Waa: Difference between revisions
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''katu'' - a cat, the cat, (some) cats, the cat,s etc. | '''katu''' - a cat, the cat, (some) cats, the cat,s etc. | ||
''huno'' - a dog, the dog, (some) dogs, the dogs, etc. | '''huno''' - a dog, the dog, (some) dogs, the dogs, etc. | ||
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''katu witu'' - a/the white cat(s) | '''katu witu''' - a/the white cat(s) | ||
''huno maka'' - a/the large dog(s) | '''huno maka''' - a/the large dog(s) | ||
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''mi'' I | '''mi''' I | ||
''yu'' you (singular) | '''yu''' you (singular) | ||
''kia'' he, she, it | '''kia''' he, she, it | ||
''miera'' we | '''miera''' we | ||
''yuera'' you (plural) | '''yuera''' you (plural) | ||
''kiaera'' or ''kiakia'' they | '''kiaera''' or '''kiakia''' they | ||
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''katu mi'' - my cat | '''katu mi''' - my cat | ||
''huno kia'' - her/his dog | '''huno kia''' - her/his dog | ||
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''Katu sewa.'' The cat is sleeping | '''Katu sewa.''' The cat is sleeping | ||
''Mi kopa katu'' I'm buying the cat | '''Mi kopa katu''' I'm buying the cat | ||
Adjectives can serve as predicates. There are optionally introduced by the copula ''nea'' 'to be': | Adjectives can serve as predicates. There are optionally introduced by the copula '''nea'' 'to be': | ||
''Katu witu.'' Or: ''Katu nea witu'' - The cat is white. | '''Katu witu.''' Or: '''Katu nea witu''' - The cat is white. | ||
''Nea'' can also introduce prepositional phrases as predicates: | '''Nea''' can also introduce prepositional phrases as predicates: | ||
''Katu nea i tebo.'' - The cat is on the table | '''Katu nea i tebo.''' - The cat is on the table | ||
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''Katu ko sewa.'' - The cat slept. | '''Katu ko sewa.''' - The cat slept. | ||
''Mi ko kopa katu.'' - I bought the cat. | '''Mi ko kopa katu.''' - I bought the cat. | ||
''Katu ko nea witu.'' - The cat was white. | '''Katu ko nea witu.''' - The cat was white. | ||
''Katu ko nea i tebo.'' - The cat was on the table. | '''Katu ko nea i tebo.''' - The cat was on the table. | ||
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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 main prepositions in Waa: the dative/locative '''i''', and the ablative/instrumental '''a'''. They can have a variety of meanings, depending on the context. | ||
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''I'' can be used to indicate various form of (spatial) location, as well as goal, destination or recipient. | '''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 | '''katu i tebo''' - the cat on the table | ||
''rumo i huso'' - the room(s) in the house | '''rumo i huso''' - the room(s) in the house | ||
''tebo i rumoitu'' - the table in the dining room | '''tebo i rumoitu''' - the table in the dining room | ||
''Tebo nea i rumoitu.'' - The table is in the dining room. | '''Tebo nea i rumoitu.''' - The table is in the dining room. | ||
''Tuku meku i kapikulu.'' - Put the milk in the fridge. | '''Tuku meku i kapikulu.''' - Put the milk in the fridge. | ||
''Kiwe buku i mi.'' - Give me the book. | '''Kiwe buku i mi.''' - Give me the book. | ||
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''A'' can be used to indicate source, means, etc. | '''A''' can be used to indicate source, means, etc. | ||
''Kia ko kee a paiboa.'' - He came from the village. | '''Kia ko kee a paiboa.''' - He came from the village. | ||
''Kia padedu katu a korokutu.'' - He killed the cat with a knife. | '''Kia padedu katu a korokutu.''' - He killed the cat with a knife. | ||
''A'' can be used to mark the standard in a comparison: | '''A''' can be used to mark the standard in a comparison: | ||
''Huno nea maka a katu.'' - The dog is bigger than the cat.' | '''Huno nea maka a katu.''' - The dog is bigger than the cat.' | ||
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A clause is negated by ''kuo'': | A clause is negated by '''kuo''': | ||
''Katu kuo sewa.'' - The cat is not sleeping | '''Katu kuo sewa.''' - The cat is not sleeping | ||
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''Katu sewa?'' - Is the cat sleeping? | '''Katu sewa?''' - Is the cat sleeping? | ||
''Soo. Katu sewa.'' - Yes. The cat is sleeping. | '''Soo. Katu sewa.''' - Yes. The cat is sleeping. | ||
''Kuo soo. Katu kuo sewa.'' - No. The cat isn't sleeping. | ''Kuo soo. Katu kuo sewa.'' - No. The cat isn't sleeping. | ||
''Katu kuo sewa?'' - Isn't the cat sleeping? | '''Katu kuo sewa?''' - Isn't the cat sleeping? | ||
''Soo. Katu kuo sewa.'' - No. The cat isn't sleeping. | '''Soo. Katu kuo sewa.''' - No. The cat isn't sleeping. | ||
'''Kuo soo. Katu sewa.''' - Yes. The cat is sleeping. | |||
==Adjectives== | |||
Adjectives go after the words they modify: | |||
'''Katu miti''' - a/the small cat | |||
'''Huno maka''' - a/the large dog | |||
Adjectives as predicates are optionally introduced by the copula ''nea'': | |||
'''Katu (nea) miti''' - The cat is small. | |||
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. | |||
Another way to introduce adjective predicates is to us a demonstrative or a possessive pronoun: | |||
'''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. | |||
There are a couple of ways to form comparisons. One can mark the standard to which something is compared with ''a'': | |||
'''Katu nea miti a huno.''' - The cat is smaller than the dog. (Lit. 'The cat is small from the | |||
Revision as of 00:10, 29 March 2025
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|---|---|
| Waa | |
| Pronounced: | waː, wɑ: |
| Typology | |
| Morphological type: | analytic |
| Morphosyntactic alignment: | neutral |
| Basic word order: | SVO |
| Credits | |
| Creator: | |
Waais a constructed language.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voiceless stops | p | t | k | |
| Voiced stops | b | d | ||
| Nasals | m | n | ŋ | |
| Taps/flaps/trills | r~ɾ | |||
| 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 |
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
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)
huno maka - a/the large dog(s)
Pronouns
mi I
yu you (singular)
kia he, she, it
miera we
yuera you (plural)
kiaera or kiakia they
A pronoun placed right after a noun can serve as a possessive pronoun:
katu mi - my cat
huno kia - her/his dog
Simple clauses
The basic word-order is SVO, or just SV in intransitive clauses:
Katu sewa. The cat is sleeping
Mi kopa katu I'm buying the cat
Adjectives can serve as predicates. There are optionally introduced by the copula 'nea 'to be':
Katu witu. Or: Katu nea witu - The cat is white.
Nea can also introduce prepositional phrases as predicates:
Katu nea i tebo. - The cat is on the table
There is a past tense particle ko:
Katu ko sewa. - The cat slept.
Mi ko kopa katu. - I bought the cat.
Katu ko nea witu. - The cat was white.
Katu ko nea i tebo. - The cat was on the table.
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.
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
rumo i huso - the room(s) in the house
tebo i rumoitu - the table in the dining room
Tebo nea i rumoitu. - The table is in the dining room.
Tuku meku i kapikulu. - Put the milk in the fridge.
Kiwe buku i mi. - Give me the book.
The instrumental/ablative
A can be used to indicate source, means, etc.
Kia ko kee a paiboa. - He came from the village.
Kia padedu katu a korokutu. - He killed the cat with a knife.
A can be used to mark the standard in a comparison:
Huno nea maka a katu. - The dog is bigger than the cat.'
Negations and questions
A clause is negated by kuo:
Katu kuo sewa. - The cat is not sleeping
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?
Soo. Katu sewa. - Yes. The cat is sleeping.
Kuo soo. Katu kuo sewa. - No. The cat isn't sleeping.
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.
Adjectives
Adjectives go after the words they modify:
Katu miti - a/the small cat
Huno maka - a/the large dog
Adjectives as predicates are optionally introduced by the copula nea:
Katu (nea) miti - The cat is small.
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.
Another way to introduce adjective predicates is to us a demonstrative or a possessive pronoun:
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.
There are a couple of ways to form comparisons. One can mark the standard to which something is compared with a:
Katu nea miti a huno. - The cat is smaller than the dog. (Lit. 'The cat is small from the
