BASIC SYNTAX AND DEMONSTRATIVES
In this section, the following abbreviations will be used: S for noun, L for locative, A for adjective, N for numeral, C for connective, D for demonstrative, P for possessive, V for verb, I for infinitive, R for relative clause, E for general clause, and F for a miscellaneous form.
Cardinal Numbers
The basic numbers in Kisimbi are
ukádundu (0),
móli/
mo (1),
báli (2),
tátu (3),
náji/
na (4),
sáono (5),
tandátu (6),
sambáli (7),
náona (8),
búja (9),
dóngo (10),
káma (100),
kútu (1,000),
sao (10,000),
kasa (100,000), and
kaka (1,000,000). All take on the prefix forms of their related nouns, for example
jambá jináji 'four elephants',
kúmu bakútu 'a thousand chiefs'. Note the lack of plural forms on the main noun; this is another thing lost from Old Kibungo, where they were necessary. Also note that all numbers above a thousand were borrowings from Wasiketian (i.e. *Ancient Egyptian).
The Locative Forms
There are three locative prefixes used in Kisimbi, and each is added on to the plainest possible form of the word.*
Pa- could be called an inessive of sorts, with the meaning 'on, at, in', for example
Mia paOsimbi 'in Usimbi'.
Ku- is more of an abessive or ablative, with the meaning 'from, away from', for example
Mia kwOsimbi 'I'm from Usimbi'.
Mu- is the illative or adessive, with the meaning 'to, within, into', for example
Mia mwOsimbi 'I'm going into Usimbi'.
Mugéndele pawá and
Mugéndele muá both mean 'I travelled in the jungle (to get here)', but the former means that one travelled within the confines of the jungle for much or most of the journey, while the latter means that one had to enter the jungle in order to get to wherever one is at the moment.
*For prefixes in
mu-, those of classes 1, 3, and 4, the class prefix becomes a harmonized N and the
mu- prefix takes precedent. The
N- prefix from Class 9 is completely lost. Context is more than likely to clear out any ensuing problems.
Connectives
Connectives are the most common method, even to this day, of forming
genitive constructions. The structure is [Noun
1] [Prep.Prefix
1]-a-[Nom.Prefix
2.Noun
2], for example
góro jiamukumu 'the chief's quagga' or
gúru kaongú 'the sheep's leg' (*ka-a-n-gu). Note that this can be extended to locative constructions as well, and this is often found in archaic names for places, for example
Kéno muamuTítu 'the Temple in the Forest'. (Trust me, you
really want to avoid that one.)
Connectives are also used to form
ordinal numbers, for example
Jamba jiaNsaono 'the Fifth Elephant'.
There is also what is terms the
weaker or
modern genitive, which is just the apposition of two nouns, both prefixed, for example
ngoro mukumu 'the chief's quagga'.
Nominal Groups
Nominal groups--that is, collections of words acting in concert with a central noun--tend to follow the pattern SCAN, that is noun-connective-adjective-numeral. For example:
Type | Example | Translation |
S | Seke | "[the] octopus" |
SC | Seke jiamukwá | "the Occupant's octopus" |
SA | Seke jisáru | "the clever octopus" |
SN | Seke jináona | "[the] eight octopodes" |
SCA | Seke jiamukwa jisaru | "the Occupant's clever octopus" |
SCN | Seke jiamukwa jinaona | "the Occupant's eight octopodes" |
SAN | Seke jisaru jinaona | "the eight clever octopodes" |
SCAN | Seke jiamukwa jisaru jinaona | "the Occupant's eight clever octopodes" |
Doubtless there will be those wondering how to phrase it if three cold Occupants have eight clever octopodes. The answer is relatively simple: embed any qualities pertaining to the connective construction within the sentence in its proper place, thus:
seke jiabakwa balíli batátu jisaru jinaona, 'the three cold Occupants' eight clever octopodes'. Locatives are placed at the end of the entire construction.
Verbal Groups
Generally syntax in Kisimbi is Subject-Verb-Object, a great saving if you're an Anglophone by birth. There are, however, a few more constructions one can attempt with verbs, for example VS (verb-object), VL (verb-locative), VSS (verb-indirect-direct), VSL (verb-object-locative), VI (verb-infinitive--more often than not followed by a noun or a locative), and VE (verb-clause, where E may be any of the above forms).
Demonstratives
Kisimbi has four separate demonstrative constructions; the
proximal (for items near to both parties, loosely translated as "this"), the
egocentric (for items closer to the speaker than the listener, also translated as "this"), the
alterocentric (for items farther from the speaker and possibly closer to the listener, loosely translated as "that"), and the
distal (some distance from both parties or from the last object, translated as "that," "yon," or "that other").
Base Class | Proximal | Egocentric | Alterocentric | Distal |
1 "Mu-" | Uju | Junáo | Ujuó | Julí |
2 "Ba-" | Aba | Banáo | Abáo | Balí |
3 "Mu-/M-" | Ugu | Gunáo | Umuó | Gulí |
4 "Mu-/M-" | Igi | Gináo | Igió | Gilí |
5 "Di-/J-" | Ili | Dináo | Ilió | Dilí |
6 "Ma-" | Ama | Manáo | Amáo | Malí |
7 "Ki-/S-" | Iki | Kináo | Isó | Kilí |
8 "Bi-/W-" | Iwi | Bináo | Iwó | Bilí |
9 "N-" | Iji | Jináo | Ijó | Jilí |
10 "I-/Y-" | Iji | Jináo | Ijó | Jilí |
11 "Du-" | Uru | Dunáo | Uró | Dulí |
12 "Ka-" | Aka | Kanáo | Akáo | Kalí |
13 "Tu-" | Utu | Tunáo | Utuó | Tulí |
14 "U-/W-" | Wo | Unáo | Wo | Ulí |
19 "Pi-/F-" | Ipi | Pináo | Ifó | Pilí |
Curiously, the same has applied in the past to the four personal pronouns; yogis have often spoken of needing to find balance
muimí/
muiwé 'within myself/yourself'.
These can be used to shorten sentences exponentially. For example, here are nine versions of the same sentence, with words lopped off as context becomes clearer:
Babákile jao pabungo "they built a bridge on the beach"
Bajibakile pabungo or
babakile iji pabungo "they built it on the beach"
Bapabakile jao or
babakile jao dilí "they built the bridge somewhere"
Bapajibakile or
bapabakile iji or
bajibakile dilí or
babakile iji dilí "they built it somewhere"
Vocabulary
-díli 'cold'
Góro (9/10) 'quagga' (*godo)
Gu (9/10) 'sheep' (*gú)
Gúnda (3/4) 'garden, orchard' (*gʊ̀ndà)
Gúru (12/6) 'leg' (*gudu)
Jambá (9/10) 'elephant' (*jàmbá)
Kéno (3/4) 'temple, chapel' (Wasiketian *ħunaw)
Kúmu (1/2) 'chief' (*kúmú)
-sáru 'clever' (*sád-u)
Símbi (9/10) 'iron' (*ncímbi)
Títu 'forest, jungle' (*títú)
Usímbi (14) 'Iron-Land, Usimbi'
Wa (7/8) 'jungle' (*bɪ̀dà)