Ibapan - Grammar

Phonology

Phonemes

Latin	A a	B b	D d	E e	I i	Y y	L l	M m	N n	O o	P p	R r	S s	T t	U u	F f	H h	Ŧ ŧ
Cyrillic	А а	Б б	Д д	Е е	И и	Л л	М м	Н н	Й й	О о	П п	Р р	С с	Т т	У у	Ф ф	Х х	Ҫ ҫ
IPA	/ä/	/b/	/d/	/e/	/i/	/j/	/l/	/m/	/n/	/o/	/p/	/ɾ/	/s/	/t/	/u/	/f/	/h/	/θ/
Ibapan	−	Π	T	=	≡	ᗑ	𐐤	𐋅	ⵖ	⸫	Ⳙ	ⵐ	Ꞁ	Ʇ	⸪	Ш	Ⰽ	⅄
Name	a	ba	da	e	i	yi	li	mi	ni	o	po	ro	so	to	u	fu	hu	ŧu

Grammar

Word Order

• 001. Ibapan word order is SVO, subject-verb-object. In interrogative sentences the word order is VSO.
• 002. The indirect object precedes the direct object.
• 003. The genitive noun follows the head noun.
• 004. Adjectives and determiners precede the nouns they qualify.
• 005. The adjective follows the standard of comparison.
• 006. The dependent verb precedes the auxiliary verb.
• 007. The adjective precedes the dependent verb.
• 008. Adverbs follow the verbs they modify.
• 009. Adverbials of time precede those of space.
• 010. Particles modifying sentences are placed first in the sentence.

Verbs

• 011. Verbs are a class of words that convey an action (bring, read, walk, run, learn), an occurrence (happen, become), or a state of being (be, exist, stand).
• 012. Tense is a grammatical category which expresses the time at which a state or action denoted by a verb occurs. There are two tenses in Ibapan, past, and non-past.
• 013. The verb in the non-past tense is marked with the pre-particle pe-.

ehera, love; Hu pe-ehera, I love.

hepo, do; Ŧe pe-hepo, he does.

• 014. The past tense is marked with the pre-particle pa-.

rito, cook; Hu pa-rito, I cooked.

sesi, sew; Ŧe pa-sedi, she sewed.

• 015. Mood is a grammatical category by which the speaker expresses his attitude toward what he is saying.
• 016. The subjunctive mood is formed with the pre-particles me or ma: Ŧe me-ehera hune, She may love me.
• 017. The imperative mood uses the unmarked form of the verb; Ehera hune, Love me.
• 018. The cohortative and jussive moods are formed with the pre-particle ye with the appropriate pronoun following in the objective form: ye-eola ŧene , Let him sing.
• 019. The passive form of the verb is formed with the post-particle ni: yu nifiso pe-ehera ni, The mother is loved; yu nomu pa-rito ni, The apple was cooked.
• 020. A verbal noun is formed by preceding the verb with the definite article. This verbal noun functions as an infinitive or gerund: yu paye otuha pe-ruo yu nimotene ua hune , Swimming strengthens my limbs.
• 021. Sentence negation is indicated by the use of the negative particle uahe: hu pe-ehera uahe, I do not love.
• 022. A question is indicated by changing the sentence order to VSO: hu pe-ehera tane, I love you; pe-ehera hu tane?, Do I love you?
• 023. Dependent verbs, such as infinitives and gerunds, precede the verb or adjective upon which they are dependent: hu yu-hehi pa-ŧuŧa ŧusapetene, I was afraid to touch a toad; ŧe yu-are pe-bimo, He wants to go.

A direct object is placed between the infinitive and the verb: hu yu-are ŧene pa-bimo, I wanted him to go.

• 024. Verbs may be formed from perceptible nouns and from adjectives by using them as verbs: epofu, flower,: yu sulute pa-epofu habeti, The roses bloomed yesterday.
• 025. Transitive verbs may be formed from adjectives by using the verb ruo, make: biso, wide; Ŧete biso pe-ruo yu losunane, They are widening the road.

Nouns

• 026. Nouns (upuna) are a class of words that function as the names of some specific thing or set of things, such as living creatures, objects, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.
• 027. There is no noun classes in Ibapan.
• 028. A noun must be preceded by a determiner or an adjective: yu peliso pe-iona uli, the man is here; na pelisote pe-iona uli, men are here.
• 029. Plurality is indicated by suffixing -te to the noun. The accent then shifts to the new penultimate syllable: pelíso, man; pelisóte, men.
• 030. Possession is indicated by the preposition ua, of: yu nomu ua yu fihopu ; the child's apple.
• 031. The suffix -ne marks the direct object of the verb: hu pe-dameri yu usapéne, I see the bird. The accent shifts to the noun's new penultimate syllable.

The suffix -ne is affixed after the plural suffix: hu pe-dameri yu usapenéte, I see the birds.

• 032. Abstract nouns are derived from adjectives by using an adjective or a determiner: desi, short; yu desi, shortness.
• 033. Abstract nouns are derived from verbs by using an adjective or a determiner: esiho, begin, yu esiho, beginning; imoru, hope, yu imoru, hope.
• 034. Nouns naming a person characterized by an adjective are formed by using the word yunopa, person: pieso, young; pieso yunopa, youth; hiso, old; hiso yunopa, elder.
• 035. The agent of a verb is formed by using the word yunopa, person: eola, sing; yu eola yunopa, the singer.
• 036. The instrument for performing the action of a verb is formed by using the word isohe, tool: huda, cut; yu huda isohe, the knife.
• 037. Nouns denoting perceptible things are formed from verbs by using the word: rasehi, thing; yu upiosa rasehi, the dream.
• 038. A noun may be specified as masculine or feminine by using the prefixes re- and ni-, respectively: fihopu, child; ni-fihopu, girl; re-fihopu, boy.
• 039. Collective nouns are formed from nouns or adjectives by reduplication of the last two syllables: yu usapesape, the flock of birds; yu ohufahufa, the school of fish; yu pitopito, archipelago.
• 040. Nouns may be used to modify other nouns: yu duapi rufeni, the mountain stream.

Modifiers

• 041. In Ibapan grammar adjectives, adverbs and determiners are classed together as modifiers since their form does not change from class to class.

Adjectives

• 041. Adjectives are a class of words which qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified.
• 042. Adjectives are placed before the noun between it and any determiner: yu hemi re-fihopu, the good boy; yu hemi re-fihopute, the good boys.
• 043. The one degree of comparison, known as the elative (ELT), is formed by reduplication: pieso, young; pieso pieso,younger, youngest.
• 044. Reduplication of only the first syllable means very or too: pipieso, very young, too young.
• 045. Negative comparison is formed with the word iyiro, less: nehiso, distant; iyiro nehiso, less/least distant.
• 046. The comparison of equality is formed with the word otu, equal. The preposition uo, as, is used with the noun of comparison: miaha, white; otu miaha, as white, uafe epofu pe-iona otu miaha uo na houpa, This flower is as white as snow.
• 047. Participles are a form of a verb that is used to modify a noun, noun phrase, verb, or verb phrase, playing a role similar to an adjective or adverb.
• 048. There are two participles in Ibapan.

a. The present participle is formed by using the present form of the verb as an adjective: yu pe-paye ohufa, the swimming fish.

b. The past participle is formed by using the past form of the verb as an adjective: yu pa-dabosi ruemi, the sunken boat.

• 049. Nouns of material may be used like adjectives: yu mobu uola, the stone house.
• 050. Word negation is indicated by the use of the prefix e-: unemi, even; e-unemi, uneven.
• 051. yunui, like, combined with a noun forms an adjective denoting similarity, likeness or resemblance to what is named in the noun root, -ish, -like: usape, bird; usapeyunui, like a bird.
• 052. Adjectives with the meaning "without" are expressed with the preposition oi, without: imoru, hope; oi na imoru, hopeless.

Determiners

• 053. Determiners are a class of words that serve to express the reference of that noun or noun phrase in the context. They may indicate whether the noun is referring to a definite or indefinite element of a class, to a closer or more distant element, to an element belonging to a specified person or thing, to a particular number or quantity, etc.
• 054. The definite article is yu placed before the noun: peliso, man; yu peliso, the men.
• 055. The definite article is used before nouns that are used in an abstract or general sense: besemi, brave; yu besemi, bravery.
• 056. The indefinite article is na placed before the noun: hapiho, woman; na hapiho, a woman. The indefinite article is also used when no other modifier is present: na epofute pe-epofu ie yu ieso, Flowers bloom in the spring.
• 057. Numerals precede the noun in the absence of the definite article: fiso hapihote pe-rito, Three women are cooking. They follow the noun if the noun is preceded by an adjective or determiner: mare hapihote fiso pe-home, Three sad women are crying.
• 058. The demonstrative determiners are uafe, this/these; and hiope, that/those; hiope usape, that bird; uafe epofute, these flowers.
• 059. The elective indefinite determiner is hebi, any.
• 060. The assertive indefinite determine is mohu, some.

Numerals

• 060. The Ibapans have an octal numeral system.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
ipo	alu	fiso	fiti	ripo	yiyo	yiro	hufu

• 061. The numerals 9-15 are formed by suffixing the proper cardinal to hufu, eight.

9	10	11	12	13	14	15
hufuipo	hufualu	hufufiso	hufufiti	hufuripo	hufuyiyo	hufuyiro

• 062. The numerals 16-64 are formed by prefixing the proper cardinal to hufu, eight.

16	24	32	40	48	56	64
aluhufu	fisohufu	fitihufu	ripohufu	yiyohufu	yirohufu	hufuhufu

• 063. Compounds of 64 can be made by prefixing the proper ordinal to hufuhufu: aluhufuhufu, 128, but the Ibapans seldom need to count that high.
• 064. The ordinals are made by adding the suffix -fi to the cardinal number: alufi, second.
• 065. The adverbial numbers are made by adding the suffix -ŧu to the ordinal number: aluŧu, twice; hufuŧu, eight times.

Adverbs

• 066. Adverbs are a class of words that modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a determiner, a noun phrase, a clause, or a sentence. They typically express manner, place, time, frequency, degree, level of certainty, etc.
• 067. They have the same form as the adjective, but follow the verb they modify: yu besemi peliso, the brave man; ta pa-hepo besemi, He acted bravely.
• 068. The elative of these adverbs is formed in the same way as are adjectives; besemi, bravely; besemi besemi , more bravely.

Pronouns

• 069. Pronouns are a class of words that substitute for a noun or noun phrase. There are seven types of pronouns in Ibapan.
• 070. The personal pronouns are hu, I; hute, we; ta, you (sg.); tate, you (pl.); ŧe, he, she, it; ŧete, they.
• 071. The interrogative pronoun is ŧafe which stands for the interrogative pronouns who, what and which.
• 072. The relative pronoun is uru which stands for the relative pronouns who and which.
• 073. The reflexive pronouns are translated by using the personal pronoun as both subject and object; hu pa-rupa hune, I hurt myself.
• 074. Reduplication is used to form the intensive pronouns: hu hu pe-are, I myself will go.
• 075. The demonstrative pronouns are the same as the demonstrative determiners, uafe, this; uafete, these; and hiope, that; hiopete, those, but take the direct object particle as needed: hu pe-bimo hiopetene, I want those.
• 076. The indefinite pronouns are made from the indefinite determiners: hebi yunopa, anyone, anybody, hebi rasehi, anything; mohu yunopa, someone, somebody; mohu rasepi, something; uahe yunopa, no one, nobody; uahe rasepi nothing.
• 077. There are no possessive pronouns. The possessor is expressed with a prepositional phrase using ua: uafe pe-iona epofu ua ta, hiope pe-iona ua yu, This is your flower, that is mine.

Postpositions

• 078. Ibapan uses prepositions, a class of words that express spatial or temporal relations (in, under, towards, before) or mark various semantic roles (of, for): ie yu eohoema, at the beach.
• 079. If there is no motion involved, the noun without a marker is used with the postposition: yu rufisa pe-iona ou yu ferisa, The cup is on the table.
• 080. If there is motion involved, the object marker is added to the noun: hu pa-desi yu rufisa ou yu ferisane, I put the cup on(to) the table.

Conjunctions

• 081. A conjunction is a part of speech that connects words, phrases or clauses.
• 082. In Ibapan there are three types of conjunctions.
• 083. A coordinate conjunction joins two or more items of equal syntactic importance: re-elimo ua hu heo hu esitu na nomute heo na erote. My brother and I like apples and pears.
• 084. Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to join two or more items of equal syntactic importance: ta fio pe-liora fio pe-iape. You will either eat your supper or go to bed.
• 085. Subordinating conjunctions join an independent clause and a dependent clause: heori ŧe pe-iona esufa, pa-esofa. Although she is sick, she ate her breakfast.

Octal Table

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
ipo	alu	fiso	fiti	ripo	yiyo	yiro	hufu
9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
hufuipo	hufualu	hufufiso	hufufiti	hufuripo	hufuyiyo	hufuyiro	aluhufu
17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
aluhufuipo	aluhufualu	aluhufufiso	aluhufufiti	aluhufuripo	aluhufuyiyo	aluhufuyiro	fisohufu
25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32
fisohufuipo	fisohufualu	fisohufufiso	fisohufufiti	fisohufuripo	fisohufuyiyo	fisohufuyiro	fitihufu
33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40
fitihufuipo	fitihufualu	fitihufufiso	fitihufufiti	fitihufuripo	fitihufuyiyo	fitihufuyiro	ripohufu
41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48
ripohufuipo	ripohufualu	ripohufufiso	ripohufufiti	ripohufuripo	ripohufuyiyo	ripohufuyiro	yiyohufu
49	50	51	52	53	54	55	56
yiyohufuipo	yiyohufualu	yiyohufufiso	yiyohufufiti	yiyohufuripo	yiyohufuyiyo	yiyohufuyiro	yirohufu
57	58	59	60	61	62	63	64
yirohufuipo	yirohufualu	yirohufufiso	yirohufufiti	yirohufuripo	yirohufuyiyo	yirohufuyiro	hufuhufu