam
|- align=center
! ''2<sup>nd</sup> sing''
|| ta'ena || '''-''' || ta'eha || ta'enam || '''-''' || ta'ekam
|- align=center
! ''3<sup>rd</sup> sing''
|| ha'ena || ha'eta || '''-''' || ha'enam || ha'etam || ha'ekam
|- align=center
! ''1<sup>st</sup> plu''
|| '''-''' || nameta || nameha || '''-''' || nametam || namekam
|- align=center
! ''2<sup>nd</sup> plu''
|| tamena || '''-''' || tameha || tamenam || '''-''' || tamekam
|- align=center
! ''3<sup>rd</sup> plu''
|| kamena || kameta || kameha || kamenam || kametam || '''-'''
|-
|}
 
==== Correlative Pronouns ====
 
{| class="wikitable" border=1
|-
! !! ''query'' !! ''this'' !! ''that'' !! ''some'' !! ''none'' !! ''any'' !! ''every'' !! ''whichever''
|- align=center
! ''adjective''
|| ka || itla || uatla || iha || ak || ula || kua || ote
|- align=center
! ''person''
|| ko...ka || iko || uako || ihako || hok || kola || kohua || oteko
|- align=center
! ''thing''
|| no...ka || itla || uatla || ihano || nok || nola || nokua || oteno
|- align=center
! ''time''
|| ama/tsima...ka || ima || uama || ihama || amak || amala || kuama || otema
|- align=center
! ''place''
|| mo...ka || hina || uana || ihamo || mok || mola || mokua || otemo
|- align=center
! ''way''
|| to...ka || yoto || uato || ihato || tok || tola || tokua || oheto
|- align=center
! ''amount''
|| ku/o...ka || iku || uaku || ihaku || huk/ok || kula || hukua/okua || oteku
|- align=center
! ''reason''
|| nye...ka || inye || uanye || ihanye || nyek || ulanye || nyekua || otenye
|- align=center
! ''kind''
|| su...ka || isu || uasu || ihasu || suk || sula || sukua || otesu
|-
|}
 
==Verbs==
 
===tense / aspect===
 
The future tense is marked with the suffix '''-tli'''. Past tenses, including perfect and
pluperfect, are marked with the suffix '''-ye'''. The present tense is unmarked:
 
* '''na ina''' - <tt>1.S eat</tt> - I eat / I am eating.
* '''na inatli''' - <tt>1.S eat.FUT</tt> - I will eat / I am about to eat.
* '''na inaye''' - <tt>1.S eat.PAST</tt> - I eat / I was eating / I have eaten / I had eaten.
 
[[Kala]] does not distinguish perfect and imperfect aspects of the verb (e.g. ‘I ate’, ‘I used to eat’, ‘I
have eaten’, ‘I had eaten’). However, one can easily clarify the temporal sequence of two actions by
marking the earlier one with the adverbial '''tsa''' (‘already’).
 
===mood===
 
* The conditional mood is formed with the particle '''iya'''.
 
* '''iya na ina''' - <tt>COND 1.S eat</tt> - I might be eating.
 
* The imperative mood is formed with the particle '''kya'''.
 
* '''kya ina''' - <tt>IMP eat</tt> - Eat!
 
* The negative mood is formed with the suffix '''-k'''.
 
* '''na inak''' - <tt>1.S eat.NEG</tt> - I do not eat / I am not eating.
 
* The volitive mood is formed with the suffix '''-ue''' (from '''ueha''' - to want, desire).
 
* '''na inaue''' - <tt>1.S eat.VOL</tt> - I want to eat.
 
* The necessitative mood is formed with the suffix '''-he''' (from '''heya''' - to need, require).
 
* '''na inahe''' - <tt>1.S eat.NEC</tt> - I need to eat.
 
* The abilitative mood is formed with the suffix '''-pa''' (from '''pala''' - to be able).
 
* '''na inapa''' - <tt>1.S eat.ABIL</tt> - I am able to eat./ I can eat.
 
===voice===
 
* The passive voice is formed by attaching the accusative prefix '''e-''' to the pronoun.
 
* '''ena ina''' - <tt>ACC.1.S eat</tt> - I am eaten. / I am being eaten.
 
==Particles==
 
===Prepositions===
 
===Conjunctions===
 
==Questions==
 
* There are three kinds of question: those that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no", those that present a range of options to choose from, and those that ask for a particular piece of information.
 
*Additionally, questions can be direct ("Where are we going?") or indirect ("I asked you where we are going", "I don't know who I am").
 
===Yes/No questions===
 
* A sentence can be turned into a yes/no question by adding '''a'''? ("yes?") or '''ak'''?  ("no?") just before the interrogative particle '''ka'''.
:
:
* Do you speak German?
:'''ta alemanyatla kala ka'''
:<tt>2S Germany.Language speak INT.PART</tt>
 
* Did you eat?
:'''ta inaye ka'''
:<tt>2S eat.PAST INT.PART</tt>
 
* We're lost, aren't we?
:'''nam kayo ak ka'''
:<tt>1P lost COP.NEG INT.PART</tt>
 
* Does she understand?
:'''ha unya ka'''
:<tt>3S understand INT.PART</tt>
 
====Indirect====
 
* I want to know whether the food has arrived.
:'''na iya ke ina talaye unyaue'''
:<tt>1S COND.PART TOP.PART food come.PAST know.VOL</tt>
 
* She asked if I could help.
:'''ha iya ke na yotapa kanyoye'''
:<tt>3S COND.PART TOP.PART 1S help.ABIL ask.PAST</tt>
 
* The answer to a yes/no question is '''a''' ("yes") or '''ak''' ("no"), '''a''' states that the possibility expressed in the question is true; '''ak''' states that it is false:
 
* '''ta nkapaue ka''' - <tt>2S alcohol.VOL INT.PART</tt> – Do you want (a) beer?
:* '''tsepa a''' - <tt>please yes</tt> – Yes, please. (I do want beer)
:* '''nyasak''' - <tt>thank you.NEG</tt> – No, thanks. (I don't want beer)
 
===Alternative questions===
 
* An alternative question simply asks the listener to pick one of a number of options, usually expressed as a list joined with the conjunction '''ua''':
 
* '''ta tsa'i ua kaua ua nkapa ueha ka''' - <tt>2S tea or coffee or beer want INT.PART</tt> – Do you want tea, coffee, or beer?
:* '''tsepa kaua''' - <tt>please coffee</tt> – Coffee, please.
 
* '''ta nya tsiti ua uelo ua yala talaye ka''' - <tt>2S tea or coffee or beer want INT.PART</tt> - Did you come by car, or by bicycle, or did you walk?
 
===Other questions===
 
* Other questions use interrogative determiners or pronouns such as '''ote''', '''ko''', '''ke''', '''ama''', '''ku''', '''to''', '''mo''', and '''nye'''. The interrogative word appears at the beginning of the sentence:
 
* '''ote mosa ke ta yomu ka''' - <tt>which book TOP.PART 2S read INT.PART</tt> - Which book are you reading?
* '''ko moyako ke ta tsopo ka''' - <tt>person write.AG TOP.PART 2S prefer INT.PART</tt> - Who is your preferred author?
* '''ke itla maka kapi ka''' - <tt>TOP.PART this music ugly INT.PART</tt> - What is this ugly music?
* '''ke ta muya ka''' - <tt>TOP.PART 2S do INT.PART</tt> - What are you doing?
* '''ama ta moku ka''' - <tt>time 2S sleep INT.PART</tt> - When do you sleep?
* '''ku ta inatli ka''' - <tt>amount 2S eat.FUT INT.PART</tt> - How much will you eat?
* '''to ta yalaye ka''' - <tt>way 2S walk.PAST INT.PART</tt> - How did you walk?
* '''mo nam a ka''' - <tt>place 1P COP INT.PART</tt> - Where are we?
* '''nye ta empa ka''' - <tt>reason 2S run INT.PART</tt> - Why are you running?
 
===Clauses===
 
==Numbers==
 
===Cardinal Numbers===
 
*'''e'o''' - zero / nothing
*'''na'o''' - one
*'''ta'o''' - two
*'''ha'o''' - three
*'''ma'o''' - four
*'''ya'o''' - five
*'''tsa'o''' - six
*'''ka'o''' - seven
*'''pa'o''' - eight
*'''sa'o''' - nine
*'''ue'o''' - ten
*'''nye'o''' - (one) hundred
*'''tle'o''' - (one) thousand
*'''mue'o''' - ten thousand
*'''kye'o''' - (one) hundred thousand
*'''nte'o''' - (one) million
 
=== Higher Numbers ===
 
* '''uena'o''' - eleven / 11
 
* '''taue'o''' - twenty / 20
 
* '''nyeka'o''' - one hundred seven / 107
 
* '''hanyetauetsa'o''' (''long form'') | '''hatatsa'o''' (''short form'') - three hundred twenty six / 326
 
* '''tsatletauema'o''' - six thousand and twenty four / 6024
 
===Ordinal Numbers===
 
* '''ki'''- - ordinal prefix
:Example : '''kisa'o''' - ninth (in a sequence)
:Example : '''kiyanyepa'o''' - 508<sup>th</sup>
 
===Fractions===
 
* '''i'''- - fractional prefix
:Example : '''isa'o''' - a ninth, 1/9
:Example : '''iha'o te pa'o''' - three eighths, 3/8 [lit: a third of eight]
 
==Word formation==
 
==Punctuation==
 
''See'': [[Kala_writing#punctuation|Moya]]
 
== Index ==
 
{{Kala index}}
 
[[Category:Conlangs]][[Category:Kala]]

Latest revision as of 11:58, 7 December 2021


THIS SECTION IS CURRENTLY BEING UPDATED TO REFLECT A NEW GRAMMAR.

The Kala conlang...