User:Nyelv/zulu

Noun
The Zulu noun consists of two parts: the prefix and the stem. Nouns are divided into different classes based on their prefix. For the sake of comparing these noun classes with those of other Bantu languages, each class is given a number. Therefore, the nouns abafana (boys) and abangane (friends) are assigned to noun class 2 due to both of them having the prefix aba-. Likewise, the nouns isibongo (surname) and isihlahla (tree) are assigned to noun class 7 due to both of them having the prefix isi-.

Each noun class has a clearly defined grammatical meaning and a less clearly defined semantic meaning. Grammatically, the prefix shows whether the noun is a singular or plural noun. For example, singular nouns belonging to class 7 (using the isi- prefix) form their plural by using the class 8 izi- prefix. Therefore, the plural of isibongo would be izibongo.

The following table shows a selection of Zulu nouns and their plurals. The prefix indicating the noun class is shown in bold.

An exception to this rule are singular nouns of class 14 (ubu-) which do not use the Class 15 prefix (uku-) as their plural form. Instead, they form their plurals using the class 6 (ama-) prefix. Furthermore, these noun classes determine the form of other parts of the sentence (i.e. verbs, adjectives) related to the noun. These forms are shown by prefixes that agree with the noun classes.

Examples:

Semantically, certain groups of nouns are associated with certain classes. Prenames and surnames are often in class 1, in addition to nouns that are derived from being the "doer" of a verb (e.g. "player", umdlali, derived from the verbal stem -dlala, "to play"). Abstract terms, such as "beauty", ubuhle, tend to be in class 14. Loanwords, such as those assimilated into Zulu from English or other languages, are often put into class 5 or 9, such as ikomphuytha, from English "computer". Nouns deriving from the doing of a verb, such as "meal", ukudla, from the verbal stem -dla, "to eat"), belong to class 15.

The following table gives an overview of the noun classes in Zulu. For clarity, the noun classes are grouped in pairs according to singular and plural. Classes 12 and 13, which are absent from this table, are only used in classical Zulu and are not found in the modern language.

1 um- becomes umu- before monosyllabic stems. Example: umuntu (person) 2 aba- and imi- become ab- and im- before stems beginning with a vowel. Example: abongameli (presidents), formed by combining the prefix aba- with the stem -ongameli. 3 abe- occurs only in certain cases, such in abeSuthu (the Sotho people) or abeLungu (the white ones). 4 ame- seems to occur only in one instance, amehlo (eyes). This is the plural form of iso (eye), originally ihlo. 5 isi- and izi- become is-and iz- before stems beginning with a vowel. Example: isandla/izandla (hand/hands) 6 The N in iN- and iziN can be either m, n, or no letter at all. Examples:

iN- = i-: imali - money iN- = im-: impela - truth iN- = in-: inhlanzi (pl. izinhlanzi) - fish

7 This form is rare.

Verb
The Zulu verb consists of multiple parts that are put in a certain order under specific rules. These are:


 * A subject prefix, indicating the subject of the sentence.
 * A tense indicator, indicating the tense of the verb.
 * An object prefix, indicating the object of the sentence.
 * The verb root, indicating the actual meaning of the verb.
 * A suffix, which can indicate aspects of the verb such as tense and mood.

The verb consists of at least a verb root and a suffix. The other parts are optional, and their use depends on their function in the sentence.

Simple Verb Roots
Simple verb roots are those that do not contain extended suffixes which change the meaning of the verb. Examples:

Extended Verb Roots
Extended verb roots are made from simple verb roots by attaching suffixes which change the meaning. The following examples show how the meaning of the simple verb root -enz- can be changed by adding these suffixes:

Subject Prefixes
In Zulu, subject prefixes indicate the doer of the verb. These subject prefixes are usually put at the front of the verb. Independent personal pronounds also exist in Zulu, but they function only to emphasize the person.

An example using the subject prefix si- and the personal pronoun thina (meaning "we"):

There is an individual subject prefix for each noun class and each person, as shown in the following table:

The non-prominent subject prefixes are used in instances such as the negation of certain time forms.

Object Prefixes
The object prefixes in Zulu may function as the direct or indirect object of the verb, since Zulu does not make a distinction between the two. Like subject prefixes, personal pronouns may be used to show the object, but their function is for emphasis.

An example using the subject prefix -m- and the personal pronoun yena (meaning "him/her/it"):

There is an individual subject prefix for each noun class and each person, as shown in the following table:

Imperative
Formation:

The only exception to this rule is the verb root z- ("to come"), which forms its imperative as woza/wozani.

Examples:

Infinitive
Formation:


 * Pos.: uku - (OP) - R - a
 * Neg.: uku - nga - (OP) - R - i

Examples:

Different sound changes occur if two vowels are next to each other. These are as follows:

Present Tense
Formation:


 * Pos.: SP - (ya) - (OP) - R - a
 * Neg.: a - SP - - (OP) - R - i

The infix -ya- is used when:


 * The verb is the last word in the sentence.
 * The verb contains an object prefix and the object follows the verb.
 * One wants to stress that the verb is "actual".

Examples:

Participle
Formation:


 * Pos.: SP P - (OP) - R - a
 * Neg.: SP P - nga - (OP) - R - i

In the formation of the participle, the subject prefixes u-, ba-, and a-, of the classes 1, 1a, 2, 2b, and 6 become e-, be-, and e-. The participle is used in the following cases:


 * In order to express simultaneousness.
 * In subordinated sentences after certain conjunctions.
 * After certain auxiliary verbs.

Examples: