User:Masako/naho

Phonology

Phonotactics

• u-/-u used to replace redundant syllables

Nouns

Gender

Gender is not normally marked but can be with the endings -na and -ta to mark the feminine and masculine, respectively or nouns such as naka, tlaka, nahi, or tahi (the woman, the man, the girl, the boy), etc. A gender neutral suffix, -nta may be used when the gender is unknown or ambiguous.

• kuma - bear - a bear → kumana - bear-FEM - sow → kumata - bear-MASC - boar
• masa - deer - a deer → masana - deer-FEM - doe → masata - deer-MASC - stag
• uma - horse - a horse → umana - horse-FEM - mare → umata - horse-MASC - stallion

Number

• -mi paucal
• tatli / tli- collective
• oli / -li each; every
• ma / -m/-lo general plural
• mpa / -mpa many/much ~

Pronouns

na – 1sg ta – 2sg ha – 3sg tla – 3sg.INAN

ki / -ki reflexive anku / -nku reciprocal

Deixis

itla / i- proximal uatla / ua- medial yetla / ye- distal

Case

ya – vocative particle te – genitive [inalienable possession] -tle/-le – dative / benefactive yoha / -yo – genitive / possessive mpe / -mpe – terminative or limitative case

Size & Importance

piece; a part – peya / -pe diminutive; small – ahi / -hi

Quality

niha / -ni good; pleasant; regular sahi / -si color of ~ atsi / tsi- angle of ~ mala / -mpo bad; unfavorable; unpleasant to / -to way; method; manner ko / -ko/-tlo agent; individual mo / -mo place; location of ~ no / -no thing; substance of ~ so / -so type; kind; class of ~ tsoya / -tso middle; center; half of ~ o- honored/revered puku / -pu clothing for ~ suku / -su market/shop for/of ~ kyohu / -hu aggressive or extreme ~ kutsu / -tsu flesh/meat of ~ umpu / -mpu shape or form of ~ nata / -nta relative; kin

Numbers

cardinal

ordinal

multiples

• multiple of number – tiha / ti-

math operations

Verbs

Notes:

   Verbs roots are either active or stative by default
       Voice/valency suffixes can be added to conjugate/derive a new stem that switches active vs. stative
       Verb arguments are either active or stative as well, as defined by their head noun or determiner
       The verb & it's voice/valency determine which type of arguments are used
   For word orders below:
       S = active argument (more agentive: think nominative/ergative)
       O = stative argument (more patientive: think accusative/absolutive)
   Word orders:
       Stative intransitive verb: VO
       Stative transitive verb: VOS
       Active intransitive verb: VS
       Active transitive verb: VSO

Tense

future tense – atli / -tli past tense – aye / -ye

Aspect

inchoative – mula / -mu continuous – nook / -nko

Mood

• The abilitative mood [ABIL] is marked with the suffix -pa from pala, meaning "to be able; capable (of); can; possible".

proposotive – neya / -ne necessative – heya / -he apparentative – tse’e / -tse negative – nke / -nke/-k

Evidentiality

based on evidence – kotsi / -tsi assertive/assumptive – toho / -ho auditory “heard” – anu / -nu

Copula

a - be; exist [used for emphasis/disambiguation]

Particles

ka – interrogative particle ke – topic particle e – er; um; uh

Interjections

tsaya / -tsa – damn; general invective

Conjunctions

• pa - "although; even though; even if"

ma – and; also; too; as well ua – or; either; other ehe / me – but; however ue – either X or Y [exclusive] “one or the other”

Adpostionals

nya – for; by; related to

Abbreviations

1 first person 2 second person 3 third person sg singular pl plural INAN inanimate PROX proximal MED medial DIST distal VOC vocative GEN genitive DAT dative REFL reflexive PAU paucal