User:Otatia/Jumban

Note: This doesn't seem related to Wikipedia at first glance, but I wanted practice in how to structure an article, use templates, references, etc etc. I wanted something slightly more permanent than my sandbox, though. TO-DO
 * Intro
 * do vowels
 * other stuff

Nouns
Nouns in Jumban are inflected for plurality, case and tense. Noun inflection is entirely regular, albeit fusional.

Plurality
Plurality occurs in many of the same locations as in English. However, plurality is not marked when implied with numbers or explicitly plural quantity markers ("many", "a lot", "a couple", etc). Examples:
 * Ùne gúxndohé bremó u mpó the men-NOM.PL see the sky The men see the sky
 * *Gúxndohé yeryé bremó u mpó man-NOM.PL many-NOM.PL see the sky Many men see the sky
 * Gúxndo yer bremó u mpó man-NOM.SG many-NOM.SG see the sky Many men see the sky
 * *Pól uvèz gúxndohé bremó u mpó two twenty man-NOM.PL see the sky Forty men see the sky
 * Pól uvèz gúxndo bremó u mpó two twenty man-NOM.SG see the sky Forty men see the sky

Case
Case in Jumban is minimal, yet plays an important role. There are two cases: nominative and oblique. The oblique case is used with prepositions and possessives. Examples:
 * Já denó win paydò Lemmeṡe wa Hisèṡe Nùlacyṡe uajo IMPERSONAL have 4 paydo lemme-OBL.SG and city-OBL.SG religion-OBL.SG between It's about 4 paydos between Lemme and Nùlacy City.
 * Mo nyé xùgyó denat umy nabóṡe voxkicyuxyídi óm? INTERROGATIVE I may have the one cigarrette-COLLECTIVE she-OBL Can I have one of her cigarettes?

Despite its name, the nominative case in Jumban is also used for the accusative, and sometimes for other roles. It is the base form of the noun. Examples:
 * *Mpare nghó ntixyṡi you.NOM.PL be girl-OBL.PL You are girls
 * Mpare nghó ntixyhé you.NOM.PL be girl-NOM.PL You are girls

Tense
Tense marking on nouns is used to mark whether existence or particular relationship will begin, continue, or cease. It is intimately intertwined tense marking on verbs.

Examples:
 * Nyé nhyéxó já ùne krambélonanyo ajì i krambéloni nabó reikhykyà er I bet REL the pair.of.spouses-NOM.SG.PRES new.NOM.SG not be.spouses-FUT one year-FUT.SG by I bet that the new spouses won't be married in a year.
 * Nyé nhyéxó já ùne krambésulonanyo ajì i krambéloni nabó reikhykyà er I bet REL the pair.of.spouses-NOM.SG.PAST new.NOM.SG not be.spouses-FUT one year-FUT.SG by I bet that the new divorcees won't be married in a year.
 * ?Nyé nhyéxó já ùne krambémilonanyo ajì i krambéloni nabó reikhykyà er I bet REL the pair.of.spouses-NOM.SG.FUT new.NOM.SG not be.spouses-FUT one year-FUT.SG by I bet that the new spouses (who will continue their relationship) won't be married in a year.
 * Esubà kó zok n'gosasó nyé wa drax kó zok father-NOM.SG.PAST I.OBL of leave-PAST I and family I.OBL of My (ex-)father left my family and me

Affixes
Here's the full list of nominal affixes for plurality, case, and tense.

Infixes go right after the stressed syllable, so long as there is a syllable following it. If there isn't, infixes go right before the stressed syllable.