Nasendi Self-Study Course

Lesson 5



Required reading:

Before starting this lesson, you should re-read Chapters 7 and 8 of the reference manual.

New Classifiers:

  -can	separators (mat, fence, carpet, curtain, door, window, shelf,
	  cage, floor, ceiling, roof)
  -toy	antonyms of scalar non-relational states that apply only to
	  humans/sentients (foolish, unfriendly, talkative/garrulous,
	  poor)
  -bu	antonyms of other scalar non-relational states (bad, ugly,
	  smelly, abnormal)
  -fo	antonyms of measurable physical states (cold, short, light,
	  thin, slow, young, cheap, low, short, early)
  -zu	antonyms of vague physical states (small, dry, blunt, weak,
	  dull/colorless, dirty, dark/unlit, cloudy/overcast(?),
	  rough, rare, hard, bitter, quiet)

New Vocabulary:

    povu        - give, bequeath

    candi       - door
    jicandi     - fence
    licandi     - window
    tawcandi    - ceiling
    butawcandi  - floor [of a room]
    tocandi     - wall
    canpyo      - between, betwixt
    cantodi     - hallway, corridor, hall, passageway

    zemi        - we, us
    zepoy       - our

    madi        - something, anything
    bumadi      - nothing, nil, naught

    budo        - bad, undesirable, opposite of good
    jutoydo     - unfriendly, unsociable, hostile
    kontoydo    - foolish, unwise, imprudent, senseless, witless, dumb
    tetoydo     - talkative, garrulous, loquacious, verbose

    fodo        - young, not old
    jinfodo     - cold, of relatively low temperature
    kanfodo     - slow, leisurely, having a low rate of motion or
			activity
    tawfodo     - low, at a relatively small altitude
    tawxedo     - high, elevated, lofty, at a relatively great altitude

    zudo        - small, little, having minimal size
    cazudo      - dry, arid, having atypically low moisture or water
    cinzudo     - weak, feeble, lacking strength
    zujidi      - shed, shack, small utility or storage building

    mave        - because (of)
    maveki      - why [interrogative], for what reason
    pyosude     - to, into, on the way to

    pu          - future-perfect tense-aspect disjunct
    pude        - after, since, subsequent to, once
    pade        - before, prior to, by the time (of)

    xemo        - should, ought to


Grammar:

1. Use the tense-aspect disjunct "pu" to force a verb to be future-perfect:

    Pu konloda sencindi.
    The linguist will teach.

    Pu tada mi cadi.
    I'll want the water.

2. When two verbs are linked by a conjunction, the second verb will have the same tense and aspect as the first verb unless it is explicitly overridden:

    Pi liloda mi pye takonloda Najoncedi.
    I'm reading and John is studying.

but:

    Pi liloda mi pye pu takonloda Najoncedi.
    I'm reading and John will study.

3. The infinitive suffix "-vi" should also be used if the verb follows a conjunction and the subject is the same as the verb it is linked to by the conjunction:

    Pi loda mi pye lokonvi kandi.
    I'm working and thinking about the car.

4. When an adjective is converted to a noun, English usually adds the word "one":

    Pi jutada mi kandi bubyedo.
    I like the black car.

    Pi jutada mi bubyedi.
    I like the black one.

With numbers, however, English does not use "one":

    Pi tada mi gimudi ma.
    I want three.

Note that we must use "ma" above; otherwise, the translation would have been 'I want the three'.

5. We have now introduced all six scalar non-relational state classifiers. Here they are together:

  tin	states that apply only to humans/sentients (wise, friendly,
	  quiet/reticent, wealthy)
  toy	antonyms of states that apply only to humans/sentients (foolish,
	  unfriendly, talkative/garrulous, poor)
  bi	vague physical states without corresponding, commonly used,
	  measure words (big, wet, sharp, strong, fragrant, clean,
	  light/lit, sunny, smooth, common, soft, sweet, loud)
  zu	opposites of vague physical states (small, dry, blunt, weak,
	  smelly, dirty, dark/unlit, cloudy/overcast(?), rough, rare,
	  hard, bitter, quiet)
  xe	measurable physical states with corresponding, commonly used,
	  measure words (hot, tall, heavy, thick, fast, old/aged,
	  expensive, high, long, late)
  fo	opposites of measurable physical states (cold, short, light,
	  thin, slow, young, cheap, low, short, early)
  la	other states - subjective (good, attractive, fragrant, normal)
  bu	antonyms of other states (bad, ugly, smelly, abnormal)

Note that they define three basic categories (vague physical, measurable physical, and other) and each category has both a normal and antonymic classifier.

Note also that these six morphemes are also the six basic polarity semi-roots:

    bi-   'maximally', 'extremely', 'utmost'
    xe-   'very', 'highly'
    la-   'average', 'typical', 'midway'
    fo-   'not too', 'not very'
    zu-   'minimally', 'barely', 'hardly'
    bu-   'opposite/antonym', 'no/none/zero'

We'll see these used quite frequently in future lessons.


Drills (on tape):

    The pilot may have gone to the auditorium.
    Me kanloda tawcedi pyosude bitodi.

    I'll study and you'll be quiet.
    Pu takonloda mi pye tetinda femi.

    The young technicians didn't tell me anything.
    Bume teda nibyacindi fodo mi madi.

    An unfriendly plumber did something to those vehicles.
    Guda cacindi jutoydo ma nicekandi bape.

    Why wasn't the desk near the sofa?
    Bume pyoda konzwedi bizwedi maveki?

    There will be a lot of wise people at the waterfall.
    Pu fida cedi kontindo xemu ma pyo cajindi.

    Why are the floor and the walls wet?
    Pi cabida maveki butawcandi pye nitocandi?

    I saw the cats before I saw the dogs.
    Lida mi nijijudi pade lida mi nijudi.

    I'm telling you that that chair is cold.
    Pi teda mi femi pi jinfoda zwedi bape.

    We should have moved our bicycles into the shed.
    Xemo topyovu zemi nifekandi zepoy zujidi.

    Did you give the painter the hot water?
    Meki povu femi byecindi cadi jinxedo?

    One car was slow and three were fast.
    Kanfoda kandi camu ma pye kanxeda gimudi ma.

    The fire fighters are painting in the classroom.
    Pi byeloda nijincedi pyo kontodi.

    I'll think about the truck after I cook.
    Pu lokonda mi lokandi pude jinloda mi.

    You want a telephone because you're talkative.
    Pi tada femi tebyadi ma mave pi tetoyda femi.

    Some bad students are coloring Mary's tables.
    Pi byevyu nitakoncedi budo ma nilozwedi po Naryacedi.

	[Note that "byevyu" literally means 'to make colored'
	or 'to cause to have color'.]

    There's nothing in working order in the garage.
    Pi fida bumadi cinfido topyo kanjidi.

    John doesn't like the bathroom because of the low
      ceiling.
    Bume pi jutada Najoncedi catodi mave tawcandi tawfodo.

    The teacher taught in the bus on the way to the library.
    Konloda koncindi topyo bikandi pyosude konjidi.

    We'll have four small rooms in the house for the
      linguists.
    Pu posa zemi todi zudo jomu ma topyo jidi mase
      nisencindi.

    I didn't have you lift the television because you're
      weak.
    Bume fivyu mi tawguda femi libyadi mave pi cinzuda femi.

    The chef is building something in the kitchen.
    Pi figuda jincindi madi topyo jintodi.

    I want the black car because the yellow one doesn't
      work.
    Pi tada mi kandi bubyedo mave bume pi cinfida jinbyedi.

    The foolish birds are flying above that old skyscraper.
    Pi tawloda nicetawdi kontoydo tawpyo tawjidi xedo bape.

    You should have built a fence between those two
      buildings.
    Xemo figuda femi jicandi ma canpyo nicejidi femu bape.

    The hallway has two high windows and five big doors.
    Pi posa cantodi licandi tawxedo femu ma pye candi bido
      lumu ma.

    We're angry at the plumber because our building isn't
      dry.
    Pi jintada zemi cacindi mave bume pi cazuda cejidi
      zepoy.

    Mary will go to the attic and ask John for the two blue
      chairs.
    Pu kanloda Naryacedi pyosude tawtodi pye tatevi
      Najoncedi zwedi tawbyedo femu.

End of Lesson 5