A Yao Grammar |
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Common terms and phrases
achimwene adjective akuno ambuje asyene atati Bantu languages brother Chambone changing the final chenene chichi chilo chindu chitipa ChiYao chuku Class Characteristic class prefix clothes conj EXERCISE formed by prefixing gatatu gawili kwisa iyoyo kamula kusyene kutama kuti kuwa Kwalini kwangali kwapi kweleko Kwende kwisa kwisa msano lambile lelo lichinga lijela likumi litala look lyuwa machila maize majela malawi masengo mbiya mbone mbugu mbwa mcheche meaning mesi mitela mnope mowa mowa gosepe mpela Msungu mundu musi mwanache nambo namuno negative neut ng'ombe ngapagwa nguo ngusaka Ngwamba nipo noun nyama nyumba pakuti panandi pasi person plural prep pron pronoun rain sambano singular sister soni stem subjunctive suffix Swah Swahili syllable tense trans Translate into ChiYao Translate into English ugali umwe usile verb village vowel wakwe wandu WaYao welewo weni winji words wosepe yakulya
Popular passages
Page 4 - The initial / sound is produced by placing the tip of the tongue against the teeth ridge; when medial, the entire tongue comes into action. Between vowels, I is often dropped, jcgongo for ja ligongo.
Page 98 - The meaning of a verb may be reversed by changing the final -a into -ula, -ukula, or -ikula : — eg kwinama, to stoop.
Page vii - Since the first edition of this book was published I have had the opportunity of visiting Yaoland proper, in Portuguese East Africa and the country north of the Rovuma.
Page 44 - That" (near) is formed from the preceding by changing the final vowel into -o, except -li and -si, which become -lyo and -syo. Class I. ajo Class II. awo III. awo IV. ajo Na (" and," " with ") may be prefixed to these forms— eg nawo, nasyo, nago, etc., and they, with them.
Page 6 - ... poetry, where vowel length is often indicated by the meter (see pp. 274-288). Classifying Vowels 3.2. Vowels may differ from one another in quantity (ie length), quality, or both. They are classified as regards quality chiefly by three factors taken together: the degree of openness o'f the oral cavity, the position of the tongue, and the shape of the lips. In fuller detail: 1 ) The cavity may be slightly open, half open, or wide open: the vowels produced are accordingly high, mid, or low (compare...
Page 104 - It looks best at the end of the rainy season and at the beginning of the dry season when the water is high.
Page 6 - ... samples taken in different parts of the room and at different levels. A very good idea of the direction taken by the incoming air can also be obtained by the use of fumes of nascent muriate of ammonia, as above described. In considering the distribution which will probably take place in a given plan, care should be taken not to fall into the common error of supposing that because pure carbonic acid gas is heavier than air, therefore the carbonic acid derived from respiration sinks to the floor,...
Page 18 - HH Johnston, A Comparative Study of the Bantu and Semi Bantu Languages (London, 1923), n, 421.