User:Masako/pataka

phonotactics

Kala has a fairly simple phonological system. It allows only syllables with maximally one initial and one final consonant. Consonant clusters only occur word-medially and over syllable boundaries, with the exception of prenasalized plosives which can start a word. Kala phonotactics does not allow the onsets of adjacent syllables to be identical, nor both to be labialized or palatalized. (There are a few exceptions to this, such as tata for the informal/familiar form of father, etc.) Syllables beginning with /l/ do not occur as the first syllable of a headword.

locative verbs

Kala does not have prepositions as a distinct part of speech. Instead, many locative verbs can be used as prepositions, in which case they precede the noun they modify. There is one general locative (-hue) which is affixed to nouns (and occasionally verbs) to indicate the sense of “at; in; on”.

• na tsakahue – 1SG house-LOC – I am at home
• iyoma tahi nayo hakyohue – today son 1SG.POSS school-LOC – My son is in school today

Almost any locative verb can be used in the preposition role.

• mita tsakam maye – dog house be.among – The dog is among the houses
• mita naye yohua inak – dog during night eat-NEG – The dog does not eat during the night
• mita tsaka nahe – dog house inside – The dog is inside the house
• mita nahe tsaka ina – dog inside house eat – The dog is eating inside the house

There is a special suffix (-la) to indicate motion. It can be added to a locative verb only in the verb role and is never affixed to –hue.

• mita tsaka ka’ela – dog house toward-go – The dog is going toward the house
• mita ka’e tsaka yala – dog toward house go – The dog is going toward the house
• mita yempa tahelaye – dog table under-MOT-PST – The dog went under the table

In certain expressions a preposition is unnecessary. Most often this is because of the pronominal constructions.

• kamena ke mita yetaye – 3PL-P.1SG O dog give-PST – They gave me a dog. / They gave the dog to me.
• na’ameta ke apua tayo makatli – 1PL.EXCL-P.2SG TOP song 2SG.POSS play.music-FUT – We will play your song to/for you.

A list of some common locative verbs:

• ma’a – with [accompanied by / furnished with]
• ma’ak – without; with no…
• nyahe – by means of; per; via
• pahe – against; touching
• sahe – across; opposite; other side
• saye – along; following [a line]
• tsa’e – across; through
• ma’e – before; in front
• pue – after; back; behind; rear
• ua’e – above; over / on
• tahe – below; beneath; under
• ka’e – to; towards; at [moving toward]
• uaye – from [moving out of or away from]
• nahe – in [located inside of]; internal
• nyaue – outside of; exterior to
• ya’e – near; close to
• mahe – around; approximate; close to
• maye – between; among
• kaye – around; encircling; surrounding
• tsaye – since; until; up to; as far as
• paye – beyond; exceeding; farther than

conjunctions

Kala conjunctions are simple: any constituents can be joined with a conjunction. Informal variants appear in parenthesis.

• kue – in the same way
• ma – and; also; too; as well
• nya’e – in order that
• nye – because
• ehe (me) – but; however; yet
• ua (u) – or (inclusive; X and/or Y)
• uahe – instead of; rather than
• ue – or; either (exclusive; either X or Y)
• uenke (uek) – nor; neither (exclusive; neither X nor Y)
• yatli – therefore (if X then Y)
• yema – both (both X and Y)

In the coordinating role, a few of these have specific functions:

• ha tala yatli na yala – 3SG come if.X.then.Y 1SG go – If he comes then I go.
• mita pomalo uek mputsa ina – dog apple-PL neither/nor cheese eat – The dog is eating neither apples nor cheese.