User:Masako/nkala

• Nkala

abbreviations / notation used

• absolutive - abs
• accusative - acc
• adjective - adj
• adverb - adv
• affix - aff
• first person - 1
• nominative - nom
• number - num
• object - obj
• particle - ptc
• prefix - pre
• preposition - prep
• pronoun - pn
• second person - 2
• subject - sub
• suffix - suf
• third person - 3
• verb - v

grammar

word order

• (sub) - (obj) - (v)
• (sub) - (v)
• (sub) - (prep) - (obj) - (v)

sounds

consonants

• p - /p~b/ | mp - /mp~mb/
• t - /t~d/ | nt - /nt~nd/
• k - /k~g/ | nk - /nk~N/
• m - /m/
• n - /n/
• s - /s~S/ | ts - /ts~tS/
• l - /l~r/ | tl - /tl~tK/

vowels

• a - /a~a:/ | ai - /aI:/ | au - /aU:/
• i - /i~i:/ | ia - /ja:/ | iau - /jaU:/ | iu - /ju:/
• u - /u~u:/ | ua - /wa:/ | uai - /waI:/

syllable structure

• (C)V

• Note - The apostrophe ( ' ) is used to separate vowel groups and is not pronounced.

phrases

• iata'a - hello / hi / greetings

• mu ta iala ka

place 2s go INT

Where are you going?

• nam tsala ina'ik

2p sauce eat.past.neg

We did not eat the sauce.

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p t k m n s l a i u

p

• -pa - suf - abilitative mood/aspect
• patu - n - duck [aquatic avian]
• palu - n - cane / staff / stick
• pa'u - num - eight
• pu'ia - n - color / hue / shade / pigment

t

• tsala - n - sauce / paste
• tsai - n - tea
• tsa'u - num - six
• tsuku - adj/n - blue
• ta - pn - 2s.NOM
• tam - pn - 2p.NOM
• tai - pn - 2s.POSS/REFL
• tami - pn - 2p.POSS/REFL
• tanku - pn - 2p.RECP
• ta'u - num - two
• ti'u - num - thousand
• tulunku - adj/n - orange

k

• -k - suf - negative suffix [affixed to verbs and nouns]
• ka'u - num - seven
• kala - v - to speak, talk, say | utter
• kisipu - adj/n - silver
• kia - ptc - command particle / jussive [precedes verb]
• ku - n/ptc/suf - person
• kutsu - n - flesh / meat
• ku'ia - adj/n - green

m

• matla - n - stew / soup / porridge
• maka - n/v - music / song / to play music
• malu - adj/n - brown / tan
• ma'u - num - four
• mi'u - num - 10^5

n

• na - pn - 1s.NOM
• nam - pn - 1p.NOM
• nai - pn - 1s.POSS/REFL
• nami - pn - 1p.POSS/REFL
• nanku - pn - 1p.RECP
• na'u - num - one
• nia'i - adj/n - white
• ni'u - num - hundred
• niuma - rice / grain / seed

s

• sakana - n - fish
• sa'iu - n - 19 days / "month"
• sa'u - num - nine
• supuku - adj/n - gray

l

• la - pn - 3s.NOM
• lam - pn - 3p.NOM
• lai - pn - 3s.POSS/REFL
• lami - pn - 3p.POSS/REFL
• lanku - pn - 3p.RECP
• la'u - num - three
• li'u - num - 10^4

a

• atana - n - body / corpse / cadaver / anatomy / physique
• akai - adj/n - red
• ama - n - time / era
• ana - n - head / skull / mind
• ania - n - eye / to see, look
• aniu - n - year / 365 or 366 days
• anu - n - ear / to hear, listen
• alani - adj/n - gold [color]
• aita - pn - 2s.ACC
• aitam - pn - 2p.ACC
• aina - pn - 1s.ACC
• ainam - pn - 1p.ACC
• aila - pn - 3s.ACC
• ailam - pn - 3p.ACC
• a'u - num - zero / nothing

i

• ina - n/v - food / to eat
• ilila - adj/n - purple / violet / indigo
• iana - adj/n - yellow
• ia'u - num - five
• iuma - n - day

u

• utsuma - n - grape
• ulutu - adj/n - pink
• u'ia - adj/n - black
• ua'u - num - ten