• Syntax

    1) noun phrase

    a
    ART
    ?wa??n?
    book
    mba??n?
    red
    a red book
    a
    ART
    n?
    be
    ?wa?n?
    book
    mba??n?
    red
    It is a red book
    a
    DET
    n?
    be
    ?wa?n?
    book
    mba??n?
    red
    z???gwi
    big
    It is a big red book
    Comment: /mba??n?/ is “red”; /mba??n??/ is “male”; /a mba??n?/ is “it’s ripe”
    2) Word order(transitive)
    ma
    1.SG
    zu??
    buy.PRS
    mbo
    bananas
    I’m buying bananas
    ma
    1.SG
    k?
    PST
    ?ga?
    give
    b?
    PL
    mbo?
    banana
    a
    PREP
    mbo?wo
    2.SG.OBJ
    I gave you bananas
    Comment: in the above sentence, /a/ “to” is optional.
    5) Word order (intransitive)
    ma?
    1.SG
    n????
    sleep
    I’m sleeping
    6) Tense
    ma
    1.SG
    k??
    PST
    n???
    sleep
    I slept
    Comment: /k?/ can also mean “also”; the above sentence is ambiguous as to whether it means “I slept” or “I also sleep”
    ma
    1.SG
    m??
    FUT
    n????
    sleep
    I will sleep
    ma
    1.SG
    n???-n?
    sleep-PERF
    I have slept

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