Margi language

The Margi, self-designation màrgyí, is an around the city Isge (on Margi əzəgə ), which is located about 100 km south of Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria, spoken language. The Margi belongs to the Chadic languages and there to the subgroup of Biu - Mandara languages. Although the language is thus a member of the Afro-Asiatic language family, it only shares a few grammatical features of this family, has for example neither grammatical gender nor ablaut, which is why their membership was formerly placed in question. The genetic classification of Margi is mainly based on the lexicon.

A closely related with the Margi language is the Kilba.

2.1 self pronouns
2.2 suffixes 1
2.3 suffixes 2

3.1 plural

7.1 Overview
7.2 inalienable Possession, body part
7.3 inalienable Possession, persons name
7.4 ownership of objects
7.5 Abstract Possession ratio
7.6 Special Cases

8.1 pitch classes
8.2 Verbal forms
8.3 infinitive
8.4 imperative
8.5 aorist
8.6 progressive
8.7 narrative
8.8 shape with a prefix
8.9 present
8:10 Futur
8.11 Perfect
8:12 subjunctive

According to system

The Margi has a relatively large number of consonant:

There are also l, r, w, y, ʔw, ʔy.

With many other languages, the Chadian Margi shares the presence of implosive and lateral fricatives.

According to Hoffmann ( see "References " ) is between pure vowel initial position and initial sound with ʔ to distinguish vowel.

Consonant clusters

Many consonant clusters can exist at the word beginning. Some or all of these groups could be considered to regard them as separate phonemes. In particular, the following compounds occur:

Consonant w:

GWA " enter "
Mwál " friend "
NWA "face"

Nasal consonant:

MBA " bind "
Mtə "die"
ŋgyə "burn"
MCIR "nose"
Mɬàgə "Lord, Owner "
Mnya "mouth"
ŋkwà "girls"

Labial consonant :

Bdàgə "valley"
Bzər "child"
Ptəl " king, chieftain "
Pcə "wash"

Vowels

The Margi differs essentially four vowels: a, i, u, ə.

Rare and especially in foreign words also e and o are found.

The phoneme u sounds like palatals as above.

Sound

The Margi is a tonal language with two registers: high ( á) and deep (à ). In addition, a low-high - rising tone ( ǎ ) occurs. In many cases, words differ only in tone, eg:

Fá "Year" - fà "Farm "
Sá " get lost " - "drink" sà

Context form

In some cases, changed the pronunciation of a word, as soon as the sentence context it is followed by another word:

( 1) - ə after Palatalvokal is indistinguishable from the context -i:

Cə " speak " in the context cí
"pay" ŋkyə, ŋkyì in the context
ʔyə " do " in the context ʔì

(2) final- i falls within a part of the words from the context. This concerns in particular the suffix- ari of the definite article ( the context - ár ).

Personal pronouns

The personal pronouns of the Margi not know no gender difference, especially in the 3rd person singular according to the German " he " vs. "they". There are three different forms that match our first -person plural. In the first person singular, there is a significant difference between the isolated and the context form.

We distinguish independent personal pronouns and two series of suffixes.

Self pronouns

The independent pronouns are used in isolation or in subject function.

Suffixes 1

Suffixes in Series 1 are used:

(1 ) In certain cases as possessive suffix, see below for.

(2) as postponiertes subject. In this case, the suffixes Polarton have (high according to the preceding low tone, deep according to the preceding high tone ), only the suffixes of 1.sg. and 3.sg. are generally high tone.

(3) after conjunctions like də " and that " kə ( subjunctive ), mà " if ". This is according to kə and mà basically no treble observed, not even at the suffixes of 1.sg. and 3.sg.:

D -í "and I "
Də - gə "and you "
Də - já " and he / she "
Ky - " I "
Kə -g- " you "
Kə -j - " that he / she "
Mì "if I "
Mà - gə " if you like"
Mà - jà "if he "

Suffixes 2

Suffixes of series 2 are used:

(1 ) In certain cases as possessive suffix, see below for.

(2) as the verb Objektsuffixe

Noun

A grammatical gender does not exist.

Plural

A handful of nouns have genuine, highly irregular plural forms, including:

Mdə "man" - MJI " people "
Sál " man " - Sili "Men"
Mala "woman" - màxyìɗì "Women"
Bzər " child, son " - Nusa "children"

Other nouns may take a plural suffix - ʔyàr:

Ndər " word" - ndərʔyàr "words"
Fá "Year" - fáʔyàr " years "

This suffix is optional and is not set but in all cases where the content of a plural is meant.

The plural suffix is placed after adjectives and possessive suffixes:

NWAM ɗá - ʔyàr Sister - my - PLURAL " my sisters "

Adjective

The adjective follows its reference word:

Bzər Kusu " small child ", that is, " a small child "
Kákádə bəlìn " new book ", that is, " a new book "

The adjective may take the plural ending - ʔyàr, but also be reduplicated to indicate a plural meaning:

Kákádə bəlìnbəlìn " new books "

Demonstrative

Demonstratives are placed after the noun:

Mdə kə " this man "
Mdə tà " that man "

Definite article

The definite article consists of a suffix -ari ( in the context ár ), which is appended to the noun or if this still follows an attribute to the attribute. The article is contracted with a final vowel. Examples:

Wu "tree" - wǎrì " the tree "
Məlmə "village" - məlmárì " the village "
Mala "woman" - Malari "the woman"
Cede "money" - céděrì "the money "
Sál " man " - Salari "the man"
ʔímí "water" - ʔímyárì "the water "
Ndər " word" - ndərárì "the word"
Kú "goat" - Kwari " The Goat "

The article is not used in all cases where a particular item would be in German. For details on the function is not known.

Possession

Survey

In any case, first is the Possessum and then the possessor. The exact structure depends on the specific nature of Possession. A mark of the possessors, according to the German genitive, there is no principle.

We have to distinguish four different types of content Possession. The means of expression are each different, depending on whether the possessor is nominal, pronominal singular or plural pronoun. The following table shows for each of the thus resulting combinations is an example:

Some cells of the table are empty: də - terms such as "father" will never be used without possessor; the abstract Possession comes with pronominal possessor hardly ever.

Inalienable Possession, body part

As inalienable Possession applies first possession of body parts. In this case, the suffix -á is appended to the Possessum. So the design is Possessum á Possessor. The possessor is in the form of either a noun or a Possessivsuffixes Series 1 (see above). Before the suffix -á occur some trivial strain changes. The possessive suffix has generally low frequency, only in the 1.sg. and 3.sg. it has caused Tweeter: The tweeter is realized only in the context of shape, so if still follows a word you that for bass. Examples:

Kər "head" - kərá - yə ( context form kərá - Yi ) " my head " - kərá - gə "your head " - kərá - jà ( context form kərá - já ) " his / her head " - kərá -NDA " their heads " - kərá bzər " the boy's head "
Lì "eye" - Lya - yə " my eye " - Lya Mádə " the eye of Made (Name) "
ɗàxə "voice" - ɗàxá - yə " my voice " - ɗàxá ŋkwà " the girl's voice "
NWA "face" - NWA- yə " my face "

Apart from the possession of body parts can be this possessive also in some other cases use, such as:

Kàdzàŋ -á - jà " his truth ", ie: " he is right "
ʔódìkùr -á -NDA " their multiplicity ," that is, " many of them ", " most of them "

Inalienable Possession, persons name

The Possession with kinship terms such as "father" or "mother" can also be considered as inalienabel, but is referred to grammatically different. A suffix of the second series appears as a possessive in this case, the suffixes of the plural can not come directly to the noun but be element -r mediated by a. The tone of the Possessivsuffixes is usually deep, in the singular case by case basis but also high.

The nominal possessor requires as in the possession of body parts a suffix - á on Possessum, but it must also contain a possessive suffix of the third person.

Də - ɗá " my father " - də - nə ~ də - ŋ " your father " - də - NYI " his father " - də -r -NDA " you ( pl. ) father " - də - ny -á Xaman " the father of Haman ( name) ", literally" his father ( who by) Haman ". The strain - də "father" is never used without a suffix.

The word mwál " friend " is treated as a kinship term in this respect:

Mwál - ɗà " my friend " - mwál - nə ~ mwáləŋ " your friend" - mwál - NYI " his friend " - mwál - ər -NDA " you ( pl. ) friend "

Possession of objects

In the possession of objects, including children, stands between Possessum and nominal possessor the particles gə:

Tagu gə Xaman " the horse of Haman (Name) "
Bzər gə Xaman " the son of Haman "

The construction with pronominal possessor is somewhat complicated. If this is plural, so is the same element -r, which is also used in the Possession of kinship terms. If the pronominal possessor is singular, so is gə, but then a form of the suffix must be used, which usually refers to the plural: the versions are called accordingly gəyà " my " gənyì "your ," " his, her " gəndà. Alternatively, "my" in rarer cases by the suffix 1.sg. Series 2 can be expressed:

Gə Ku - Ku- Ya or ɗà " my goat " - Copper gə - NYI " your goat" - Copper gə -NDA " his goat " - KU- r- NYI " your goat" - KU- r -NDA " their (pl. ) goat "

Abstract Possession ratio

A Possession ratio in a more abstract sense is expressed by a suffix- r is appended to the Possessum:

ʔímí -r sà = " drinking ", " drinking water "
Látə -r yàmáɗə "period of cold " = " cold season "
əntəm - ər məmə "pot of honey " = " a pot of honey "
Mdə -r màrgyí "Man of Margi " = " a Margi - person, Margi "

A variant with pronominal possessor comes here for reasons of content hardly ever.

Special cases

The word təkəm "all" can be immediately followed by a noun or suffix:

Təkəm -NDA " all of them "
Təkəm MJI " all of the people " = " all the people "

ɬəm " name " is treated before pronominal possessor as a kinship term, in nominal possessor is -r:

ɬəm - ən " your name "
ɬəm - ər kə sál " this man's name "

Verb

Pitch classes

Verbs can only have three Tonverläufe: consistently low, consistently high or rising. Examples of one-, two - and three-syllable verbs each of the three classes of sound can be found in the following table.

In the discussed further below form with a prefix to most, but not all of the tieftonigen verbs are high tone; so far could be divided into two subclasses, the tieftonigen verbs again.

Verbal forms

The verb stem of the Margi is relatively immutable. In addition to the verbal stem, there is only the mentioned form with a prefix that brings in some verbs tone changes of the trunk with it. Otherwise, the different tenses are formed exclusively by suffixes or particles.

Infinitive

The pure strain has the function of an infinitive and can be translated and also constructed as a noun:

Mtə " die, death "
γyǐ "steal" - mdə -r γyǐ " man stealing " = " thief "

Comparable German or English the infinitive is often associated with the preposition ga " to":

Nì Ayi Gà Ciba kákádəyàr kə I want to count the books " I want these books include "

Imperative

The pure strain also acts as an imperative of the singular. In a plural ending- amə is added (also on - spoken):

Səm " eat! " - Səmámə " eat! "
Sà " drink! " - Sàmə " drink! "
WI " Run! " - Wyàmə " run! "
γànyí "sleeping! " - Γànyámə " sleep! "

The plural ending is a Objektsuffix present, only behind follows:

Skə - ɗà " wait for me! " - Skə - ɗàmə " waiting for me! "

Aorist

When you combine the pure verbal stem with a Subjektsuffix, creates a tense, which is called " aorist ". However, this is not productive and is used especially in some fixed phrases:

Ləmà gə rá " where did you go? " ( the verb ləmà means " where to go? " rá is a question particle )

Progressive

The Progressive is functionally equivalent to about the English present progressive or past progressive. It has the form subject verb stem əvər:

Yàmáɗ əvər psə " the wind blows (even) "

A pronominal subject can be expressed as a prefix pronoun or as Subjektsuffix either:

Ní vər wi ~ wi əvər yə " I walk (straight) " (WI " run " )
Nag əvər wi ~ wi əvər gə " you walk (straight) "
Naj ívər wi ~ wi əvər já " he / she is running ( just ) "

Narrative

The narrative is a narrative tense of the past. It has the form subject Ga verb The use of Subjektsuffixen is not possible.

Nì Gà WI " I ran "
Nì g ùlə " I saw " ( -a is before u ejected )
íšáɗə Gà lì " the squirrel came out " ( lì " come out " )

Form with a prefix

Some tenses do not build on the basic stem on, but on a form with a prefix. Isolated, this form has no meaning. Its formation is as follows:

All verbal stems with high or climbing sound retain their tone. Some verb stems with bass also retain their tone, but most are high tone.
The verb stem is a- a prefix. This has reversed sound like the first syllable of the verb stem, is so low tone before treble and bass high tone before.
If the verb begins in a vowel, is the a- in on the vocal, his tone remains as before.

Examples:

Sà "drink" → ASA ( tieftoniger strain is high tone, the prefix is therefore low tone )
ɗəŋà "think" → àɗəŋá (corresponding with zweisilbigem verb)
ùlə "see" → ùlə ( contracted from * to be expected àúlə )
Sili "come" → Asili ( steigtonige verbs retain their basically Tonverlauf )
May " go " → Amay ( high-tone verbs retain their basically Tonverlauf )
WI " run " → AWI ( this verb is one of those tieftonigen verbs that retain their tone)
Inda "sit" → inda ( contracted from * ainda, this verb also retains its low frequency )

Present

The present tense has the structure subject verb with a prefix. When the subject is pronominal, it may alternatively be expressed as Subjektsuffix:

Nì AWI AWI yə ~ " I walk "
N ~ Inda Inda yə " I am sitting "

Future tense

A future tense is formed with the present tense of Ra, originally a verb for " go " followed by the verb stem:

Nì ara ara ~ WI WI yə " I will run "
MJI ara skə -NDA "People are waiting for them ( pl. )" ( skə = " ( he wait ) " )

Perfect

The Perfect has the structure subject verb with a prefix suffix - rì ( context form -r). Again, alternatively, a Subjektsuffix be used, and indeed this then follows the suffix r.

Nì AWI AWI rì ~ r yə " I ran "
N INDA INDA rì ~ r yə " I sat "

The verb və̌l "jump" in the perfect tense shows a fuller root vələ:

Nì ávələ - rì " I jumped "

Many verbs form their Perfect preferably not from a simple base, but from a Suffixerweiterung. This seems to compare with the aspect pairs Slavic languages , should be further investigated for the Margi but. So there beside hə "take" an Extended family hərì with perfective connotation, such as " take away ", and the Perfect is preferably made of this: Ni - àhərə rì " I took ( away) ."

Subjunctive

The subjunctive has the structural formula kə Suffixpronomen verb with a prefix. He stands in wishes, commands, etc. finales:

K -y- AWI " I may run, that I walk "
Kə -j - AWI " he should run; that it runs "
Nì àyə kə m Amay " I want us to go "

Prepositions

The Margi has prepositions, may follow either nouns or Suffixpronomina. The individual prepositions differ in detail in how Suffixpronomina be connected. In addition, there are usually at any preposition nor a Präpositionaladverb that is used in the case of the reference to non Lively, much as it is called in German " he " - " with it ", but "it " - " it".

Some common prepositions are:

AGA " with, and" - Aga yə " with me " - Aga gə " with you" - Aga já " with him / her " - Aga NDA " with them " - agari "so "
Ara " in " - ARA yə " with me " - ARA gə " with you " - ARA jà " with him / her " - Ara- NDA " with them " - Adi " doing "
ár "on " - ár - yə " on me" - ár - gə "on you" - ár - já "on him / her " - ár -NDA "on them " - Adi " it "
Də " with, by" - də - yə " by me" - də - gə " through you " - də - já "with him / her " - də -NDA " through it " - dərí " thereby "
ànə " to, for, ( dative ) " - ànə - ɗà " me " - ànə - nə "dir" - ànə - NYI " him / her " - ànə -NDA "them"

Syntax

Basic word order

The basic word order of the Margi is subject - verb - object. The subject is either a noun or a pronoun. If the subject is pronominal, it can, in many cases, depending on the tense of the verb, not only by the prefix Subjektspronomen, but also by the verb suffix Subjektsuffix be called. In cases where both a preceding Subjektspronomen and a Subjektsuffix come into question, there is a subtle difference in function between the two structures, which seems to have something to do with the logical weight of the individual parts of a sentence, but would have to be examined more closely.

Object

The object is placed after the verb:

Nì àʔí ɬər I do work " I am working " ( "do" ʔyə )

The object denoted by a pronominal Pronominalsuffix Series 2. The tone of the suffix is generally most deeply. Only the suffixes of 2.sg. and 3.sg. obtained when the syllable before it has even treble, even a conditional Tweeter: The tweeter is realized only in the context of shape, so if even one word follows. Examples:

Naj ANA ɗà " he calls me "
Naj ana - nə (or Anan ) " He is calling you "
Naj ANA NYI " he calls him / her "

In the Perfect Objektsuffixe immediately follow the verb stem:

ANA ɗà -r já " he called me "
Ana - nə -r já " he called me "
Ana - NYI -r já " he has it / called it "

Dative

The dative is always marks ànə by the preposition. The pronominal dative is referred either by ànə suffix, or even just by the simple Objektsuffixe. The difference between " me " and " me ", etc. In the latter case NA:

Gər - ɗà ʔímí -r sà pick - me - from drinking water " fetch me some water! "

In nominal dative ànə Noun and often is additionally a Objektspronomen:

Ná - ny kákádə kə ànə Fali give - him this book to Fali "Give Fali (name ) this book! "

Non- verbal sentence

Nouns, adjectives or Adverbialien can serve as a predicate without a copula would be necessary that as in English:

Nì kəláŋgá I got sick " I 'm sick "

Ndər kə Jiri Word this is true " this word is true "

Well Mala gə ɬàmà she wife of Lama "she is the wife of Lama "

Naj ívə he (well ) at-home " he is at home "

As in the verbal sentence is also the opportunity to express a pronominal subject through a Subjektssuffix:

ívə já " he is at home "
Màrgyí - yə " I 'm a Margi "
Màrgyí - gə " you're a Margi "
Màrgyí - já " he is a Margi; she is a Margi "

Negation

Most sets can negate it by the negation of May is " not " placed at the end of a sentence:

Naj AWI " runs " - Naj AWI May " it is not running "
Nì ara WI " I will run " - nickel ara WI May " I will not run "
ʔímí áʔì " there is water " ( áʔì " there " ) - ʔímí áʔì May " there is no water "
Gəlà gəyà " my idea ", ie: " I think so " - gəlà gəyà May " I do not think so "

However, some tenses require a special form of negation. These are a part of the narrative and the Perfect, which form a common negative Tempus means of the particle NDA:

Nì Gà WI " I ran ( narrative ) " - nickel áwìrì " I ran (Perfect ) " - nickel NDA WI May " I was not running "
Nì NDA NABA May " I did not understand "

And on the other hand, the imperative:

WI " Run! " - Sá gə ská WI ( May ) " that do not you run, so do not you run, do not walk! "

Interrogative sentences

Issues one marked by a particle ya at the end of a sentence:

ívə já ya he home QUESTION "He's at home? "

Sentences with word questions at the end of most rá a particle:

WA ɬəm - ən rá who name - your QUESTION " what's your name? "

úmwár dawda rá where Dawda QUESTION "Where's Dawda (name )? "

Relativische constructions are often used for word questions, which can not be shown in more detail here:

Mì nə də nd AGU rá RELATIVE what they want QUESTION "What is it that you want?" = " What do they want? "

Vocabulary

Some elements from the basic vocabulary:

Grammatical aspect

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