User:Masako/pataka
Morphology
Kala is a mostly agglutinative language that makes extensive use of compounding, incorporation and derivation. That is, it can add many different prefixes and suffixes to a root until very long words are formed, and a single word can sometimes constitute an entire sentence.
Verbs
Relative
In a relative clause, the verb has the suffix -tle (or -le if the final syllable contains /tl/) added to it. The order of the words in relative clauses remains the same as in regular clauses. The use of participles in Kala is rather different than in English and at first sight is difficult to understand. This is mainly due to the fact that the relative pronouns who, what, which, where are not used in Kala as in English.
- yalapa - to be able to walk produces: yalapatle - who/which/that can walk
- yalapak - to not be able to walk produces: yalapanketle - who/which/that can't walk
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This nominalizes the verb in some cases, and makes it possible for it to be either the subject or the object.
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The relative suffix is most often in the final position. In some cases, it may be followed by the negative -k.
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Syntax
Simple sentences
Complex sentences
Clause coordination
Clause-level conjunctions such as ku "and", ua "or", or ehe "but, however" are placed clause-initially. Note that these conjunctions cannot be used to connect noun phrases.
- tahi tohyo ku nahi pina
- boy brave CL.CONJ girl intelligent
- The boy is brave and the girl is intelligent.
- ima kihu saman ehe pakyotlai
- now weather sun-ADJ however storm-IMM
- Now the weather is sunny, but a storm will come soon.
Coordination of noun phrases
Non-subject noun phrases are coordinated using the conjunction ma "and" (sometimes "with").
- yomaye na ke tanka ma pato anya
- day-PST 1sg O eagle CONJ duck see
- I saw an eagle and a duck yesterday.
- kinti ke tsaka kamyo ma'a yosu sapotle ma siuem muya
- squirrel O house 3pl.POSS with moss soft-REL and leaf.PL make
- The squirrels make their nest comfortable with soft moss and leaves.
- ona ma ota kyosanku
- mother and father fornicate-RECP
- Mother and father have sex [with each other].
- ta ma'a na ke molihuelatli
- 2sg with 1sg O forest-LOC-MOT-FUT
- You and I will go to the forest together.
Noun phrases can be presented as alternatives to each other with the conjunction ua "or; other". This conjunction can be used with both subjects and non-subjects. The conjunction ue "(exclusive) either X or Y" is used to delimit other nouns from the conjunction phrase.
- ta ke nasi ua poma inamyo
- 2sg O pear or apple eat-PERM
- You may eat an apple or a pear.
- tsola ue otso itsikua mataye
- fox either.X.or.Y wolf PROX-bird kill-PST
- It must have been a fox or a wolf that killed this bird.
Contrastive coordination of noun phrases ("but") is achieved with ehe "but; however" (or me more informally) if the noun phrases appear in subject position.
- yomaye mita'u ehek mitana ke kutsu kapya
- day-PST dog-MASC but-NEG O meat receive
- The male dog but not the female dog received meat yesterday.
- na itlaka mek inaka unya
- 1sg PROX-man but-NEG PROX-woman know
- I know this man, but not this woman.
Complement clauses
Relative clauses
Relative clauses, i.e. subordinated clauses acting as an attribute to a noun phrase, are marked with the relativizer -tle (or -le if the last syllable has tl). A pronoun referring to the relativized noun is retained within the relative clause:
- na ka naka amyatle pesoue
- 1sg O woman liked-REL meet-VOL
- I want to meet a girl who is friendly.
- naku nayo ke yakokua na tikuyetle inapua
- sister 1sg.POSS O strawberry-all 1sg pick-PST-REL eat-PFV
- My sister has eaten all the strawberries that I picked.
- kam tananitle ke teki tlalitli
- 3pl fight-nice-REL O enemy defeat-FUT
- They who fight well will defeat the enemy.
