A Grammar of Nagitana

Introduction

Scope and Purpose

This grammar provides a systematic description of the Nagitana language (the 1854th one produced by the Language Creator), outlining its sound system, word formation and syntactic structure, with the aim of presenting a coherent account of the language as an integrated whole. Attention has been paid to both regular patterns and minor irregularities, as these together define the internal balance of the language.

The grammar is accompanied by a bilingual dictionary and a collection of illustrative texts, offering material for further study and comparison. The examples have been selected to demonstrate typical constructions and to give a sense of the language in extended use. The description is intended as a reference work for linguists and language enthusiasts alike, and as a foundation for any future research, teaching or creative adaptation of Nagitana.

Typological Profile

It has proper polysynthesis and ergative case marking, i.e., the object of a transitive verb is marked the same as the subject of an intransitive one,.

Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Consonants

Nagitana has 9 consonant phonemes, forming a relatively small inventory.

It has a complete absence of affricates, a complete absence of palatal consonants, something which is a rare occurrence indeed, as well as a conspicuous absence of approximants, a strongly reduced sibilant system and a complete absence of laryngeal consonants.

The table below presents the full inventory of consonant phonemes in Nagitana. The chart lists all places and manners of articulation attested in the language.

labialalveolarvelar
stopp t k
nasalm n ŋ
fricativef s

Vowels

Nagitana has 4 vowel qualities. This constitutes a relatively small inventory, with contrasts limited to the vowel categories displayed in the chart. The phonological system relies primarily on these few qualities to encode vocalic distinctions.

It has a triangular vowel system with few low vowels.

The table below presents the full inventory of vowel phonemes in Nagitana. The system comprises the distinct vowel qualities listed in the chart.

frontcentralback
closei u
midə
opena

Stress and Tones

Nagitana has phonemic stress but no lexical tone. Stress consistently falls on the first vowel of the root, and no contrastive tonal distinctions are made.

Phonological Processes

Vowel Harmony

The language employs vowel harmony. To be specific, the following vowels change to match the first vowel of the root: /i/ becomes /u/.

Writing System

Introduction

Nagitana is normally written using the Latin alphabet, whose familiarity makes it straightforward for most readers. For clarity and precision, phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) are also provided throughout this grammar.

Orthography

Here are the various components of the orthography:

Simple letters

a /a/e /ə/f /f/i /i/
k /k/m /m/n /n/p /p/
s /s/t /t/u /u/

Multi-letter combinations such as digraphs

ng /ŋ/

Word Classes and Morphology

Number and Gender

Number

Nagitana does not have grammatical number.

Gender

Nagitana does not have genders or noun classes.

The Nominal Phrase

Nominal phrases in Nagitana can be exemplified by the following example:

Sifangamafinga kikife fupufafunga sa manupufufa masikengifefefinga si pamasatipaka.

[sifaˈŋamafiŋa kiˈkifə ˈfupufafuŋa sa manuˈpufufa masikəˈŋifəfəfiŋa ˈsi pamasatipaka]

sifa-
ERG
ˈŋama
woman
-fiŋa
def
kiˈkifə
COMIT
ˈfupifa
knife
-fiŋa
def
sa
three
mani-
plur
ˈpufifa
blind
masi-
plur
kəˈŋifəfə
mouse
-fiŋa
def
ˈsi
yon
pama-
3.plur.OBJ
sati-
PAST
paka
catch

“The woman with the knife caught those three blind mice.”

(1)

In the following, we shall look at the various components in more details.

There are no clitics in the nominal phrase.

The Noun

The noun in Nagitana consists of first, an optional prefix expressing case, comprising sifa- /sifa-/ ‘ERG’, tanga- /taŋa-/ ‘GEN’, fine- /finə-/ ‘DAT’, pape- /papə-/ ‘INS’, sefi- /səfi-/ ‘VOC’, ngita- /ŋita-/ ‘ALL’, nima- /nima-/ ‘LOC’, ngete- /ŋətə-/ ‘ABL’ and kapa- /kapa-/ ‘PART’; second, an optional prefix expressing possessor, comprising kesa- /kəsa-/ ‘1incl.sing’, pesa- /pəsa-/ ‘1excl.sing’, fenga- /fəŋa-/ ‘2.sing’, nise- /nisə-/ ‘3.sing’, neka- /nəka-/ ‘1incl.plur’, kima- /kima-/ ‘1excl.plur’, nape- /napə-/ ‘2.plur’ and mete- /mətə-/ ‘3.plur’; third, an optional prefix expressing number, comprising masi- /masi-/ ‘plur’; fourth, the root; and finally, fifth, an optional suffix expressing def, comprising -finga /-fiŋa/ ‘def’.

The noun displays the following derivational morphology: 39 prefixes, namely tata- /tata-/ ‘little’, ngafe- /ŋafə-/ ‘big’, siti- /siti-/ ‘old’, mifa- /mifa-/ ‘new’, kasa- /kasa-/ ‘good’, tingi- /tiŋi-/ ‘bad’, sapi- /sapi-/ ‘make’, nisa- /nisa-/ ‘help’, fena- /fəna-/ ‘have’, tate- /tatə-/ ‘use’, ngasa- /ŋasa-/ ‘see’, pesi- /pəsi-/ ‘break’, nifi- /nifi-/ ‘eat’, kasi- /kasi-/ ‘drink’, nesi- /nəsi-/ ‘wear’, ningi- /niŋi-/ ‘own’, ngati- /ŋati-/ ‘contain’, mise- /misə-/ ‘hold’, mema- /məma-/ ‘lack’, ngimi- /ŋimi-/ ‘touch’, nafi- /nafi-/ ‘carry’, sini- /sini-/ ‘find’, kepa- /kəpa-/ ‘hunt’, pipa- /pipa-/ ‘guard’, mingi- /miŋi-/ ‘search’, ngiti- /ŋiti-/ ‘learn’, ngane- /ŋanə-/ ‘teach’, fisa- /fisa-/ ‘follow’, tesa- /təsa-/ ‘chase’, kanga- /kaŋa-/ ‘build’, kange- /kaŋə-/ ‘burn’, fise- /fisə-/ ‘hit’, teni- /təni-/ ‘take’, fika- /fika-/ ‘cut’, ngima- /ŋima-/ ‘hear’, tati- /tati-/ ‘know’, kana- /kana-/ ‘love’, pafe- /pafə-/ ‘protect’ and faki- /faki-/ ‘possess’

The Adjective

In Nagitana, the adjective has the following structure: an optional prefix expressing number, comprising mani- /mani-/ ‘plur’ followed by the root.

Numerals

The numeral in Nagitana stands alone without any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

Determiners

The determiner in Nagitana stands alone without any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

Pronouns

The pronoun in Nagitana stands alone without any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

Nagitana always includes the personal pronouns, even if they are not stressed. This is similar to English, where the only way to distinguish "he loves her" from "he loves her" and "he loves her" is the stress. So the following corresponds exactly to English in this regard:

Tika kananipi.

[ˈtika kanaˈnipi]

ˈtika
3.sing
kana-
love
ˈnipi
girl

“He (the boy) loves her (the girl).”

(2)

Proper Nouns

SifaNengikisafinga Famakififinga mepemifiti.

[sifanəˈŋikisafiŋa faˈmakififiŋa məpəmiˈfiti]

sifa-
ERG
nəˈŋikisa
Nangikisa
-fiŋa
def
faˈmakifi
Famakifi
-fiŋa
def
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
miˈfiti
hate

“Nangikisa hates Famakifi.”

(3)

Possession

nisepemengisefinga tangasufufunga

[nisəpəˈməŋisəfiŋa taŋaˈsufufuŋa]

nisə-
3.sing.POSS
pəˈməŋisə
apple
-fiŋa
def
taŋa-
GEN
ˈsufi
boy
-fiŋa
def

“the boy’s apple”

(4)
nisepemengisefinga tika

[nisəpəˈməŋisəfiŋa ˈtika]

nisə-
3.sing.POSS
pəˈməŋisə
apple
-fiŋa
def
ˈtika
3.sing

“his (the boy’s) apple”

(5)
pesapemengisefinga

[pəsapəˈməŋisəfiŋa]

pəsa-
1excl.sing.POSS
pəˈməŋisə
apple
-fiŋa
def

“my apple”

(6)
Sifaniseninafinga tangangunufekufunga nisepanefinga tangafengasatakasifinga mepesatipamati.

[sifanisəˈninafiŋa taŋaŋuˈnufəkufuŋa nisəˈpanəfiŋa taŋafəŋasaˈtakasifiŋa məpəsatipaˈmati]

sifa-
ERG
nisə-
3.sing.POSS
ˈnina
daughter
-fiŋa
def
taŋa-
GEN
ŋiˈnufəki
hunter
-fiŋa
def
nisə-
3.sing.POSS
ˈpanə
son
-fiŋa
def
taŋa-
GEN
fəŋa-
2.sing.POSS
saˈtakasi
neighbour
-fiŋa
def
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
paˈmati
kiss

“The hunter’s daughter kissed your neighbour’s son.”

(7)

Derivation

pinangafi fe

[piˈnaŋafi ˈfə]

piˈnaŋafi
lamb
ˈfə
a

“a lamb”

(8)
tatapinangafi fe

[tatapiˈnaŋafi ˈfə]

tata-
little
piˈnaŋafi
lamb
ˈfə
a

“a little lamb”

(9)
Tika tatapinangafi fe mepesatimama.

[ˈtika tatapiˈnaŋafi ˈfə məpəsatimama]

ˈtika
3.sing
tata-
little
piˈnaŋafi
lamb
ˈfə
a
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
mama
have

“She had a little lamb.”

(10)
Tika satikisamama.

[ˈtika satikisamama]

ˈtika
3.sing
sati-
PAST
kisa-
want
mama
have

“She wanted to have a little lamb.”

(11)
Tika sifatatapinangafi fe satimama fenasa mepesatika ni.

[ˈtika sifatatapiˈnaŋafi ˈfə satimama fəˈnasa məpəsatika ni]

ˈtika
3.sing
sifa-
ERG
tata-
little
piˈnaŋafi
lamb
ˈfə
a
sati-
PAST
mama
have
fəˈnasa
COMP
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
ka
want
ni
often

“She often wanted to have a little lamb.”

(12)
Tuma tika sifatatapinangafi fe satimama fenasa mepesatika ni fenasa mepesatimipa fenasa mepefefamifingufesu?

[ˈtuma ˈtika sifatatapiˈnaŋafi ˈfə satimama fəˈnasa məpəsatika ni fəˈnasa məpəsatimipa fəˈnasa məpəfəfamifiŋufəsu]

ˈtuma
2.sing
ˈtika
3.sing
sifa-
ERG
tata-
little
piˈnaŋafi
lamb
ˈfə
a
sati-
PAST
mama
have
fəˈnasa
COMP
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
ka
want
ni
often
fəˈnasa
COMP
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
mipa
think
fəˈnasa
COMP
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
fəfa-
2.sing.SUBJ
mifi-
NEG
ŋu
be
-fəsi
Q

“Are you not one of those who thought that she often wanted to have a little lamb?”

(13)

Compounding

Verbs

Inflectional Categories

There are no clitics in the verbal phrase.

In addition, the verb is structured like this: first, an optional prefix expressing indobj, comprising mena- /məna-/ ‘1incl.sing’, nasi- /nasi-/ ‘1excl.sing’, tete- /tətə-/ ‘2.sing’, naka- /naka-/ ‘3.sing’, kepi- /kəpi-/ ‘1incl.plur’, sima- /sima-/ ‘1excl.plur’, fana- /fana-/ ‘2.plur’ and nipa- /nipa-/ ‘3.plur’; second, an optional prefix expressing obj, comprising kina- /kina-/ ‘1incl.sing’, nasa- /nasa-/ ‘1excl.sing’, ngami- /ŋami-/ ‘2.sing’, mepe- /məpə-/ ‘3.sing’, nama- /nama-/ ‘1incl.plur’, kesi- /kəsi-/ ‘1excl.plur’, ngipi- /ŋipi-/ ‘2.plur’ and pama- /pama-/ ‘3.plur’; third, an optional prefix expressing subj, comprising mati- /mati-/ ‘1incl.sing’, nimi- /nimi-/ ‘1excl.sing’, fefa- /fəfa-/ ‘2.sing’, sisi- /sisi-/ ‘1incl.plur’, minga- /miŋa-/ ‘1excl.plur’, mape- /mapə-/ ‘2.plur’ and tafi- /tafi-/ ‘3.plur’; fourth, an optional prefix expressing negation, comprising mifi- /mifi-/ ‘NEG’; fifth, an optional prefix expressing voice, comprising pifi- /pifi-/ ‘passive’; sixth, an optional prefix expressing mode, comprising fita- /fita-/ ‘imperative’, fapi- /fapi-/ ‘conditional’ and fina- /fina-/ ‘optative’; seventh, an optional prefix expressing ta, comprising sati- /sati-/ ‘PAST’; eighth, the root; and finally, ninth, an optional suffix expressing question, comprising -fesi /-fəsi/ ‘Q’.

The verb displays the following derivational morphology: 19 prefixes, namely fepe- /fəpə-/ ‘begin’, safi- /safi-/ ‘stop’, nipe- /nipə-/ ‘continue’, pengi- /pəŋi-/ ‘try’, sate- /satə-/ ‘start’, kisa- /kisa-/ ‘want’, mima- /mima-/ ‘can’, pife- /pifə-/ ‘finish’, pina- /pina-/ ‘need’, sange- /saŋə-/ ‘decide’, fapi- /fapi-/ ‘fail’, pefa- /pəfa-/ ‘hope’, fife- /fifə-/ ‘must’, kate- /katə-/ ‘pretend’, kinga- /kiŋa-/ ‘let’, tete- /tətə-/ ‘force’, sika- /sika-/ ‘keep’, kika- /kika-/ ‘cause’ and pisi- /pisi-/ ‘allow’

Tuku tuma ngaminimingiki.

[ˈtuku ˈtuma ŋaminimiŋiki]

ˈtuki
1excl.sing
ˈtuma
2.sing
ŋami-
2.sing.OBJ
nimi-
1excl.sing.SUBJ
ŋiki
love

“I love you.”

(14)

Adverbs Minor Classes

Adpositions

There is one type of clitic in the adpositional phrase, namely an enclitic (placed finally), expressing root.

nge tafifinga tamenifinga

[ŋə ˈtafifiŋa ˈtamənifiŋa]

ŋə
in
ˈtafi
surface
-fiŋa
def
ˈtaməni
table
-fiŋa
def

“on the table”

(15)
ti sisafinga fesupafefunga

[ti ˈsisafiŋa fəˈsupafəfuŋa]

ti
to
ˈsisa
inside
-fiŋa
def
fəˈsupafə
box
-fiŋa
def

“into the box”

(16)
kikife tuku

[kiˈkifə ˈtuku]

kiˈkifə
COMIT
ˈtuki
1excl.sing

“with me”

(17)

Syntax

Basic Clause Structure

Constituent Order

Constituent order describes the typical arrangement of the subject (S), verb (V) and object (O) in simple declarative clauses. It is a fundamental parameter in grammatical description and forms one of the clearest ways of characterising the overall structure of a language’s clause system.

Nagitana has basic Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) word order. The subject precedes the object, and the verb appears at the end of the clause. This is one of the most frequent patterns cross-linguistically.

The following examples illustrate the basic, unmarked, constituent order in Nagitana.

Sifakimanefefinga ngunufekufunga mepesatikasi.

[sifakiˈmanəfəfiŋa ŋuˈnufəkufuŋa məpəsatikasi]

sifa-
ERG
kiˈmanəfə
jaguar
-fiŋa
def
ŋiˈnufəki
hunter
-fiŋa
def
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
kasi
kill

“The jaguar killed the hunter.”

(18)
Sifanginakamifinga nisesetefinga tanganiseninafinga tangangunufekufunga mepesatitani.

[sifaŋiˈnakamifiŋa nisəˈsətəfiŋa taŋanisəˈninafiŋa taŋaŋuˈnufəkufuŋa məpəsatitani]

sifa-
ERG
ŋiˈnakami
lion
-fiŋa
def
nisə-
3.sing.POSS
ˈsətə
dog
-fiŋa
def
taŋa-
GEN
nisə-
3.sing.POSS
ˈnina
daughter
-fiŋa
def
taŋa-
GEN
ŋiˈnufəki
hunter
-fiŋa
def
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
tani
eat

“The lion ate the hunter’s daughter’s dog.”

(19)

The language has a fixed constituent order, and major phrases normally appear in a predictable position in the clause. Movement for discourse reasons is highly restricted: topics and foci are expressed not by rearranging elements, but through dedicated constructions such as clefts, focus clauses or topic–comment frames. Constituents remain continuous, and both the relative order of phrases and the internal structure of each phrase are stable. As a result, significant deviations from the basic word order are ungrammatical, and discourse structure is managed through these specialised constructions rather than through word-order variation.

Noun Phrases

Structure and Order

The internal structure of noun phrases in Nagitana reveals typologically significant preferences in the ordering of nominal constituents. This includes the position of adjectives, numerals, and possessors relative to the noun, each of which can offer clues to the overall headedness of the language.

Possessive constructions are head-initial: the possessed noun precedes the possessor. For instance, Nagitana expresses “the child’s toy” with the equivalent of “toy child”. This structure is typologically rarer and often co-occurs with verb-initial syntax or with grammatical marking on the noun.

nisepukefunga tanganisemakifinga tangafengapanefinga

[nisəpukəfuŋa taŋanisəˈmakifiŋa taŋafəŋaˈpanəfiŋa]

nisə-
3.sing.POSS
pukə
book
-fiŋa
def
taŋa-
GEN
nisə-
3.sing.POSS
ˈmaki
friend
-fiŋa
def
taŋa-
GEN
fəŋa-
2.sing.POSS
ˈpanə
son
-fiŋa
def

“your son’s friend’s book”

(20)

Case Marking

Nagitana uses ergative–absolutive case marking. The subject of an intransitive verb and the object of a transitive verb are treated alike and take the absolutive case, while the subject of a transitive verb is marked with the ergative case. From the point of view of such a system, this is a perfectly natural way to organise the clause: the absolutive marks the participant most directly involved in the event or state, while the ergative marks the additional participant that causes or controls a transitive event.

Satafinga fu.

[ˈsatafiŋa fu]

ˈsata
cat
-fiŋa
def
fu
sleep

“The cat is sleeping.”

(21)
Satafinga pu.

[ˈsatafiŋa pu]

ˈsata
cat
-fiŋa
def
pu
run

“The cat is running.”

(22)
Satafinga tesakengifefe.

[ˈsatafiŋa təsakəˈŋifəfə]

ˈsata
cat
-fiŋa
def
təsa-
chase
kəˈŋifəfə
mouse

“The cat is chasing the mouse.”

(23)
Sifasatafinga kengifefefinga mepesatipaka.

[sifaˈsatafiŋa kəˈŋifəfəfiŋa məpəsatipaka]

sifa-
ERG
ˈsata
cat
-fiŋa
def
kəˈŋifəfə
mouse
-fiŋa
def
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
paka
catch

“The cat caught the mouse.”

(24)

Conjunctions

Here is an example of a conjunction.

Sifangunufekufunga masikimanefefinga me masifimekitefinga me masinginakamifinga pamasatikasi.

[sifaŋuˈnufəkufuŋa masikiˈmanəfəfiŋa ˈmə masifiˈməkitəfiŋa ˈmə masiŋiˈnakamifiŋa pamasatikasi]

sifa-
ERG
ŋiˈnufəki
hunter
-fiŋa
def
masi-
plur
kiˈmanəfə
jaguar
-fiŋa
def
ˈmə
and
masi-
plur
fiˈməkitə
tiger
-fiŋa
def
ˈmə
and
masi-
plur
ŋiˈnakami
lion
-fiŋa
def
pama-
3.plur.OBJ
sati-
PAST
kasi
kill

“The hunter killed the jaguars, the tigers and the lions.”

(25)

Modifiers and Determiners

The ordering of demonstratives, articles (if present), and other modifiers in Nagitana provides further insight into the structure of the noun phrase. These elements frequently exhibit fixed positions and may reveal whether the language favours head-initial or head-final patterns.

Complex Sentences

Relative Clauses

Nagitana uses the correlative strategy to form relative clauses. The relative clause is introduced by a dedicated relativiser and appears as an independent clause. The main clause contains a demonstrative that corresponds to the relativiser and identifies the element being modified. The relative clause precedes the main clause when used on its own, and follows the head noun when it functions as a modifier. The internal structure of both clauses is fully finite.

To illustrate how relative clauses work, let us begin with a simple sentence:

Tuku satafinga mepenimisatifisake.

[ˈtuku ˈsatafiŋa məpənimisatifiˈsakə]

ˈtuki
1excl.sing
ˈsata
cat
-fiŋa
def
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
nimi-
1excl.sing.SUBJ
sati-
PAST
fiˈsakə
pat

“I patted the cat.”

(26)

We can now add a relative clause modifying the noun:

Tika kengifefefinga mepesatipaka tuku tika mepenimisatifisake pa.

[ˈtika kəˈŋifəfəfiŋa məpəsatipaka ˈtuku ˈtika məpənimisatifiˈsakə ˈpa]

ˈtika
3.sing
kəˈŋifəfə
mouse
-fiŋa
def
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
paka
catch
ˈtuki
1excl.sing
ˈtika
3.sing
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
nimi-
1excl.sing.SUBJ
sati-
PAST
fiˈsakə
pat
ˈpa
then

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse.”

(27)

Relative clauses may themselves contain other relative clauses:

Tika satinifipingesefa tika tika mepesatipaka pa tuku tika mepenimisatifisake pa.

[ˈtika satinifipiˈŋəsəfa ˈtika ˈtika məpəsatipaka ˈpa ˈtuku ˈtika məpənimisatifiˈsakə ˈpa]

ˈtika
3.sing
sati-
PAST
nifi-
eat
piˈŋəsəfa
cheese
ˈtika
3.sing
ˈtika
3.sing
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
paka
catch
ˈpa
then
ˈtuki
1excl.sing
ˈtika
3.sing
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
nimi-
1excl.sing.SUBJ
sati-
PAST
fiˈsakə
pat
ˈpa
then

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse that ate the cheese.”

(28)

Finally, here is an example containing several layers of embedding:

Tuku tika mepenimisatimisa tika tika mepesatitani pa tika tika mepesatipaka pa tuku tika mepenimisatifisake pa.

[ˈtuku ˈtika məpənimisatimisa ˈtika ˈtika məpəsatitani ˈpa ˈtika ˈtika məpəsatipaka ˈpa ˈtuku ˈtika məpənimisatifiˈsakə ˈpa]

ˈtuki
1excl.sing
ˈtika
3.sing
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
nimi-
1excl.sing.SUBJ
sati-
PAST
misa
buy
ˈtika
3.sing
ˈtika
3.sing
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
tani
eat
ˈpa
then
ˈtika
3.sing
ˈtika
3.sing
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
paka
catch
ˈpa
then
ˈtuki
1excl.sing
ˈtika
3.sing
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
nimi-
1excl.sing.SUBJ
sati-
PAST
fiˈsakə
pat
ˈpa
then

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse that ate the cheese that I bought.”

(29)

Complementation Strategies

Nagitana introduces complement clauses with a dedicated complementiser, similar to English that. The complementiser appears at the beginning of the embedded clause and signals that the clause functions as a syntactic argument. The embedded clause is fully finite and displays the same tense, aspect and agreement patterns as independent clauses.

The following example illustrate how complement clauses function:

Sifasufufunga finenipifinga pemengise fe nakamepesatipiti fenasa finetefisesefinga nakasatinginama.

[sifaˈsufufuŋa finəˈnipifiŋa pəˈməŋisə ˈfə nakaməpəsatipiti fəˈnasa finətəfisəsəfiŋa nakasatiŋiˈnama]

sifa-
ERG
ˈsufi
boy
-fiŋa
def
finə-
DAT
ˈnipi
girl
-fiŋa
def
pəˈməŋisə
apple
ˈfə
a
naka-
3.sing.INDOBJ
məpə-
3.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
piti
give
fəˈnasa
COMP
finə-
DAT
təfisəsə
teacher
-fiŋa
def
naka-
3.sing.INDOBJ
sati-
PAST
ŋiˈnama
surprise

“It surprised the teacher that the boy had given the girl an apple.”

(30)

Quotes

Nagitana employs a quotative particle to mark direct and indirect speech. The quotative follows the reported phrase and identifies the preceding expression as quoted or reported. The same construction is also used to express reported thoughts.

Here is an example of how quotations are expressed:

Sifasufufunga finenipifinga tuku tuma ngaminimingiki fenasa nakanasasatimepa.

[sifaˈsufufuŋa finəˈnipifiŋa ˈtuku ˈtuma ŋaminimiŋiki fəˈnasa nakanasasatiməpa]

sifa-
ERG
ˈsufi
boy
-fiŋa
def
finə-
DAT
ˈnipi
girl
-fiŋa
def
ˈtuki
1excl.sing
ˈtuma
2.sing
ŋami-
2.sing.OBJ
nimi-
1excl.sing.SUBJ
ŋiki
love
fəˈnasa
COMP
naka-
3.sing.INDOBJ
nasa-
1excl.sing.OBJ
sati-
PAST
məpa
tell

“The boy told the girl that he loved her.”

(31)

How to cite this grammar

Language Creator. 2026. A Grammar of Nagitana. Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 14 October 2026. https://languagecreator.org/grammar/5Z5XY

In BibTeX format:

@misc{LC-5Z5XY,
  year         = 2026,
  author       = {{Language Creator}},
  title        = {A Grammar of {Nagitana}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://languagecreator.org/grammar/5Z5XY}},
  note         = {Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 14 October 2026}
}

Supplementary Materials

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