Da: Difference between revisions

The Cha word for "no" is ''es''. When it is used with a verb, adjective or noun, it usually loses the initial 'e' and merges with the following word: ''ria'' "want" --> ''sria'' "don't want", ''riao'' "needed, necessary" --> ''sriao'' "unnecessary, extra" etc. The exception to this rule are words beginning with an 's'; with them, the initial 'e' is retained: ''Tyu essipa kú tunotunke pankoteo!'' "I have not seen you for a hundred years!".

Double negation is possible for emphasis: ''Ku sipa paltou?'' "Have you seen anything?" -- ''Tyu essipa stou!'' "I saw nothing at all!"

Along with ''es'', Cha also has a mechanism of forming antonyms, which consists of alternating the last root consonant. To get an antonym, ''-n'' alternates with ''-l'' and ''-r'' alternates with no consonant. For example:

''tye'' "top" <--> ''tyer'' "bottom"

''kela'' "wrong / break" <--> ''kena'' "right / fix"

and so forth. Of course, negatives and antonyms have very different semantics: ''lura'' "hate" is not quite the same as ''slua'' "not love".