Singular and Plural Nouns
There are three ways that nouns have singular and plural forms. They can add a suffix to the singular form as in tinnä ‘witchdoctor’. They can add a suffix to the plural form as in dirani ‘bracelets’. They can also add suffixes to both the singular and plural form as in dïïn ‘bird’ and dïïrgä ‘birds’.
Three ways of forming singular and plural nouns | ||||
Singular suffix | Root | Plural suffix | ||
-nä/ | ṭinnä | ṭir | ṭir | witchdoctor |
/-ni | dira | dira | dirani | bracelet |
-n/-gä | dïïn | dïïr- | dïïrgä | bird |
The following are the most common singular suffixes.
Singular suffixes | |||||
Root vowel | |||||
change ? | Singular | Plural | |||
-nä/ | no | 11 | ṭinnä | ṭir | witchdoctor |
-ccan/ | no | 4 | päkcan | päk | sorghum |
-n/ | no | 1 | men | me | person |
-nnä/ | no | 1 | ṭinnä | ṭir | witchdoctor |
The following are the most common plural suffixes.
Plural suffixes | |||||
Root vowel | |||||
change ? | Singular | Plural | |||
/-ni | no | 86 | dira | dirani | bracelet |
/-kkä[1] | possible | 63 | ñaal | ñalkä | rain |
/-gä | possible | 34 | wïïl | wïlgä | tail |
The following are the most common singular and plural combinations of suffixes.
Combination suffixes | |||||
Root vowel | |||||
change ? | Singular | Plural | |||
-n/-gä | possible | 21 | dïïn | dïïrgä | bird |
-nä/-gä | possible | 13 | äwnä | äwgä | bone |
-n/-kkä | possible | 10 | en | erkä | fruit type |
-gon/-gï | possible | 8 | wuuygon | wüüygï | guide |
-gon/-kkä | possible | 7 | kiingon | kiinkä | slave |
-nä/-dï | no | 6 | kaaynä | kaaydï | clan |
-con/-cäŋgä | possible | 4 | meeṭon | meeṭäŋgä | bridge of nose |
-an/-gä | possible | 4 | ŋiiran | ŋiirgä | rib |
-ccan/-kkä | possible | 4 | deycan | deykä | flower |
-tñan/-gä | possible | 4 | keyñan | keygä | gourd |
-nä/-daŋŋi | no | 4 | kïïmmu | kïïmdaŋŋi | heart |
-n/-gä | possible | 4 | lään | lääygä | animal |
-nañ/-gä | possible | 3 | yimmañ | yïmgä | blood |
-on/-in | no | 3 | wäädon | wäädin | witchdoctor |
-ñ/–kkä | possible | 3 | wiñ | witkä | head |
-ñä/-kkä | no | 2 | muuṭṭu | muurku | string belt, waist cloth |
-ccan/-kkï | no | 2 | ïïlcan | ïïlkï | charcoal |
-ccan/-cäŋgä | possible | 2 | bïïccan | bïcäŋgä | root |
-don/-däŋgä | no | 2 | umdon | umduŋgu | nose |
-gon/-gä | possible | 2 | ṭääŋgon | ṭääŋgä | locust |
-añ/-gä | possible | 2 | ḍäräŋañ | ḍäräŋgä | palate, upper mouth |
-ñä/-jï | possible | 2 | äwñä | äwjï | procupine |
-nä/-kkä | possible | 2 | nïïnnä | nïïnkä | day |
-ṇan/-gä | possible | 2 | wiṇṇan | wingä | rope |
-ṇan/-gä | possible | 2 | guṇṇan | guygu | stone |
-l/-kkä | possible | 2 | yiil | yirkä | field, farm |
-ccä/-cäŋgä | possible | 2 | küccü | kutuŋgu | cc → c |
[1] The suffix –kkä, –ccan, -ṭṭä may have doubled consonants in the underlying form. The plural suffix –kkä results in a different surface form after root-final n in bänkä ‘villages’ than the plural suffix –kä does in jengä ‘trees’. Also, the plural suffix –kkä results in a different surface form after root-final r in erkä ‘fruit type’ than the ovs present suffix –kä does in yoorgu ‘sees’. Also compare the plural suffix –kkä after root-final c in ïckä ‘spoon’ with the ovs present suffix –kä in icä ‘take’. Because the plural suffixes and OVS present suffix may have different underlying forms, they are listed with different spelling –kkä and –kä so that they can be more easily distinguished in this book.