Nouns
1. Masculine (intelligent animate)
2. Feminine (intelligent animate) 3. Neuter (intelligent animate) 4. Huntable animal, food, edible material 5. Animal (other), plant, animate (miscellaneous), organic inanimate 6. Location, landmark, place 7. Liquid, soft inanimate 8. Species, language, tradition, artificial or manufactured inanimate 9. Gerund, infinitive 10. Incorporeal, gas, abstract, mythical 11. Small, diminutive 12. Large, augmentative 13. Inanimate (miscellaneous) 14. Pejorative |
oa
ahi za ahli ha nii saga (verb class) siba ninga huniga na uuni |
Classifiers are placed after the noun in a sentence, with a meaning approximately equivalent to it or a/an, and prefixed with the appropriate case indicator to indicate the case of the noun. An indefinite article is assumed; to indicate a definite article, the prefix faa- is added to the classifier after any case prefixes. To indicate a plural, a number is adding in place of faa, and faa is added as a suffix instead for a definite article. Any prepositions are also added as suffixes (before faa).
huulu [10] = fire
Ziahli huulu alusiba zibaqisiba. = I see a fire. (I fire it I-see-it.)
Ziahli huulu alufaasiba zibaqisiba. = I see the fire.
Ziahli huulu alubaiwoosiba(faa) zibaqisiba. = I see (the) two fires.
Ziahli huulu wafaasibamu zianuisiba. = I stand in the fire.
If the noun is understood, the classifier can replace it as a pronoun:
Ziahli huulu alusiba zibaqisiba. Faasibaria. = I see a fire. The fire is hot. (I fire it I-see-it. One-it-hot.)
Certain animate nouns may vary their class depending on the gender of the individual. These nouns are noted with multiple classes in the vocabulary lists.
saanu [1] = male friend
saanu [2] = female friend
saanu [3] = friend (neutral or unspecified gender)
huulu [10] = fire
Ziahli huulu alusiba zibaqisiba. = I see a fire. (I fire it I-see-it.)
Ziahli huulu alufaasiba zibaqisiba. = I see the fire.
Ziahli huulu alubaiwoosiba(faa) zibaqisiba. = I see (the) two fires.
Ziahli huulu wafaasibamu zianuisiba. = I stand in the fire.
If the noun is understood, the classifier can replace it as a pronoun:
Ziahli huulu alusiba zibaqisiba. Faasibaria. = I see a fire. The fire is hot. (I fire it I-see-it. One-it-hot.)
Certain animate nouns may vary their class depending on the gender of the individual. These nouns are noted with multiple classes in the vocabulary lists.
saanu [1] = male friend
saanu [2] = female friend
saanu [3] = friend (neutral or unspecified gender)