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===Nouns=== | ===Nouns=== | ||
====Gender==== | ====Gender==== | ||
Nouns are classified as either '''animate''' ('' | Nouns are classified as either '''animate''' (''bixi'') or '''inanimate''' (''ee bixi'') and animate nouns belong to one of three genders: '''masculine''' (''achi''), '''feminine''' (''buyachi'') or '''common''' (''iriji''). Inclusion within a class is based to a large extent on natural gender. | ||
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" | {| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" | ||
! rowspan="3" style="width: 90px; " |Animate | ! rowspan="3" style="width: 90px; " |Animate <br/> ''Bixi'' | ||
! style="width: 90px; " | Masculine | ! style="width: 90px; " | Masculine <br/> ''Achi'' | ||
| style="width: 250px; text-align:left;" | | | style="width: 250px; text-align:left;" | | ||
* adult male humans | * adult male humans | ||
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* ''fu'' 'fire', ''oi'' 'sun' | * ''fu'' 'fire', ''oi'' 'sun' | ||
|- | |- | ||
! style="width: 90px; " | Feminine | ! style="width: 90px; " | Feminine <br/> ''Buyachi'' | ||
| style="width: 250px; text-align:left;" | | | style="width: 250px; text-align:left;" | | ||
* adult female humans | * adult female humans | ||
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* ''luz'' 'earth' | * ''luz'' 'earth' | ||
|- | |- | ||
! style="width: 90px; " | Common | ! style="width: 90px; " | Common <br/> ''Iriji'' | ||
| style="width: 250px; text-align:left;" | | | style="width: 250px; text-align:left;" | | ||
* human children | * human children | ||
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* ''uz'' 'water', ''yozi'' 'rain' | * ''uz'' 'water', ''yozi'' 'rain' | ||
|- | |- | ||
! colspan="2" style="width: 90px; " | Inanimate | ! colspan="2" style="width: 90px; " | Inanimate <br/> ''Ee Bixi'' | ||
| style="width: 250px; text-align:left;" | | | style="width: 250px; text-align:left;" | | ||
* unmoving objects | * unmoving objects | ||
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These gender distinctions have a limited effect on the morphology of nouns themselves but affect the way other words behave. | These gender distinctions have a limited effect on the morphology of nouns themselves but affect the way other words behave. | ||
====Case==== | |||
Relationships between nouns in a sentence are marked by particles following the noun. | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|- | |||
! Case !! Particle !! Uses | |||
|- | |||
| Topicaliser || ''ba'' || marks a subject or object as the focus of the utterance | |||
|- | |||
| Nominative || ''az'' || marks the subject of a verb (where it is not the topic) | |||
|- | |||
| Accusative || ''ke'' || marks the direct object of a verb | |||
|- | |||
| Genitive || ''eng'' || marks the possessor of an object, 'of' | |||
|- | |||
| Dative || ''ni'' || marks the indirect object of a verb, 'to' | |||
|- | |||
| Allative || ''a'' || marks movement towards, 'to' | |||
|- | |||
| Ablative || ''chi'' || marks movement away from, 'from, of, through' | |||
|- | |||
| Locative || ''gang'' || marks location 'in, on, at' | |||
|- | |||
| Instrumental || ''ha'' || marks use of, 'with, by' | |||
|} | |||
====Number==== | ====Number==== |
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