Nouns
1 min read · 86 words
Noun class works as grammatical gender:
Class | Singular → plural | Example |
|---|---|---|
1/2 | mù- → bà- | mùzazə → bàzazə “woman” |
3/4 | mù- → mì- | mùɔsá → mìɔsá “tree” |
5/6 | lì- → mà- | lìshèɔ́ → màshèɔ́ “mouth” |
7/8 | kì- → bì- | kìbɨkɨ̀ni → bìbɨkɨ̀ni “tongue” |
9/10 | nasal prefix, plural same | m̀bɛ́ “hand” |
14 | bù-, no plural | bùhɛbɔrɔ “love” |
For natural gender, human nouns can take -kpo (male) or -hə (female): mùʘookpo, mùʘoohə, mùŋgúyɨnakpo “boy”, mùŋgúyɨnahə “girl”.
Sample SVO sentences:
Mùzazə hə̀nivaa. “The woman sings.”
Bàdapo bàkàvaa. “The men sang (just now).”
Mùzazə hə̀kàwá lìshèɔ́. “The woman washed the mouth.”
Bàdapo bàwódá mùɔsá. “The men will see the tree.”