Waa: Difference between revisions

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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]]}}


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   | ŋ
   | ŋ
   |-
   |-
   ! Taps/flaps/trills
   ! Trills
   |
   |
   | r~l
   | r
   |
   |
   |
   |
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'''kat''' - a cat, the cat, (some) cats, the cat,s etc.
'''katu''' - a cat, the cat, (some) cats, the cat,s etc.


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




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'''kat wit''' - a/the white cat(s)
'''katu witu''' - a/the white cat(s)


cat white
cat white


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


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


==Simple clauses==
==Simple clauses==




The basic word-order is SVO, or just SV in intransitive clauses. Present and future (non-past) tense is marked by '''me''', past tense by '''ta''':
One basic - though not the only - word-order is S.V.O. - Subject - Verb - Object.




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


cat NPST sleep
cat NPST sleep


'''Kat ta sewa.''' - The cat slept
'''Katu ta sewa.''' - The cat was sleeping.


cat PST sleep
cat PST sleep


'''Mi me kopa kat''' I'm buying the cat
'''Katu ta itu muso.''' - The cat ate the mouse.
 
1 NPST buy cat
 
'''Mi ta kopa kat.''' - I bought a cat.
 
1s PST buy cat
 
 
Adjectives can serve as predicates. There are optionally introduced by the copula '''nea'' 'to be':
 


'''Kat wit.''' Or: '''Kat nea wit''' - The cat is white.
cat PST eat mouse


cat white        cat be white


==Embedded clauses==


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


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


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


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


cat that 1s buy


'''Nea''' is optional when it comes to nominal predicates:
'''Katu ae bita kia.''' - The cat that bit her.


'''Kia tiatis.''' - He is a teacher.


3s person:teach
Complement clauses are introduced by '''ge''':


'''Kia nea tiatis.''' - He is a teacher.


3s be person:teach
'''Mi ta siu ge kia kopa katu.''' - I saw that he bought the cat.


==The copula==
1s PST see that 3s buy cat


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


The copula '''nea''' can typically be left out. An adjective, verb, noun, or prepositional phrase following the verb may be interpreted as either a predicate or a modifier, depending on the context. The copula is used when one needs to make unambiguous that the following phrase is a predicate.
1s want that 3s buy cat


'''Katu witu''' - the cat is white, or: the white cat.
'''Katu nea witu''' - The cat is white.
'''Huno i huso''' - The dog in the house, or: the dog is on the house.
'''Huno nea i huso''' - The dog is in the house.
The past tense particle '''ta''' can be used with the copula:
'''Katu ta nea witu.''' - The cat was white.
'''Huno ta nea i huso.''' - The dog was in the house.


==Prepositions==
==Prepositions==




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'.
 
 
 
===The dative/locative===
 
 
 
 
'''I''' can be used to indicate various form of (spatial) location, as well as goal, destination or recipient.
 
 
'''katu i tebo''' - the cat on the table
 
cat LOC table
 
'''mane i huso''' - the room(s) in the house
 
mane LOC house
 
'''tebo i rumoitu''' - the table in the dining room
 
table LOC room:eat
 
'''Tebo nea i rumoitu.''' - The table is in the dining room.
 
table be LOC room:eat
 
'''Tuko mele i kapikuro.''' - Put the milk in the fridge.
 
put milk DAT box:cool
 
'''Kiwe buko i mi.''' - Give me the book.
 
give book DAT 1s


'''Teera ta kou i paiboa.''' - They went to the village


1:PL go DAT place:live
'''katu a kia''' - his cat


'''Huno me sewa i roo.''' - The dog is sleeping on the floor.
cat GEN 3s


===The genitive/instrumental/ablative===
'''Katu ta kee a huso.''' - The cat came from the house.


cat PST come ABL hous


'''A''' indicates the genitive, indicating ownership, part-whole relationships, etc.
'''Kia ta padedu katu a hama.''' - He killed the cat with the hammer.


3s PST kill cat INSTR hammer


'''katu a teera''' - their cat
'''Katu ta kou i rumohaya.''' - The cat went to the kitchen.


cat GEN 3:PL
cat PST go DAT kitchen


'''kemaka a hun''' - the size of the dog
'''Kia ta ruko i yu.''' - She looked at you.


size GEN dog
3s PST look DAT 2s


'''muro a huso''' - the walls of the house
'''Katu e nea i tebo.''' - The cat is on the table.


wall GEN house
cat NPST be LOC table


'''osa a dei''' - a part of the day


part GEN day






'''A''' can also be used to indicate source, means, etc.
These can be combined with locational and other nouns to indicate more precise relations.




'''Te ta kee a paiboa.''' - He came from the village.


3s PST come ABL place:live
'''Te ta padedu katu a korokuto.''' - He killed the cat with a knife.
3 PST cause:dead cat INSTR tool:cut
===Compound prepositions===
The simple prepositions '''i''' and '''a''' can be combined with other words to indicate more precise relationships, with '''i''' usually indicating location or destination, and '''a''' departing point or path.
'''i apo''' - 'on', 'above'
'''i roka''' - 'inside', 'into'
'''i puri''' - 'under', 'beneath'
'''a apo''' - 'from above', 'through above'
'''a roka''' - 'from inside', 'through the inside of'
'''a puri''' - 'from beneath', 'passing under'
==Negations and questions==
A clause is negated by '''ku''':
'''Kat ku sewa.''' - The cat is not sleeping
cat NEG sleep
A yes/no-question may be formed by rising intonation. To respond to a question, you use '''ye''' for agreement, and '''kuye''' or just '''ku''' for disagreement.
'''Katu sewa?''' - Is the cat sleeping?
cat sleep
'''Ye. Katu sewa.''' - Yes. The cat is sleeping.
agree cat sleep
'''Ku. Katu ku sewa.''' - No. The cat isn't sleeping.
NEG cat NEG sleep
'''Kuye. Katu ku sewa.'''
NEG:agree cat NEG sleep
'''Katu ku sewa?''' - Isn't the cat sleeping?
cat NEG sleep
'''Ye. Kat ku sewa.''' - No. The cat isn't sleeping.
agree cat NEG sleep
'''Ku. Katu sewa.''' - Yes. The cat is sleeping.
NEG cat sleep
'''Kuye. Katu sewa.''' - Yes. The cat is sleeping.
NEG.agree cat sleep
'''Ku''' can also be used with adjectives or nouns:
'''ku bono''' - no good, not good
NEG good
'''ku katu''' - no cat(s)
NEG cat
'''ku mene''' - no one, nobody (lit. 'no person')
NEG person
==Adjectives==
Adjectives go after the words they modify:
'''Kat miti''' - a/the small cat
cat small
'''Hun maka''' - a/the large dog
dog large
Adjectives as predicates are optionally introduced by the copula ''nea'':
'''Kat (nea) miti''' - The cat is small.
cat (be) small
Note that katu miti may be ambiguous, 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.
Comparisons are formed with the preposition '''i meso a''':
'''Kat nea miti i meso a hun.''' - The cat is smaller than the dog.
cat be small DAT measure GEN dog
==Possession==
The possessor is placed after the possessum:
'''kat a mi''' - my cat
cat GEN 1s
'''hun a ota''' - (the) father's dog
dog GEN father
'''kat a ota a mi''' my father's cat
cat GEN father GEN 1s
===Predicative possession===
'''Kat naa nea a mi.''' That cat is mine
cat that be GEN 1s
'''Nea kat a mi.''' I have a cat. ('There is a cat of mine')
be cat GEN 1s
==Relative clauses==
Relative clauses are introduced with the particle '''ae''':
'''Man ae kopa kat.''' - The man that bought the cat.
man REL buy cat
'''Kat ae kia kopa.''' - The cat that he bought.
cat REL 3s buy
The past tense particle '''ta''' need not be used in the relative clause.
If the relativized noun is introduced by a preposition - '''i''' or '''a''' - it must be represented by a pronoun in the relative clause:
'''Korokut ae kia paded kat a kia. - The knife that he killed the cat with.
tool:cut REL 3s cause:dead cat INSTR 3s
'''Man ae mi kiwe kat i kia.''' - The man that I gave the cat to.
man REL 1s give cat DAT 3s
Prepositional stranding is not allowed:
'''*Man ae mi kiwe kat i.'''
man REL 1s give cat DAT
==Complement clauses==
Complement clauses are introduced by the conjunction '''ge''' 'that':
'''Mi ta siu ge kia kopa kat.''' - I saw that he bought the cat.
1s PST see CONJ 3s buy cat
'''Mi ta ku wita ge kia redi sel kat.''' - I didn't know he had (already) sold the cat.
1s PST NEG know CONJ 2s PRF sell cat
==Adverbial clauses==
Temporal adverbial clauses can bi introduced by '''beo''' 'before', '''ata''' 'after' and '''sima''' while', 'when', 'at the same time as':
'''Te ta kee beo mi kou.''' - 'He arrived before I left.
3s PST come before 1 go
'''Te ta kee ata mi kou.''' - 'He arrived after I had left.'
3s PST come after 1s leave
'''Te ta kee sima mi it.''' - 'He arrived when I was eating'
3s PST come while 1s eat
==Auxiliary verbs==
'''Mi wae kopa kat.''' - I want to by a cat.
1s want buy cat
'''Mi kae kopa kat.''' - I can buy a cat
1s can buy cat
'''Mi nae kopa kat.''' - I must/have to buy a cat
1s must buy cat
'''Mi mae kopa kat.''' - I may (am permitted to) buy a cat.
1s may buy cat
'''Mi sae kopa kat''' - I must (am morally obligted to) buy a cat.
1s must buy cat
==The prefix pa-==
The prefix '''pa-''' can be attached to certain verbs to render a causative meaning. It can turn an intransitive verb into a transitive one:
'''pa''' + '''kou''' ('to go') -> '''pakou''' - to lead
'''pa''' + '''rera''' ('to learn') -> '''parera''' - to teach
It can be attached to adjectives:
'''pa''' + '''wit''' ('white') -> '''pawit''' to make white, to bleach
==The prefix ke-==
The prefix '''ke-''' has a couple of functions. It can be added to verbs, to form nouns indicating what would typically be the result of the event described by the verb:
'''ke''' + '''rita''' ('to write') -> '''kerita''' - letter, (piece of) writing.
'''ke''' + '''rima''' ('to dream') -> '''kerima''' - dream
'''ke''' + '''tig''' ('to think') -> '''ketig''' 'thought'
It can form passive participles:
'''tiki kerai''' - fried chicken
chicken PASS.fry
'''tiki nea kerai''' - the chicken is/was fried
chicken be PASS.fry
'''Tiki nea kerai a mane''' - The chicken is being fried by the man.
chicken be PASS.fry man
It can be attached to adjectives to form abstract nouns:
'''ke''' + '''biu''' (beautiful, good-looking) -> '''kebiu''' - beauty (in the sense of an abstract quality, rather than 'a beautiful person', which would be '''tiabiu''' or '''tiaoka biu''')
==Reflexive clauses==
The reflexive pronoun is '''se''':
'''Te ta ruk i se''' - He looked at himself.
3s PST look DAT REFL
'''Teera ta ruk i se''' - They looked at themselves.
3:PL PST look DAT REFL
'''Se''' need not refer to a third person subject. It can just as well refer back to a first or second person subject, corresponding to 'myself', 'ourselves', 'yourself', or 'yourselves' in English:
'''Mi ta ruk i se.''' - I looked at myself.
1s PST look DAT REFL
The reciprocal pronoun is '''seoa''':
'''Teera ta ruk i seoa.''' - They looked at each other.
3.PL PST look DAT RECP




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'''kara''' - colour
'''kara''' - colour


'''rak''' - black
'''raku''' - black


'''wit''' - white
'''witu''' - white


'''rei''' - grey
'''rei''' - grey
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'''beu''' - blue
'''beu''' - blue


'''rin''' - green
'''rinu''' - green


'''red''' - red
'''redu''' - red


'''yero''' - yellow
'''yero''' - yellow


'''run''' - brown
'''runo''' - brown




'''beurak''' - dark blue, black-blue
'''beuraku''' - dark blue, black-blue
 
'''beuwit''' - light blue


'''beuwitu''' - light blue


===Numerals===
===Numerals===
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'''lima''' - five
'''lima''' - five


'''ses''' - six
'''sesu''' - six


'''sewe''' - seven
'''sewe''' - seven
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'''apa tegaei''' - forty-one (four ten one)
'''apa tegaei''' - forty-one (four ten one)


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


etc.
etc.
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'''(ei) tusa''' - (one) thousand
'''(ei) tusa''' - (one) thousand


'''(ei) mirion''' - (one) million
'''(ei) mirione''' - (one) million


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


'''(ei) tirion''' (one) trillion
'''(ei) tirione''' (one) trillion




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'''lima tiaoka''' - five people
'''lima tiaoka''' - five people


'''ses kat''' - six cats
'''sesu katu''' - six cats




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'''kat kore''' - the third cat
'''katu kore''' - the third cat


'''tiaoka oa''' - the second person
'''tiaoka oa''' - the second person
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'''ei osatega''' - one tenth
'''ei osatega''' - one tenth


 
===Family===
==Family==




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


==See also==
==See also==

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