 | Chapter 24 - The Subject Pronouns |
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Autonomous Pronouns and Preverbal Pronouns
There are two kinds of subject pronouns :
- Autonomous pronouns, which have essentially the same properties as nouns.
- Preverbal pronouns, that function like verbal affixes, but are detached from the verb in a pre-assigned preverbal position.
There is no substitution between the noun subject and the preverbal pronoun subject, but complementarity : the preverbal subject pronoun will always be there, whether the noun subject (or an autonomous pronoun subject) is expressed in the sentence or not.
Autonomous subject pronouns
They are ordinarily followed by a determiner (by default the definite suffix -ka or -ta), a conjunction, or a focus marker.
For the form with the definite article, subject marking works in the ordinary way.
| Emphatic form | Short form | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Person | Stand alone | Subject | + conjunction | + subjunctive |
| 1st pers. sing. | aniga | anigu | an(i) | an |
| 2nd pers. sing. | adiga | adigu | ad(i) | ad |
| 3rd pers. sing. masc. | isaga | isagu | is(a) | ha |
| 3rd per. sing. fem. | iyada | iyadu | iya | ha |
| 1st per. plur. excl. | annaga | annagu | anna | annu |
| 1st pers. plur. incl. | innaga | innagu | inna | aynu |
| 2nd pers. plur. | idinka | idinku | idin | ad |
| 3rd pers. plur. | iyaga | iyagu | iyagu | ha |
You can see from this table that all autonomous subject pronouns are masculine except for iyada (= she, her) which is feminine.
The only difference between the autonomous "stand alone" pronoun and the autonomous subject pronoun is the subject marker u at the end.
The forms listed in the column labelled + conjuction omit the determiner suffix and sometimes the final vowel.
In most instances they only occur with the conjunctions -na (= and, also), -se (= but), or with the focus marker baa, and only in some combinations with these.
Examples :
| Anna waan arkey | I also saw (it) | [me+also I saw] |
| Adna waad aragtey | You also saw (it) | [you+also you saw] |
| Isna wuu arkay | He also saw (it) | [him+also he saw] |
| Iyana way aragtey | She also saw (it) | [her+also she saw] |
| Annana waannu aragney | We (exl.) also saw (it) | [us+also we saw] |
| Innana weynu aragney | We (incl.) also saw (it) | [us+also we saw] |
| Idinna weydin aragteen | You (pl.) also saw (it) | [you+also you saw] |
| Iyaguna wey arkeen | They also saw (it) | [them+also they saw] |
| Anaa tegey | It is I who went | [from an(i) + baa] |
| Adaa tegey | It is you who went | [from ad(i) + baa] |
Only 1st and 2nd person singular pronouns can be contracted in focus constructions.
Preverbal pronouns
Preverbal pronouns can be assimilated to detached "verbal affixes".
They have predetermined positions in the verbal phrase, along with the other preverbal particles, according to their different functions : subject, object, negation, relationship, etc..
Table of Preverbal markers
| Person | Subject Pronoun | Object Pronoun (1st series) |
Locative | Negation | Relational | Object Pronoun (2nd series) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st pers. sing. | waan | i | -ku (-gu) | ma | soo | kay |
| 2nd pers. sing. | waad | ku | -ku (-gu) | ma | soo | kaa |
| 3rd pers. sing. masc. | wuu | -ku (-gu) | ma | soo | ||
| 3rd pers. sing. fem. | way | -ku (-gu) | ma | soo | ||
| 1st pers plur. excl. | waannu | na | -ku (-gu) | ma | soo | kayo |
| 1st pers. plur. incl. | waynu | ina | -ku (-gu) | ma | soo | keen |
| 2nd pers. plur. | waydin | idin | -ku (-gu) | ma | soo | kiin |
| 3rd pers. plur. | way | -ku (-gu) | ma | soo |
Examples :
| Waan arkay | I saw | [I saw] |
| Waan ku arkay | I saw you | [I you saw] |
| Waan kugu arkay | I saw you in | [I you+in saw] |
| Maan arag | I didn't see | [Not+I didn't see] |
| Kumaan arag | I didn't see you | [You+not+I didn't see] |
| Kugumaan arag | I didn't see you in | [You+in+not+I didn't see] |
| Wuu i arkay | He saw me | [He me saw] |
| Wuu igu arkay | He saw me in | [He me+in saw] |
| Imuu arag | He didn't see me | [Me+not+he didn't see] |
| Igumuu arag | He didn't see me in | [Me+in+not+he didn't see] |
You can observe from the above examples that the preverbal subject pronoun is no longer at the initial in the negative sentences.
But it somehow subsists as a subject root, placed at the end of the Object+Locative+Negative+Subject cluster !
Preverbal subject pronouns
The preverbal subject pronoun possesses two forms, that we respectively named "transitive" and "untransitive", depending on whether the verb is followed by a complement or not.
If the verb is not followed by any complement, we use the untransitive form waan, waad, etc.. which is obtained by affixing w- to the preverbal subject root -aan, -aad, etc..
If the verb is followed by a complement, we use the transitive form waxaan, waxaad, etc.. which is obtained by affixing wax- to the preverbal subject root -aan, -aad, etc..
Table of Preverbal Subject Pronouns
| Person | root | Untransitive | Transitive | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st pers. sing. | -aan | waan | waxaan | I |
| 2nd pers. sing. | -aad | waad | waxaad | you |
| 3rd pers. sing. masc. | -uu | wuu | waxuu | he |
| 3rd pers. sing. fem. | -ay | way | waxay | she |
| 1st pers. plur. excl. | -aannu | waannu | waxaannu | we |
| 1st pers. plur. incl. | -aynu | waynu | waxaynu | we |
| 2nd pers. plur. | -aydin | waydin | waxaydin | we |
| 3rd pers. plur. | -ay | way | waxay | they |
Examples :
| Anigu waan cunayaa | I am eating | [Me I eating] |
| Anigu waxaan cunayaa furin | I am eating bread | [Me I eating bread] |
| Isagu wuu cunayaa | He is eating | [Him he eating] |
| Isagu waxuu cunayaa baasto | He is eating pasta | [Him he eating pasta] |
| Iyadu way cunaisaa | she is eating | [Her she eating] |
| Iyadu waxay cunaisaa cambe | she is eating a mango | [Her she eating mango] |
| Anigu waan karinayaa | I am cooking | [Me I cooking] |
| Anigu waxaan karinayaa laxoo | I am cooking a pancake | [Me I cooking pancake] |
| Aabahay wuu karinayaa | My father is cooking | [Father-my he cooking] |
| Aabahay waxuu karinayaa hilib | My father is cooking meat | [Father-my he cooking meat] |
| Hooyoday way karinaisaa | My mother is cooking | [Mother-my she cooking] |
| Hooyoday waxay karinaisaa kaluun | My mother is cooking fish | [Mother-my she cooking fish] |
Note that the autonomous subject pronouns anigu, isagu and iyadu can be made without in the above examples.
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