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==Grammar== | ==Grammar== | ||
=== | ===Nouns=== | ||
====Gender==== | |||
Nouns are classified as either '''animate''' (''bii'') or '''inanimate''' (''es bii'') and animate nouns belong to one of three genders: '''masculine''' (''achi''), '''feminine''' (''buyachi'') or '''common''' (''iziji''). Inclusion within a class is based to a large extent on natural gender. | |||
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" | |||
! rowspan="3" style="width: 90px; " |Animate | |||
! style="width: 90px; " | Masculine | |||
| style="width: 250px; text-align:left;" | | |||
* adult male humans | |||
* some male animals | |||
* male deities | |||
* ''fu'' 'fire', ''oi'' 'sun' | |||
|- | |||
! style="width: 90px; " | Feminine | |||
| style="width: 250px; text-align:left;" | | |||
* adult female humans | |||
* some female animals | |||
* female deities | |||
* ''luz'' 'earth' | |||
|- | |||
! style="width: 90px; " | Common | |||
| style="width: 250px; text-align:left;" | | |||
* human children | |||
* most animals | |||
* edible plants | |||
* ''uz'' 'water', ''yozi'' 'rain' | |||
|- | |||
! colspan="2" style="width: 90px; " | Inanimate | |||
| style="width: 250px; text-align:left;" | | |||
* unmoving objects | |||
* most materials | |||
* abstracts | |||
|} | |||
These gender distinctions have a limited effect on the morphology of nouns themselves but affect the way other words behave. | |||
-- | ====Number==== | ||
Nouns are generally not marked for number and context is usually sufficient to show whether ''heleji'' means 'horse' or 'horses'. Numerals or adjectives can be used to qualify the noun for number, e.g. ''bade oz'' 'one dog, a dog'. | |||
There are two collective suffixes, which may sometimes translate the English plural: ''-zoi'' is used to refer to a group of things, usually within a single place, e.g. ''gyonzoi'' 'band, group, team of people', ''helejizoi'' 'a herd of horses'; ''-gua'' is more abstract, referring to all things within a class collectively and also to the state of being an object within that class, similar in some ways to the English suffix '-hood' in a word like 'priesthood', e.g. ''gyongua'' 'everybody, humanity, humankind, population', ''binjigua'' 'mountains'. Both of these suffixes are productive, though in some cases the noun with the suffix has taken on a specialised meaning as in ''azoi'' 'council, assembly' from ''az'' 'man'. Reduplication may also be used to express a large group of something, often with an intensive meaning, e.g. ''gyongyong'' 'crowd, mass of people', ''yaiyai'' 'storm' (from ''yai'' 'wind'). | |||
===Adjectives=== | |||
===Pronouns=== | |||
===Verbs=== | |||
===Postpositions=== | |||
===Derivation=== | |||
Derivation is carried out using a number of suffixes and independent particles, and by compounding. | |||
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" | |||
! style="width: 90px; " |Suffix | |||
! style="width: 300px; " |Use | |||
! style="width: 300px;" |Example | |||
|- | |||
! colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | Adjectives | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-chi'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | of, like, pertaining to | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''buyachi'' 'feminine, female' | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-fu'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | full of, covered with, made of | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''uzefu'' 'golden' | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-king'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | of, like, pertaining to | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''Burunking'' 'of Burung' | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-oi'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | tending to, fond of | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''aratoi'' 'gluttonous' | |||
|- | |||
! colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | Nouns | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-daz'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | person or thing from | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''eshayodaz'' 'foreigner' (lit. sea-dweller) | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-do'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | pejorative | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''izido'' 'mocking laughter' | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-gua'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | collective, abstract | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''bidegua'' 'route' | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-ko'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | instrument, person connected with | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''onuuko'' 'goatherder' | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-le'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | agent | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''erole'' 'killer' | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-no'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | diminutive (often pejorative) | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''ano'' 'coward' | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-pung'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | abstracts states, conditions | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''buchipung'' 'smallness' | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-te'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | continual or chronic states | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''izite'' 'sickness' | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-to'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | diminutive | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''hizito'' 'piglet' | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''-zoi'' | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | collective, group | |||
| style="text-align:left;" | ''eshezoi'' 'settlement' | |||
|} | |||
===Syntax=== | ===Syntax=== |
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