User:Masako/nkala

phonology

consonants

• nasals: /m n ɲ/ m n ny
• plosives: /p t k kʷ/ p t k kw
• continuants: /s l/ s l
• semivowels: /j w/ y w

All plosives, except the glottal stop, can be prenasalized: /ᵐp ⁿt ᵑk ᵑkʷ/.

vowels

Kata has five vowels /i/, /u/, /e/, /o/ and /a/. Each occurs in both stressed and unstressed syllables.

syllable structure

All syllables are of the form (C)V(N), that is, optional consonant + vowel + optional final nasal, or V, CV, VN, CVN. As in most languages, CV is the most common syllable type.

morphology

Kata

nouns

pronouns

Kata has the basic pronouns wa (first person), ni (second person), and o (third person). They do not specify number or gender. Thus, o can mean "he", "she", or "it". The general plural affix -lo is used to mark number.

noun modifiers

• x - xx

number

Nouns are marked for various quantities:

• -lo - general plural

verbs

tense/mood	particle	example	translation
present	-	alo	walk
past	-le	alole	walked
future	sa	sa alo	will walk
conditional	-ya	aloya	would walk

verb modifiers

• -le - past tense [PST]

samples

• wa wita ni - 1 see 2 - I see you.