Diola-Fogny
Gender table
| gloss | layer | stem phonology | gender_13 | gender_14 | gender_15 | gender_16 | gender_17 | gender_18 | gender_1/2 sg | gender_3/4 sg | gender_5/6 sg | gender_7/8 sg | gender_9/8 sg | gender_10/11 sg | gender_5/12 sg | gender_9/12 sg | gender_1/2 pl option_1 | gender_1/2 pl option_2 | gender_10/11 pl | gender_3/4 pl | gender_gender_5/12 pl | gender_5/6 pl | gender_7/8 pl | gender_9/12 pl | gender_9/8 pl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| word type 1 | prefix | a-initial | b | f | m | j | w | t | a | y | f | k | b | j | f | b | l | buk | m | s | ɲ | k | u | ɲ | w |
| word type 1 | suffix | a-initial | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero |
| word type 2 | prefix | C-initial | ba | fa | ma | ja | wa | ti | a | ε | fu | ka | bu | ji | fu | bu | ku | buku | mu | si | ɲV | ku | u | ɲV | u |
| word type 2 | suffix | C-initial | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero |
| word type 3 | prefix | V-initial (not a) | b | f | m | j | w | t | zero | y | f | k | b | j | f | b | l | buk | m | s | ɲ | k | u | ɲ | w |
| word type 3 | suffix | V-initial (not a) | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero |
| word type 4 | prefix | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | |
| word type 4 | suffix | b | f | m | j | w | t | a | y | f | k | b | j | f | b | k | k | m | s | ɲ | k | w | ɲ | w | |
| word type 5 | prefix | a-final | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero |
| word type 5 | suffix | a-final | b | f | m | j | w | t | w | y | f | k | b | j | f | b | k | k | m | s | ɲ | k | w | ɲ | w |
| word type 6 | prefix | o or ɔ-final | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero |
| word type 6 | suffix | o or ɔ-final | b | f | m | j | w | t | m | y | f | k | b | j | f | b | k | k | m | s | ɲ | k | w | ɲ | w |
Nouns table
| gloss | gender | layer | sg indef | pl indef | sg def | pl def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| big wind (mass noun) | gender 16 | lexeme | jərusjərusjərus | #n.a. | jərusəjujərusəjujərusəju | #n.a. |
| big wind (mass noun) | gender 16 | prefix | ja | #n.a. | ja | #n.a. |
| big wind (mass noun) | gender 16 | suffix | zero | #n.a. | aju | #n.a. |
| child | gender 1/2 | lexeme | aɲil | kuɲil | aɲilaw | kuɲilaku |
| child | gender 1/2 | prefix | a | ku | a | ku |
| child | gender 1/2 | suffix | zero | zero | aw | aku |
| child (augmentative) | gender 5/12 | lexeme | fuɲilfuɲilfuɲil | ɲiɲil | ||
| child (augmentative) | gender 5/12 | prefix | fu | ɲi | fu | ɲi |
| child (augmentative) | gender 5/12 | suffix | zero | zero | afu | aɲu |
| cricket (collective) | gender 14 | lexeme | fabəngundfabəngundfabəngund | #n.a. | #n.a. | |
| cricket (collective) | gender 14 | prefix | fa | #n.a. | fa | #n.a. |
| cricket (collective) | gender 14 | suffix | zero | #n.a. | afu | #n.a. |
| dog | gender 3/4 | lexeme | εyεn | siyεn | εyεnεw | siyεnasu |
| dog | gender 3/4 | prefix | ε | si | ε | si |
| dog | gender 3/4 | suffix | zero | zero | εw | asu |
| head (augmentative) | gender 9/12 | lexeme | bukobuko | ɲikoɲiko | ||
| head (augmentative) | gender 9/12 | prefix | bu | ɲi | bu | ɲi |
| head (augmentative) | gender 9/12 | suffix | zero | zero | abu | aɲu |
| just before dawn | gender 17 | lexeme | warabarab | #n.a. | warabarabaw | #n.a. |
| just before dawn | gender 17 | prefix | wa | #n.a. | wa | #n.a. |
| just before dawn | gender 17 | suffix | zero | #n.a. | aw | #n.a. |
| mango | gender 5/6 | lexeme | fumang | kumang | ||
| mango | gender 5/6 | prefix | fu | ku | fu | ku |
| mango | gender 5/6 | suffix | zero | zero | afu | aku |
| moment | gender 18 | lexeme | tinoktinok | #n.a. | tinokətu | #n.a. |
| moment | gender 18 | prefix | ti | #n.a. | ti | #n.a. |
| moment | gender 18 | suffix | zero | #n.a. | atu | #n.a. |
| palm-oil tree | gender 10/11 | lexeme | jibɛkɛl | mubɛkɛl | ||
| palm-oil tree | gender 10/11 | prefix | ji | mu | ji | mu |
| palm-oil tree | gender 10/11 | suffix | zero | zero | aju | amu |
| peanut (collective) | gender 13 | lexeme | bajaŋata | #n.a. | #n.a. | |
| peanut (collective) | gender 13 | prefix | ba | #n.a. | ba | #n.a. |
| peanut (collective) | gender 13 | suffix | zero | #n.a. | abu | #n.a. |
| person | gender 1/2 | lexeme | an | bukan | bukanaku | |
| person | gender 1/2 | prefix | a | buka | a | bukan |
| person | gender 1/2 | suffix | zero | zero | aw | aku |
| pot | gender 7/8 | lexeme | kapɔt | upɔt | ||
| pot | gender 7/8 | prefix | ka | u | ka | u |
| pot | gender 7/8 | suffix | zero | zero | aku | aw |
| spitting cobra | gender 9/8 | lexeme | bulun | ulun | ||
| spitting cobra | gender 9/8 | prefix | bu | u | bu | u |
| spitting cobra | gender 9/8 | suffix | zero | zero | abu | aw |
| truth | gender 15 | lexeme | malɛgɛn | #n.a. | #n.a. | |
| truth | gender 15 | prefix | ma | #n.a. | ma | #n.a. |
| truth | gender 15 | suffix | zero | #n.a. | amu | #n.a. |
Verbs table
| gloss | layer | 1 sg full_form | 2 sg full_form | 3 sg full_form | 1 incl pl full_form | 1 pl full_form | 2 pl full_form | 3 pl full_form | 1 sg stripped_form | 2 sg stripped_form | 3 sg stripped_form | 1 incl pl stripped_form | 1 pl stripped_form | 2 pl stripped_form | 3 pl stripped_form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| verb | prefix | ni | nu | na | nu | nu | ji | ku | i | u | a | u | a | ji | ku |
| verb | suffix | zero | zero | zero | a | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | al | zero | zero | zero |
Diola Fogny notes
Phonology
Affixes display ATR harmony conditioned by the stem they attach to.
Nouns
Gender 1/2 is for humans and 3/4 appears to be the general default (loan words typically are assigned to it, except those denoting persons (which go into 1/2) fruits (which go into 5/6), trees (which go into 9/8) containers and bony objects (which go into 7/8). 10/11 is used for diminutives and for personified folktale characters, while 5/12 and 9/12 are used for augmentatives. Genders 13-17 are used for abstract and mass nouns.
Verbs
- 3rd person prefixes are gender markers; the paradigms in the database assume a gender 1/2 subject.
- Human referent objects are also marked on the verb, through suffixes, e.g. ku-bɔɲ-ɑ:m-bɔɲ 'they sent me'.
- Sapir (1965) distinguishes between 'full form' and 'stripped form' verbs. Their syntactic distribution is somewhat complex to describe:
Full form
Used 'with the initial verb of a simple sentence and with the initial verb of both sections of a compound sentence when the verb is neither contingent nor negative, and when it does not take a second position prefix or the verbal preclitic connectives man and ban.' (Sapir 1965: 90-1).
(The contingent suffix 'marks a verb as a prior condition or state. It functions in conditional sentences, in certain interjections, and in tying together a series of contingent acts describing how something is done' (Sapir 1965: 36). It is written as the separate word ja after the verb. The second-position prefixes include the future negative lε, the future pan- and the negative imperative. They come before the person marker (when used): lε-kujɔl 'they won't come', pan-kujɔl 'they will come'. The connective man means 'in order that, and then', while ban is a completive auxiliary.)
Stripped form
Used in all other contexts. In addition, the stripped form may be used in some contexts where otherwise the full form would be used, typically indicating an imperative, interrogative or the fact that emphasis is placed on the subject: ʊ-tigεr fugɔlaf 'you broke the stick' or 'did you break the stick?' or 'break the stick', as opposed to full form nʊ-tigεr fugɔlaf 'you broke the stick' (narrative context).
Agreement
Gender agreement prefixes and suffixes occur separately and combined on many different targets. In the survey below, CV stands for the gender marker, truncated to C before a following vowel. (Single vowel prefixes are generally retainted, though the gender 3/4 prefix ɛ- is deleted before the initial a- of infinitives, rather than yielding the expected ya-; Sapir 1965: 13.)
Prefixes only:
- 3rd person verb subject (see Verbs above).
- 3rd person pronoun Cɔ
- demonstrative uC(ε)
- interrogative Cεy or Cay
- cardinal numerals 1-4 and ordinals 1-5
- the indefinite particulizer CV-kε(n) and the definite particulizer CV-kila
- various relatives
- 3rd person subject relative pronoun: Ca-[verb base]
- 3rd person object relative: [verb base]-Can(i)
- genitive particle: Cati or Cεti
- quantity indicator Cɔni or Cɔnɔ
Suffixes only:
The demonstrative uC(ε) appears to be the only target which solely takes a suffixed gender marker.
Both prefixes and suffixes:
- adjectives formed from nominal or from purely adjectival bases, which take the form CV-[adjective base]
- interrogative locative 'where is it?' CɔCεy
- emphatic demonstrative Co-aC
- distributive pronoun CanɔCan 'each', 'every'
- adjective 'the other' Ca:C
- disjunctive possessive CɔliCɔ, where the first Cɔ agrees with the possessed, the second with the possessor
Some targets that occur with prefixes alone may take an additional suffix, i.e. adjectives may take a suffixed article.
References
Sapir, J. David. 1965. A Grammar of Diola-Fogny. West African Language Monographs 3. Ibadan: Cambridge University Press in association with The West African Languages Survey and The Institute of African Studies.