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| = Introduction =
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| == Word Order ==
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| == Borrowing ==
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| Kala borrows extensively from various natural languages. This is a very small sample of borrowings:
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| * '''kala''' – ''to speak, talk, converse''; from Arabic [''takallama'']
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| * '''na''' – ''I, me''; from Arabic [''ʾanā'']
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| * '''pato''' – ''duck (Anatidae)''; from Spanish [''pato'']
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| * '''tsenka''' – ''orange''; from Chinese [''chéng'']
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| * '''uasi''' – ''to take, get, acquire''; from Lakota [''wasichu'']
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| * '''myonta''' – ''to allow, permit''; from Finnish [''myöntää'']
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| * '''a''' – ''to be, exist, yes''; from Japanese [''aru'']
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| == Parts of Speech ==
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| '''Kala''' has three parts of speech, each with several subgroups. Nouns and verbs are substantive, while particles tend to be only functional.
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| # '''noma''' - nouns
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| ## '''nkalo''' - personal pronouns
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| ## '''uatse''' - demonstratives
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| # '''uati''' - verbs
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| ## '''pusa''' - adverbials
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| ## '''tatse''' - locative verbs (prepositions)
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| ## '''keyo''' - descriptive verbs (adjectives)
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| # '''peya''' - particles
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| ## '''nita''' - interjections
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| ## '''eka''' - affixes
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| == Verbs ==
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| === Tense ===
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| Kala has three simple tenses; past, present, and future. Present tense is unmarked. However, past and future tenses can be modified to include immediate future ("is about to..."), distant future ("will...in a long while"), recent past ("just ..."), and remote past ("...a long while ago"). These distinctions are made with the augmentative and diminutive endings '''-ha''' and '''-hi'''.
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| {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:500px;"
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| ! tense || suffix || gloss || example
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| |-
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| | remote past || '''-yeha''' || REM || '''nam inayeha'''<br>We ate a long while ago.
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| |-
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| | recent past || '''-yehi''' || REC || '''nam inayehi'''<br>We just ate.
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| |-
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| | past || '''-ye''' || PST || '''nam inaye'''<br>We ate.
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| |-
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| | present || ''not marked'' || || '''nam ina'''<br>We eat. / We are eating. / We do eat.
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| |-
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| | future || '''-tli''' || FUT || '''nam inatli'''<br>We will eat.
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| |-
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| | immediate future || '''-tlihi''' || IMM || '''nam inatlihi'''<br>We will eat soon/now.
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| |-
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| | distant future || '''-tliha''' || DIS || '''nam inatliha'''<br>We will eat a long while from now.
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| |}
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| * 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").
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| * If a temporal adverb is used, the tense suffix may be omitted.
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| :Example: '''yomaye nam ina''' - <tt>yesterday 1pl eat</tt> - We ate yesterday.
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| ==== present ====
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| The present tense can show immediacy by using the adverb '''ima''', "now; at this time".
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| * '''mita ina''' - <small>dog eat</small> - ''The dog eats.''
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| * '''ima mita ina''' - <small>now dog eat</small> - ''The dog is eating right now.''
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| ==== past ====
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| The past tense is marked with '''-ye''', from '''aye''' - "it was".
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| * '''mita inaye''' - <small>dog eat-PST</small> - ''The dog ate.''
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| * '''mita inayeha''' - <small>dog eat-PST-AUG</small> - ''The dog ate a long while ago.''
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| * '''mita inayehi''' - <small>dog eat-PST-DIM</small> - ''The dog just ate.''
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| :: can be marked with '''-hye'''
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| ==== future ====
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| The future tense is marked with '''-tli''', from '''atli''' - "it will be".
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| * '''mita inatli''' - <small>dog eat-FUT</small> - ''The dog will eat.''
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| * '''mita inatliha''' - <small>dog eat-FUT-AUG</small> - ''The dog will eat in a long while.''
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| * '''mita inatlihi''' - <small>dog eat-FUT-DIM</small> - ''The dog is about to eat (will eat soon).''
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| :: can be marked with '''-tlai''' {except when followed by a modal affix)
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| === Aspect ===
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| ==== progressive ====
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| Also called the continuous [CONT], this is used to express an incomplete action or state in progress at a specific time. It is marked with '''-nko''', from '''nkoso''' - "to continue; proceed; progress".
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| * '''mita inanko''' - <small>dog eat-CONT</small> - ''The dog is eating.''
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| * '''mita inankoye''' - <small>dog eat-CONT-PST</small> - ''The dog was eating.''
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| * '''mita inankotli''' - <small>dog eat-CONT-FUT</small> - ''The dog will be eating.''
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| ==== perfective ====
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| This aspect indicates that an action is completed [PFV]. It is often translated by the English present perfect (''have done some-thing''). It is marked with '''-pua''', from '''opua''' - "to end; finish; complete".
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| * '''mita inapua''' - <small>dog eat-PFV</small> - ''The dog has eaten.''
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| * '''mita inapuaye''' - <small>dog eat-PFV-PST</small> - ''The dog had eaten.''
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| * '''mita inapuatli''' - <small>dog eat-PFV-FUT</small> - ''The dog will have eaten.''
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| ==== inchoative ====
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| This aspect refers to the beginning of a state [INCH]. It is marked with '''-mu''', from '''mula''' - "to begin; start; initiate".
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| * '''mita inamu''' - <small>dog eat-INCH</small> - ''The dog is beginning to eat.''
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| * '''mita inamuye''' - <small>dog eat-INCH-PST</small> - ''The dog started to eat.''
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| * '''mita inamutli''' - <small>dog eat-INCH-FUT</small> - ''The dog will begin to eat''
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| ==== frequentative ====
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| This aspect refers to a repeated action [FREQ]. It is marked with '''-nua''', from '''nua''' - "frequent; often; regular".
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| * '''mita inanua''' - <small>dog eat-FREQ</small> - ''The dog eats often.''
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| * '''mita inanuaye''' - <small>dog eat-FREQ-PST</small> - ''The dog ate regularly.''
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| * '''mita inanuatli''' - <small>dog eat-FREQ-FUT</small> - ''The dog will eat often.''
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| === Mood ===
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| ==== negative ====
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| The negative mood (always marked finally) is indicated by the suffix –'''k''' or '''–nke''' (when the last syllable contains /k/).
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| * '''mita inayek''' - <small>dog eat-PST-NEG</small> - ''The dog did not eat.''
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| * '''mita mokunke''' - <small>dog sleep-NEG</small> - ''The dog does not sleep.''
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| == Particles ==
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| === Conjunctions ===
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| === Function words ===
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| === Interjections ===
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| = Syntax =
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| The basic structure of a '''Kala''' sentence is:
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| AGENT--PATIENT--VERB
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| The agent is the person or thing doing the action described by the verb; The patient is the recipient of that action. The importance of word order can be seen by comparing the following sentences:
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| * '''mita tlaka anya''' - <small>dog man see</small> - ''The dog sees the man.''
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| * '''tlaka mita anya''' - <small>man dog see</small> - ''The man sees the dog.''
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| In both sentences, the words are identical, the only way to know who is seeing whom is by the order of the words in the sentence.
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| == Comparisons ==
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| When things being compared have equal characteristics, the comparison of equality is used.
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| * '''mita kue tahi taha''' - <small>dog like boy big</small> - ''The dog is as big as the boy.''
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| * '''mpa'a kue mosa niha''' - <small>movie like book nice</small> - ''The movie is as good as the book.''
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| If two things are not equal, they are unequal.
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| * We are not the same height.
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| * You are taller than I.
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| * The two items do not cost the same.
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| * The camera is more expensive than the television.
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| == Questions ==
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| There are two types of questions: Polar, those which may be answered "yes" or "no," and those which require explanations as answers. Any statement can become a polar question by adding the interrogative particle '''ka''' at the end of the sentence.
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| * '''mita ina''' - <small>dog eat</small> - ''The dog eats.''
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| ** '''mita ina ka''' - <small>dog eat Q</small> - ''Does the dog eat?''
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| The other type of question contains a question word and is followed by '''ka''':
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| * '''ke mita ina ka''' - <small>O dog eat Q</small> - ''What does the dog eat?''
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| * '''ko ina ka''' - <small>person eat Q</small> - ''Who eats?''
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| * '''koyo mita ina ka''' - <small>person-POSS dog eat Q</small> - ''Whose dog eats?''
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| * '''to mita ina ka''' - <small>manner dog eat Q</small> - ''How does the dog eat?''
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| * '''mo mita ina ka''' - <small>place dog eat Q</small> - ''Where does the dog eat?''
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| * '''nye mita ina ka''' - <small>reason dog eat Q</small> - ''Why does the dog eat?''
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| * '''ama mita ina ka''' - <small>time dog eat Q</small> - ''When does the dog eat?''
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| * '''uku mita ina ka''' - <small>amount dog eat Q</small> - ''How much/many does the dog eat?''
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