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Nama

Language
Nama

Family
Khoe-Kwadi

Ethnologue
naq

ISO
naq

glottolog_id
nama1264

Pronouns table

gloss layer nom sg obl sg acc sg nom du obl du acc du nom pl obl pl acc pl
1st person masc lexeme ta ta te khom khoma khom ge ge ge
1st person fem lexeme ta ta te m ma mi se se se
1st person neut lexeme zero zero zero m mo mi da da da
2nd person masc lexeme ts tsa tsi kho kho kho go go go
2nd person fem lexeme s sa si ro ro ro so so so
2nd person neut lexeme zero zero zero ro ro ro du do du
3rd person masc lexeme b ba bi kha kha kha gu ga gu
3rd person fem lexeme s sa si ra ra ra di de di
3rd person neut lexeme i e i ra ra ra n na ni
1st person masc form ta ta te khom khoma khom ge ge ge
1st person fem form ta ta te m ma mi se se se
1st person neut form zero zero zero m mo mi da da da
2nd person masc form ts tsa tsi kho kho kho go go go
2nd person fem form s sa si ro ro ro so so so
2nd person neut form zero zero zero ro ro ro du do du
3rd person masc form b ba bi kha kha kha gu ga gu
3rd person fem form s sa si ra ra ra di de di
3rd person neut form i e i ra ra ra n na ni

Nama notes

  • Although conventionally treated as suffixes, Haacke argues that the person-gender-number markers should be construed as enclitic pronouns. The nominative form occurs e.g. immediately following the noun it agrees with or which it is in a predicate nominal relationship with, while the accusative form occurs following a verb. Per Haacke (section 3.2.1.2.1) gender assignment is as follows:
    masculine
    • male animates
    • relatively large or elongated objects
    feminine
    • female animates
    • relatively small, shorter, concentric or roundish objects
    • infinitives
    neuter
    • non-specific or unknown sex or for generic and indefinite references; in the dual and the plural, common (masculine + feminine) gender
  • The 3rd person masculine singular pronoun is /b/ following a vowel; otherwise it assimilates with a preceding consonant.

References

Haacke, Wilfrid H.G. 2013. Morphology: Namibian Khoekhoe (Nama/Damara). In Rainer Vossen (ed.) The Khoesan languages, pp. 141-50. Abingdon: Routeledge.