User:Masako/nkala: Difference between revisions
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== Verbals == | == Verbals == | ||
Verbs are the centerpiece of a '''kamalo''' sentence. They can mark for both agent and patient as well as tense. Many simple sentences are composed of only a verb. An unconjugated verb root can consist of as little as a single consonant. As a rule, all verb roots must start and end with a consonant. | Verbs are the centerpiece of a '''kamalo''' sentence. They can mark for both agent and patient as well as tense. Many simple sentences are composed of only a verb. An unconjugated verb root can consist of as little as a single consonant. As a rule, all verb roots must start and end with a consonant. Verbs, inflect heavily to indicate tense, aspect or mood, primarily in their ending. The two tenses are perfective (often considered past tense) and present (or technically, non-past, as the future tense is not indicated). Two levels of formality indicated are plain and polite. | ||
* '''wata''' | * '''wata''' | ||
: '''''wa-t-a''''' | : '''''wa-t-a''''' | ||
: <small> | : <small>1-COP-NPST</small> | ||
: ''I am.'' / ''We are.'' | : ''I am.'' / ''We are.'' | ||
=== Tense === | === Tense === | ||
Past tense is marked finally on the verb by '''-e'''. Non-past is marked by '''-a'''. | |||
{{col-begin}} | |||
* '''wamala''' | |||
: '''''wa-mal-a''''' | |||
: <small>1-speak-NPST</small> | |||
: ''I speak.'' | |||
{{col-break}} | |||
* '''komale''' | |||
: '''''ko-mal-e''''' | |||
: <small>3-speak-PST</small> | |||
: ''They spopke.'' | |||
{{col-end}} | |||
=== Aspect === | === Aspect === | ||
Revision as of 06:54, 17 October 2017
kamalo
Phonology
Consonants
| Consonants | Labial | Coronal | Dorsal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | |
| Plosive | p | t | k |
| Fricative | s | ||
| Approximant | w | l | j (y) |
Vowels
| Vowels | Front | Back |
|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u |
| Mid | e | o |
| Open | a | |
Syllable Structure
All syllables are of the form (C)V(N), that is, optional consonant + vowel + optional final nasal, or V, CV, VN, CVN.
Phonotactics
The following sequences are not allowed: /wo, wu, yi, yu, lu, tu/.
Allophony
Because of its small phoneme inventory, kamalo allows for quite a lot of allophonic variation. For example, /p t k/ may be pronounced [b d ɡ] as well as [p t k], /s/ as [z] or [ʃ] as well as [s], /l/ as [ɾ] as well as [l], and vowels may be either long or short.
Parts of Speech
All kamalo words are built from basic roots. These roots are always CVC (consonant+vowel+consonant) and surrounded by various affixes to subtly add nuance and change meaning. The majority of these roots are primarily verbal. The only other part of speech is particles.
Verbals
Verbs are the centerpiece of a kamalo sentence. They can mark for both agent and patient as well as tense. Many simple sentences are composed of only a verb. An unconjugated verb root can consist of as little as a single consonant. As a rule, all verb roots must start and end with a consonant. Verbs, inflect heavily to indicate tense, aspect or mood, primarily in their ending. The two tenses are perfective (often considered past tense) and present (or technically, non-past, as the future tense is not indicated). Two levels of formality indicated are plain and polite.
- wata
- wa-t-a
- 1-COP-NPST
- I am. / We are.
Tense
Past tense is marked finally on the verb by -e. Non-past is marked by -a.
- wamala
- wa-mal-a
- 1-speak-NPST
- I speak.
|
Aspect
Mood
Nominals
Pronouns
kamalo has the basic pronouns wa- (first person), ni- (second person), and ko- (third person). The above words do not specify number or gender. Thus, ko- can mean "he", "she", "it", or "they". In practice, the plural prefix ka- can be used for plural pronouns. Both subject and object are marked on the verb.
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | wa- | kawa- |
| 2 | ni- | kani- |
| 3 | ko- | kako- |
