copyright © 2005-2006 Dennis Paul Himes
The contents of this page are preliminary. They won't become canonical until the first version of the Tale of Tifa Walbatnuwa Siina is up. - DPH
See the section on nouns for further explanation of cases.
Notation:
1O: first person ordinary
1I: first person intimate
2: second person
There are no true third person personal pronouns. Instead general nouns,
such as su "the woman" or tit "the thing" would be used.
In the first person, intimate means "the speaker and the hearer(s) and no one else". Ordinary means "not intimate", i.e. not including the hearer or including someone other than either the speaker or hearer.
First person intimate singular is used for certain rhetoric purposes, such as stage soliloquies, talking to oneself, or certain oaths.
| 1O | 1I | 2 | |
| Nominative | |||
| S | bo | be | nnii |
| P | bob | bee | nniinn |
| Vocative | |||
| S | -- | bee | nnee |
| P | bobee | beebee | nniinnee |
| 1O | 1I | 2 | |
| Associative | |||
| S | boyu | beyu | nnyu |
| P | bobyu | beeyu | nniinnyu |
| Derivative | |||
| S | bowu | bewu | nniiwu |
| P | bobwu | beewu | nniinnwu |
| Possessive | |||
| S | bodu | bedu | nniidu |
| P | bobdu | beedu | nniinndu |
| 1O | 1I | 2 | |||
| Abessive | "lacking" | ||||
| S | bobau | bau | nniibau | ||
| P | bobau | beebau | nniinnbau | ||
| Adessive | "near" | ||||
| S | bomeemu | bemeemu | nniimeemu | ||
| P | bobmeemu | beemeemu | nniimeemu | ||
| Comitative | "with" | ||||
| S | bopetu | bepetu | nniipetu | ||
| P | bobetu | beepetu | nniinnbetu | ||
| Inessive | "in" | ||||
| S | boddu | beddu | nniiddu | ||
| P | bobddu | beeddu | nniinnddu | ||
| Locative | "at" | ||||
| S | bomu | bemu | nniimu | ||
| P | bobmu | beemu | nniinnmu | ||
| Prolative | "through" | ||||
| S | bosessu | besessu | nniisessu | ||
| P | bobzessu | beesessu | nniinnzessu | ||
| 1O | 1I | 2 | |||
| Abessive | "lacking" | ||||
| S | bob | beb | nniib | ||
| P | bobab | beeb | nniinnab | ||
| Ablative | "from" | ||||
| S | bof | bef | nniif | ||
| P | bobef | beef | nniinnef | ||
| Adessive | "near" | ||||
| S | bomeem | bemeem | nniimeem | ||
| P | bobmeem | beemeem | nniimeem | ||
| Accusative | (direct object) | ||||
| S | boj | bej | nniij | ||
| P | bobaj | beej | nniinnaj | ||
| Associative | "in a way associated with" "with respect to" | ||||
| S | bom | bem | nniim | ||
| P | bobom | beem | nniim | ||
| Benefactive | "for" | ||||
| S | bosttap | besttap | nniisttap | ||
| P | bobzddap | beesttap | nniinnzddap | ||
| Causative | "caused by" | ||||
| S | bov | bev | nniiv | ||
| P | bobav | beev | nniinnav | ||
| Comitative | "with" | ||||
| S | bopet | bepet | nniipet | ||
| P | bobet | beepet | nniinnbet | ||
| Distributive | "per" | ||||
| S | botet | betet | nniitet | ||
| P | bobdet | beetet | nniinndet | ||
| Illative | "into" | ||||
| S | boveb | beveb | nniiveb | ||
| P | bobeb | beeveb | nniinnveb | ||
| Inessive | "in" | ||||
| S | bodd | bedd | nniidd | ||
| P | bobadd | beedd | nniinnadd | ||
| Instrumentive | "using" | ||||
| S | bott | bett | nniitt | ||
| P | bobodd | beett | nniinndd | ||
| Locative | "at" | ||||
| S | bobib | bebib | nniibib | ||
| P | bobib | beebib | nniinnbib | ||
| Prolative | "through" | ||||
| S | bosess | besess | nniisess | ||
| P | bobzess | beesess | nniinnzess | ||
The following pronouns are all declined as if they were nouns.
| F | M | P | T | U | |
| interrogative pronoun | beu | beba | bo | bit | bee |
| "someone, something" | lu | la | lo | lit | lee |
The relative pronoun lulu is declined separately for the initial lu and the final lu. The first is declined to agree with the antecedent, and the second is declined according to its role in the dependent clause. If the first's form ends in an unvoiced consonant, it becomes voiced.
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