 | Chapter 8 - Type 3 Nouns |
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Reminder:
The singular indefinite noun is the basic form of the noun. No equivalent to the English article "a" or "an" is used before the noun in singular.
For example hilib will translate as "meat" or "a meat"; gabadh will translate as "girl" or "a girl", etc.
The form of the indefinite noun does not distinguish between masculine and feminine. It will be the different suffixes added to the noun that will distinguish the grammatical gender.
In this chapter, we are studying in detail the formation of Type 3 nouns in the plural, and in the definite form singular and plural.
Type 3 Indefinite Nouns - Singular and Pural
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| Type 3 Nouns | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Gender |
Masculine or feminine nouns | Always masculine nouns |
| Form of the noun | Often more than one syllabe. The singular ends in a consonant, or in -i. |
-o ou -yo is added to the end of the noun, deletion of the last vowel of the singular |
Tone |
The singular (absolute) ends in the HL order on the last two moras. |
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Phonetic Changes:
-
The final consonant of the singular may change before the -o of the plural suffix: g -> k, n -> m:
Example: ilig = a tooth; ilko = teeth
qalin = a pen; qalmo = pens
-
Nouns ending in -i take -yo after removing the final -i vowel:
Example: guri = a house; guryo = houses
| Plural of Type 3 Indefinite Nouns - Examples | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular (fem.) | Translation | Plural (masc.) | Translation |
| galab | an afternoon | galbo | afternoons |
| maalin | une day | maalmo | days |
| qalin | a pen | qalmo | pens |
| hilib | a meat | hilbo | meats |
| guri | a house | guryo | houses |
| garab | a shoulder | garbo | shoulders |
| ilig | a tooth | ilko | teeth |
| gabadh | a girl | gabdho | girls |
| xaraf | a letter (of alphabet) | xarfo | letters |
| waran | a spear | warmo | spears |
Type 3 Nouns - Formation of Singular Definite Noun
In Somali, the English article "the" is marked by suffixes added to the end of the indefinite noun.
This suffix starts with -k- for masculine nouns and -t- for feminine nouns.
The vowel following -k- and -t- changes depending on whether the noun is absolute or the subject of a verb: -ka, -ta = absolute, -ku, -tu = subject.
Phonetic Changes:
-
The t of the feminine suffix disappears after the sound dh:
Examples: gabadh = a girl; gabadh + -ta -> gabadha = the girl
-
The k of the masculine suffix disappears after the sound g:
Examples: xadhig = a rope; xadhig + -ka -> xadhiga = the rope
-
The k of the masculine suffix becomes g after a vowel:
Example: guri = a house; guri + -ka -> guriga = the house
| Noun absolute | Noun subject | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine suffix | -ka | -ku |
| Example with garab = shoulder | garab-ka -> garabka = the shoulder | garab-ku -> garabku = the shoulder |
| Feminine suffix | -ta | -tu |
| Example with gabadh = girl | gabadh-ta -> gabadha = the girl | gabadh-tu -> gabadhu = the girl |
| Singulier des noms définis de Type 3 - Exemples | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indéfini (masc.) | Défini sing. absolu | Défini sing. sujet | Traduction |
| galab (fém.) | galabta | galabtu | l'après-midi |
| maalin (fém.) | maalinta | maalintu | la journée |
| qalin (masc.) | qalinka | qalinku | le stylo |
| hilib (masc.) | hilibka | hilibku | la viande |
| guri (masc.) | guriga | gurigu | la maison |
| garab (masc.) | garabka | garabku | l'épaule |
| ilig (masc.) | iliga | iligu | la dent |
| gabadh (fém.) | gabadha (gabarta) | gabadhu | la fille |
| xaraf (masc.) | xarafka | xarafku | la lettre (de l'alphabet) |
| waran (masc.) | waranka | waranku | la lance |
Type 3 Names - Formation of Plural Definite Noun
Type 3 definite nouns form their plural by adding the masculine suffixes -aha and -ahu to the plural indefinite noun, after removing the final -o.
| Plural of Type 3 Definite Nouns - Examples | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indefinite pl. (masc.) | Definite pl. absolute | Definite pl. subject | Translation |
| galbo | galbaha | galbahu | the afternoons |
| maalmo | maalmaha | maalmahu | the days |
| qalmo | qalmaha | qalmahu | the pens |
| hilbo | hilbaha | hilbahu | the meats |
| guryo | guryaha | guryahu | the houses |
| garbo | garbaha | garbahu | the shoulders |
| ilko | ilkaha | ilkahu | the teeth |
| gabdho | gabdhaha | gabdhahu | the girls |
| xarfo | xarfaha | xarfahu | the letters (of alphabet) |
| warmo | warmaha | warmahu | the spears |
Some additional Type 3 nouns:
- Kimis (fem.) (kimiso, kimista, kimisaha) = bread
- Xadhig (masc.) (xadhigo, xadhiga, xadhigaha) = rope
- Gacan (fem.) (gacmo, gacanta, gacmaha) = hand
- Jilib (masc.) (jilbo, jilibka, jilbaha) = knee
- Xubin (fem.) (xubno, xubinta, xubnaha) = limb
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