Chapter 30 - Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns

 Generalities about Demonstratives 

Demonstratives can be autonomous or suffix themselves to nouns.

By convention, we shall call them "Demonstrative Pronouns" when they are autonomous words, and "Demonstrative Adjectives" when they are suffix particles attached to nouns.

 The Demonstrative Pronouns:

They are marked by gender in the singular but have a common form in the plural.

As in English, they distinguish between what is near: "this one" and what is further away: "that one".

An additional form allows reference to something known by both speakers: "this one or that one that you know"...

Demonstrative pronouns take the suffix -i (and not -u like nouns) when they are subjects:
kan -> kani, tan -> tani, kuwan -> kuwani; kaas -> kaasi, taas -> taasi, kuwaas -> kuwaasi.

Examples: Kani waa Cali = this is Ali; Tani waa Casha = this is Aisha; Kuwani waa Cali iyo Cabdi = these are Ali and Abdi.

 The Demonstrative Adjectives

 Singular 

Just like definite articles, "demonstrative adjectives" are not separate words but suffixes added to the end of nouns.

These demonstrative suffixes can only be added to already defined nouns, not to indefinite nouns.

Demonstratives suffixed to nouns cause various phonetic changes, identical to those produced by the definite suffixes attached to nouns.

 Plural 

In the plural, the same demonstrative adjectives as in the singular are attached to defined plural nouns (and not the independent plural demonstrative pronouns), while taking into account possible changes in gender.

For example: Wiil (= boy) becomes Wiilal (= boys) in the plural indefinite, and Wiilasha (= the boys) in the plural definite.

Which in turn become Wiilashan = these boys, Wiilashaas = those boys, Wiilashii = those boys (that we know) with the demonstrative.