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|morph=analytic
|morph=analytic
|ms=neutral
|ms=ergative
|wo=SVO
|wo=VSO, OVS, SVO
|creator=[[User:Warakemau|Xing]]}}
|creator=[[User:Warakemau|Xing]]}}


'''Waa'''is a constructed language.
'''Waa''' is a constructed language. A large part of its vocabulary is derived from English, or a selection of other languages.


==Phonology==
==Phonology==
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   ! Alveolar
   ! Alveolar
   ! Palatal
   ! Palatal
   ! Velar
   ! Velar or glottal
   |-
   |-
   ! Voiceless stops
   ! Voiceless stops
   | p
   | p
   | t
   | t
   |
   |  
   | k
   | k
   |-
   |-
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   |
   |
   |  
   |  
  |-
  ! Voiceless fricatives
  |
  | s
  |
  | h
   |-
   |-
   ! Nasals
   ! Nasals
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   | ŋ
   | ŋ
   |-
   |-
   ! Taps/flaps/trills
   ! Trills
   |
   |
   | r~ɾ
   | r
   |
   |
   |
   |
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/j/ is written ''y'', and /ŋ/ ''g''. Otherwise, the phonemes follow their 'expected' spelling according to the IPA.
/j/ is written ''y'', and /ŋ/ ''g''. Otherwise, the phonemes follow their 'expected' spelling according to the IPA.


===Vowels===
===Vowels===
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   |-
   |-
   ! Open
   ! Open
 
   | colspan="2" | a~ɑ
   | a~ɑ
   |}
   |}
 
Waa has essentially a five-vowel system. On a phonological level, all vowels could be analysed as short monophthongs. In connected speech, however, adjacent vowels may be realized as diphthings on a phonetic level, and two identical vowels next to each other as a single, long vowel. Stress falls on the second-to-last mora, or second to last phonological vowel.


==Basic Phrases==
==Basic Phrases==
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'''katu witu''' - a/the white cat(s)
'''katu witu''' - a/the white cat(s)
cat white


'''huno maka''' - a/the large dog(s)
'''huno maka''' - a/the large dog(s)


dog large


==Pronouns==
==Pronouns==
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'''yu''' you (singular)
'''yu''' you (singular)


'''kia''' he, she, it  
'''te''' he, she, it
 
'''tenaa''' that one
 
'''tenei''' thisone


'''miera''' we
'''miera''' we
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'''yuera''' you (plural)
'''yuera''' you (plural)


'''kiaera''' or '''kiakia''' they
'''teera''' they


'''teeranaa''' those ones


A pronoun placed right after a noun can serve as a possessive pronoun:
'''teeranei''' these ones




'''katu mi''' - my cat


'''huno kia''' - her/his dog
 
'''ei tiaoka''' - somebody (lit. 'one person')
 
'''ei mea''' - something (lit. 'one thing')
 
'''ei osa''' - some amount (lit. 'one part')




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The basic word-order is SVO, or just SV in intransitive clauses:
One basic - though not the only - word-order is S.V.O. - Subject - Verb - Object.




'''Katu sewa.''' The cat is sleeping
'''Katu e sewa.''' - The cat is sleeping. The cat will sleep.


cat NPST sleep


'''Mi kopa katu''' I'm buying the cat
'''Katu ta sewa.''' - The cat was sleeping.


cat PST sleep


Adjectives can serve as predicates. There are optionally introduced by the copula '''nea'' 'to be':
'''Katu ta itu muso.''' - The cat ate the mouse.


cat PST eat mouse


'''Katu witu.''' Or: '''Katu nea witu''' - The cat is white.


==Embedded clauses==


'''Nea''' can also introduce prepositional phrases as predicates:


Relative clauses are introduced by '''ae''':


'''Katu nea i tebo.''' - The cat is on the table


'''Katu ae mi kopa.''' - The cat that I bought.


There is a past tense particle ''ko'':
cat that 1s buy


'''Katu ae bita kia.''' - The cat that bit her.


'''Katu ko sewa.''' - The cat slept.


'''Mi ko kopa katu.''' - I bought the cat.
Complement clauses are introduced by '''ge''':


'''Katu ko nea witu.''' - The cat was white.


'''Katu ko nea i tebo.''' - The cat was on the table.
'''Mi ta siu ge kia kopa katu.''' - I saw that he bought the cat.
 
1s PST see that 3s buy cat
 
'''Mi wae ge kia kopa katu.''' - I want him to buy the cat.
 
1s want that 3s buy cat




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There are two main prepositions in Waa: the dative/locative '''i''', and the ablative/instrumental '''a'''. They can have a variety of meanings, depending on the context.
There are two basic, simple prepositions: '''a''' 'of', 'by', 'from', and '''i''' 'in', 'on', 'at', 'to'.
 
 
'''katu a kia''' - his cat
 
cat GEN 3s
 
'''Katu ta kee a huso.''' - The cat came from the house.
 
cat PST come ABL hous
 
'''Kia ta padedu katu a hama.''' - He killed the cat with the hammer.
 
3s PST kill cat INSTR hammer
 
'''Katu ta kou i rumohaya.''' - The cat went to the kitchen.
 
cat PST go DAT kitchen
 
'''Kia ta ruko i yu.''' - She looked at you.
 
3s PST look DAT 2s
 
'''Katu e nea i tebo.''' - The cat is on the table.
 
cat NPST be LOC table
 
 
 
 
 
These can be combined with locational and other nouns to indicate more precise relations.
 
 
 
 


==Lexicon==


===The dative/locative===


===Colours===




'''I''' can be used to indicate various form of (spatial) location, as well as goal, destination or recipient.
'''kara''' - colour


'''raku''' - black


'''katu i tebo''' - the cat on the table
'''witu''' - white


'''rumo i huso''' - the room(s) in the house
'''rei''' - grey


'''tebo i rumoitu''' - the table in the dining room
'''beu''' - blue


'''Tebo nea i rumoitu.''' - The table is in the dining room.
'''rinu''' - green


'''Tuku meku i kapikulu.''' - Put the milk in the fridge.
'''redu''' - red


'''Kiwe buku i mi.''' - Give me the book.
'''yero''' - yellow


'''runo''' - brown




===The instrumental/ablative===
'''beuraku''' - dark blue, black-blue


'''beuwitu''' - light blue


'''A''' can be used to indicate source, means, etc.
===Numerals===




'''Kia ko kee a paiboa.''' - He came from the village.
'''ei''' - one


'''Kia padedu katu a korokutu.''' - He killed the cat with a knife.
'''oa''' - two


'''kore''' - three


'''A''' can be used to mark the standard in a comparison:
'''apa''' - four


'''lima''' - five


'''Huno nea maka a katu.''' - The dog is bigger than the cat.'
'''sesu''' - six


'''sewe''' - seven


==Negations and questions==
'''eto''' - eight


'''niu''' - nine


A clause is negated by '''kuo''':
'''tega''' - ten


'''tegaei''' - eleven (ten one)


'''Katu kuo sewa.''' - The cat is not sleeping
'''tegaoa''' - twelve (ten two)


etc.


A yes/no-question may be formed by rising intonation. To respond to a question, you use ''soo'' for agreement, and ''kuo soo'' or just ''kuo'' for disagreement.




'''Katu sewa?''' - Is the cat sleeping?
'''oa tega''' - twenty (two ten)


'''Soo. Katu sewa.''' - Yes. The cat is sleeping.
'''kore tega''' - thirty (three ten)


''Kuo soo. Katu kuo sewa.'' - No. The cat isn't sleeping.
etc.


'''Katu kuo sewa?''' - Isn't the cat sleeping?


'''Soo. Katu kuo sewa.''' - No. The cat isn't sleeping.


'''Kuo soo. Katu sewa.''' - Yes. The cat is sleeping.
'''apa tegaei''' - forty-one (four ten one)


'''apa tegaoa''' - forty-two (four ten two)


etc.


==Adjectives==




Adjectives go after the words they modify:
'''(ei) huna''' - (one) hundred


'''Katu miti''' - a/the small cat
'''(ei) tusa''' - (one) thousand


'''Huno maka''' - a/the large dog
'''(ei) mirione''' - (one) million


'''(ei) birione''' (one) billion (short scale, like English)


Adjectives as predicates are optionally introduced by the copula ''nea'':
'''(ei) tirione''' (one) trillion




'''Katu (nea) miti''' - The cat is small.


Cardinal numerals are placed before the noun:


Note that katu miti may be ambigious, it can mean either 'the small cat' or 'the cat is small'. Without the copula, one must often rely on context to determine the intended meaning.
'''lima tiaoka''' - five people


'''sesu katu''' - six cats


Another way to introduce adjective predicates is to us a demonstrative or a possessive pronoun:


Ordinal numerals are placed after the noun:


'''Katu miti mi''' - my small cat  vs. '''Katu mi miti''' - My cat is small.


'''Katu miti naa''' - that small cat vs. '''Katu naa miti''' - That cat is small.
'''katu kore''' - the third cat


'''tiaoka oa''' - the second person


There are a couple of ways to form comparisons. One can mark the standard to which something is compared with ''a'':


For 'first', You can use either the numeral '''ei''', or the special word '''mua''':


'''Katu nea miti a huno.''' - The cat is smaller than the dog. (Lit. 'The cat is small from the dog.')


'''kat ei''' - the first cat


Another way is to use two adjacent clauses:
'''kat mua''' - the first cat




'''Katu nea miti huno nea maka.''' - The cat is smaller than the dog. (Lit. 'The cat is small the dog is  big.')
Fractionals are formed with '''osa''' 'part' + numeral:




To express that something is ''as (adj.) as ...'':
'''osakore''' - (a) third


'''ei osakore''' - one third


'''Katu nea maka huno.''' - The cat is as big as the dog.
'''oa osakore''' - two thirds


'''ei osatega''' - one tenth


==Possession==
===Family===




The possessor is placed after the possessum:
'''hami''' - family


'''hamiaka''' - extended family, kin


'''katu mi''' - my cat
'''aba''' - father, uncle


'''huno ota''' - (the) father's dog
'''ama''' - mother, aunt


'''katu ota mi''' my father's cat
'''bote''' - brother, male cousin


'''siso''' - sister, female cousin


===Predicative possession===
==See also==




'''Katu naa nea katu mi.''' That cat is mine (Lit. 'That cat is my cat.')
[[Waa-English dictionary]]


'''Nea katu mi.''' That cat is mine. ('There a cat of mine')




Latest revision as of 02:32, 9 May 2025





Leopardcivilflag.png
Waa
Pronounced: waː, wɑ:
Typology
Morphological type: analytic
Morphosyntactic alignment: ergative
Basic word order: VSO, OVS, SVO
Credits
Creator: Xing

Waa is a constructed language. A large part of its vocabulary is derived from English, or a selection of other languages.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar or glottal
Voiceless stops p t k
Voiced stops b d
Voiceless fricatives s h
Nasals m n ŋ
Trills r
Glides w j


/j/ is written y, and /ŋ/ g. Otherwise, the phonemes follow their 'expected' spelling according to the IPA.

Vowels

Front Back
Close i u
Mid e o
Open a~ɑ

Basic Phrases

There is no distinction between singular and plural, or between definite and indefinite forms, nor are there any other inflections of the noun.


katu - a cat, the cat, (some) cats, the cat,s etc.

huno - a dog, the dog, (some) dogs, the dogs, etc.


Adjectives and other modifying expressions follow the noun:


katu witu - a/the white cat(s)

cat white

huno maka - a/the large dog(s)

dog large

Pronouns

mi I

yu you (singular)

te he, she, it

tenaa that one

tenei thisone

miera we

yuera you (plural)

teera they

teeranaa those ones

teeranei these ones



ei tiaoka - somebody (lit. 'one person')

ei mea - something (lit. 'one thing')

ei osa - some amount (lit. 'one part')


Simple clauses

One basic - though not the only - word-order is S.V.O. - Subject - Verb - Object.


Katu e sewa. - The cat is sleeping. The cat will sleep.

cat NPST sleep

Katu ta sewa. - The cat was sleeping.

cat PST sleep

Katu ta itu muso. - The cat ate the mouse.

cat PST eat mouse


Embedded clauses

Relative clauses are introduced by ae:


Katu ae mi kopa. - The cat that I bought.

cat that 1s buy

Katu ae bita kia. - The cat that bit her.


Complement clauses are introduced by ge:


Mi ta siu ge kia kopa katu. - I saw that he bought the cat.

1s PST see that 3s buy cat

Mi wae ge kia kopa katu. - I want him to buy the cat.

1s want that 3s buy cat


Prepositions

There are two basic, simple prepositions: a 'of', 'by', 'from', and i 'in', 'on', 'at', 'to'.


katu a kia - his cat

cat GEN 3s

Katu ta kee a huso. - The cat came from the house.

cat PST come ABL hous

Kia ta padedu katu a hama. - He killed the cat with the hammer.

3s PST kill cat INSTR hammer

Katu ta kou i rumohaya. - The cat went to the kitchen.

cat PST go DAT kitchen

Kia ta ruko i yu. - She looked at you.

3s PST look DAT 2s

Katu e nea i tebo. - The cat is on the table.

cat NPST be LOC table



These can be combined with locational and other nouns to indicate more precise relations.



Lexicon

Colours

kara - colour

raku - black

witu - white

rei - grey

beu - blue

rinu - green

redu - red

yero - yellow

runo - brown


beuraku - dark blue, black-blue

beuwitu - light blue

Numerals

ei - one

oa - two

kore - three

apa - four

lima - five

sesu - six

sewe - seven

eto - eight

niu - nine

tega - ten

tegaei - eleven (ten one)

tegaoa - twelve (ten two)

etc.


oa tega - twenty (two ten)

kore tega - thirty (three ten)

etc.


apa tegaei - forty-one (four ten one)

apa tegaoa - forty-two (four ten two)

etc.


(ei) huna - (one) hundred

(ei) tusa - (one) thousand

(ei) mirione - (one) million

(ei) birione (one) billion (short scale, like English)

(ei) tirione (one) trillion


Cardinal numerals are placed before the noun:

lima tiaoka - five people

sesu katu - six cats


Ordinal numerals are placed after the noun:


katu kore - the third cat

tiaoka oa - the second person


For 'first', You can use either the numeral ei, or the special word mua:


kat ei - the first cat

kat mua - the first cat


Fractionals are formed with osa 'part' + numeral:


osakore - (a) third

ei osakore - one third

oa osakore - two thirds

ei osatega - one tenth

Family

hami - family

hamiaka - extended family, kin

aba - father, uncle

ama - mother, aunt

bote - brother, male cousin

siso - sister, female cousin

See also

Waa-English dictionary

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