Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 604 views

    Swahili: Unit 10 - Adjectives, Adverbs, and Syntax

    Uploaded by

    MartyneJohn
    This document provides an overview of adjectives, adverbs, and syntax in Swahili. It discusses modifying adjectives for different noun classes, forming adverbs, and constructing basic sentences. The bulk of the document focuses on rules for modifying adjectives based on their stem and the noun class, including exceptions. It also covers forming comparatives with -ingi and -ingine and placing adverbs, possessives, and other elements in sentences according to Swahili syntax. Mastering adjectives is identified as one of the trickiest parts of Swahili grammar.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Swahili: Unit 10 - Adjectives, Adverbs, and Syntax

    Uploaded by

    MartyneJohn
    604 views13 pages
    This document provides an overview of adjectives, adverbs, and syntax in Swahili. It discusses modifying adjectives for different noun classes, forming adverbs, and constructing basic sentences. The bulk of the document focuses on rules for modifying adjectives based on their stem and the noun class, including exceptions. It also covers forming comparatives with -ingi and -ingine and placing adverbs, possessives, and other elements in sentences according to Swahili syntax. Mastering adjectives is identified as one of the trickiest parts of Swahili grammar.

    Original Description:

    Swahili

    Original Title

    Swahili

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    ODT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    This document provides an overview of adjectives, adverbs, and syntax in Swahili. It discusses modifying adjectives for different noun classes, forming adverbs, and constructing basic sentences. The bulk of the document focuses on rules for modifying adjectives based on their stem and the noun class, including exceptions. It also covers forming comparatives with -ingi and -ingine and placing adverbs, possessives, and other elements in sentences according to Swahili syntax. Mastering adjectives is identified as one of the trickiest parts of Swahili grammar.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as odt, pdf, or txt
    604 views13 pages

    Swahili: Unit 10 - Adjectives, Adverbs, and Syntax

    Uploaded by

    MartyneJohn
    This document provides an overview of adjectives, adverbs, and syntax in Swahili. It discusses modifying adjectives for different noun classes, forming adverbs, and constructing basic sentences. The bulk of the document focuses on rules for modifying adjectives based on their stem and the noun class, including exceptions. It also covers forming comparatives with -ingi and -ingine and placing adverbs, possessives, and other elements in sentences according to Swahili syntax. Mastering adjectives is identified as one of the trickiest parts of Swahili grammar.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as odt, pdf, or txt
    of 13

    SWAHILI: UNIT 10 ADJECTIVES,

    ADVERBS, AND SYNTAX


    UNIT OBJECTIVES
    By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

    Modify adjectives beginning with consonants and vowels for nouns

    of all classes

    Form and use adverbs properly

    Form basic descriptive sentences (subject, verb, object, adjective)

    Master the following vocabulary: Swahili Unit 10 Vocabulary

    ADJECTIVES
    Swahili words come from several sources: the primary sources are African
    languages of the Bantu family. About 30% of the lexicon comes from Arabic. A
    small portion of words come from European or Asian languages of the Indian
    Ocean Basin.
    The rules for adjective formation actually follow the origins of the adjectives
    themselves. Adjectives of Bantu origin follow the rules of basic Bantu grammar:
    they are formed by combining noun class prefixes with adjective stems.
    Adjectives of Arabic origin dont follow these same rulesthey take no prefixes.
    Lets look at these rules of adjective formation in detail.
    Phonetic Rules for (Bantu) Adjective Formation
    Basic Prefixes for Adjectives beginning with Consonants

    So, as we know, constructing most adjectives in Swahili requires the affixation


    of an appropriate noun class prefix to an adjectival stem. Every noun class has a
    particular prefix, though three noun classes (5, 9, 10) shape adjectives by the
    absence of an adjectival prefix (just as the nouns within these classes
    themselves take no noun class prefix). In fact, for nearly every class, the
    adjectival prefix is the same as the noun class prefix (the exceptions are classes
    11 and 14).
    We briefly introduced the basic adjectival prefixes in Unit 6, but lets review
    them again here. Please note that these prefixes appear in the form below when
    affixed to adjectives that begin withconsonants. For each noun class, a sample
    noun and sample adjective (using the stem kubwa, which means big) are
    included:

    Noun Class

    Sample Noun

    Adjectival Prefix

    Sample Adjective

    mtu

    m-

    mkubwa

    watu

    wa-

    wakubwa

    mti

    m-

    mkubwa

    miti

    mi-

    mikubwa

    tunda

    (-)

    kubwa

    matunda

    ma-

    makubwa

    kitu

    ki-

    kikubwa

    vitu

    vi-

    vikubwa

    nyumba

    (-)

    kubwa

    10

    nyumba

    (-)

    kubwa

    11

    ukuta

    m-

    mkubwa

    14

    upendo

    m-

    mkubwa

    16

    mahali

    pa-

    pakubwa

    17

    mahali

    ku-

    kuzuri

    Many people consider adjectives the be the trickiest piece of Swahili grammar
    to master (but master them, you will!). This is because they are the one part of
    speech whose rules contain significant exceptions. They are as follows:
    Modifying Animate Nouns Not in Classes 1&2
    As you know, there are many nouns for animate beings that do not fall in noun
    classes 1&2 (mama, baba, rafiki, simba, etc). Just as these nouns take the noun
    classes 1&2 subject prefixes for verb conjugation (mama anapika, simba
    wanakula), so too do adjectives used to describe them require the noun classes
    1&2 adjectival prefixes (baba mkubwa, simba wakubwa).
    Exceptions to Prefixes for Adjectives Beginning with Consonants
    Noun Classes 9/10
    Adjectives whose stems start with D, G or Z take the prefix n- when
    describing nouns in classes 9 and 10.

    Nyumba nzuri: Good house

    Nyumba ndogo: Small house

    Adjectives whose stems start with B, P or V take the prefix m- when


    describing nouns in classes 9 and 10:

    Nyumba mbaya: Bad house

    Nyumba mpya: New house

    The adjective -refu, meaning long, is modified to ndefu for noun classes 9
    and 10. So a long journey is a safari ndefu
    Prefixes for Adjectives Beginning with Vowels
    If an adjective stem begins with a vowel, the adjectival prefix is modified
    phonetically as follows:
    Noun Classes 1 & 2 (m/wa)

    M- + -a = Mwa: Mwalimu mwaminifu (An honest teacher)

    M- + -e = Mwe: Mtu mwema (a good/nice person)

    M- + -i = Mwi: Mteja mwingine (another customer)

    Wa- + -a = Wa: Walimu waminifu (honest teachers)

    Wa- + -e = We: Watu wema (good people)

    Wa- + -i = We: Wateja wengine (other customers)

    Noun Classes 3 & 4 (m/mi)

    M- + -e = Mwe: Mti mweupe (white tree)

    M- + -i = Mwi: Mtihani mwingine (another test)

    Mi- + -e = Mye: Miti myeupe (white trees)

    Mi- + -i = Mi: Mitihani mingine (other tests)

    Noun Classes 5 & 6 (-/ma)


    When describing a noun in class 5 with an adjective that begins with a vowel,
    you use the prefix ji- (many nouns in class 5 start with ji-). The prefix is
    modified further in phonetic fashion:

    Ji- + -e = Je: Gari jeusi (Black car)

    Ji- + -i = Ji: Tunda jingine (Another fruit)

    Ma- + -e = Me: Magari meusi (Black cars)

    Ma- + -i = Me: Matunda mengine (Other fruits)

    Noun Classes 7 & 8 (ki/vi)

    Ki- + -e = Che: Kiatu chekundu (Red shoe)

    Ki- + -i = Ki: Kitu kingine (Another thing)

    Vi- + -e = Vye: Viatu vyekundu (Red shoes)

    Vi- + -i = Vi: Vitu vingine (Other things)

    Noun Classes 9 & 10: (-/-)

    N- + -e = Nye: Nyumba nyeusi (Black house)

    N- + -i = Nyi: Nguo nyingi (Many clothes)

    Exception: N- +-ema = Njema (good)


    Noun Classes 11 & 14: (u/u)
    Noun classes 11&14 follow the same phonetic modification rules that noun
    classes 1&2 follow.
    Non-Bantu Adjectives
    Several of the most frequently used Swahili adjectives are of non-Bantu
    (Arabic) origin. When we use these adjectives, we do not modify them with
    noun class prefixes.
    Some key examples:
    Safi: Clean Eneo safi / A clean area
    Ghali: Expensive Bei ghali / An expensive price
    Rahisi: Easy/cheap Lengo rahisi / An easy goal
    Bora: High quality/Excellent/Better Maisha bora / Better life
    Key Modifiers: -ingi, -ingine

    Two particularly important adjectives are ingi (many) and ingine (other). As
    we have already seen from examples above, The construction of these
    adjectives follows the basic adjectival rules, but given their frequency of use
    (and the challenge of remembering all the different rules for constructing
    adjectives that begin with vowels), its worth separating these two out. The
    constructions are as follows:

    Noun

    Sample

    Adjectival

    -ingi (many)

    -ingine (other)

    Class

    Noun

    Prefix

    mtu

    m-

    mwengine/mwingine*

    watu

    wa-

    wengi

    wengine

    mti

    m-

    mwingine

    miti

    mi-

    mingi

    mingine

    tunda

    (-)

    jingine / lingine**

    matunda

    ma-

    mengi

    mengine

    kitu

    ki-

    kingi (only used

    kingine

    with chakula)

    vitu

    vi-

    vingi

    vingine

    nyumba

    (-)

    nyingine

    10

    nyumba

    (-)

    nyingi

    nyingine or zingine

    11

    ukuta

    m-

    mwingine

    14

    upendo

    m-

    mwingine

    16

    mahali

    pa

    pengi

    pengine

    17

    mahali

    ku

    kwingi

    kwengine

    *You will occasionally encounter mwingine used for nouns in class 1


    **You will often (even most commonly) hear people use lingine rather than
    jingine for class 5, though jingine may be more technically accurate.
    Some more examples:
    Noun Classes 1 &2
    Mzee mwengine: Another elder
    Mama mwengine: Another mother

    Wazee wengine: Other elders


    Wakulima wengi: Many farmers
    Noun Classes 3 & 4
    Mkopo mwingine: Another loan
    Mtihani mwingine: Other exams
    Mikopo mingine: Other loans
    Mitihani mingi: Many exams
    Noun Classes 5 & 6
    Shamba lingine: Another farm
    Zao lingine: Another crop
    Mashamba mengine: Other farms
    Mazao mengi: Many crops

    Noun Classes 7 & 8


    Kitabu kingine: Another book

    Kitenge kingine: Another kitenge


    Vitabu vingine: Other books
    Vitenge vingi: Many kitenges

    Noun Classes 9 & 10


    Siku nyingine: Another day
    Wiki nyingine: Another week
    Siku nyingine: Other days
    Wiki nyingi: Many weeks

    Noun Class 11
    Ufunguo mwingine: Another key

    Noun Class 14
    Utaratibu mwingine: Another system

    Note: When used together, -ingi comes before -ingine: watoto wengi wengine
    wanacheza mpira
    ADVERBS
    Swahili adverbs function almost identically to adjectives. Within a sentence, we
    place adverbs immediately after the verb it describes. The number of adverbs
    that are used is very limited; in fact most of the most commonly used adverbs
    come from adjective stems: zuri (well/good), baya (badly),
    gumu (difficult), rahisi (easy). Just as with adjectives, some adverbs require a
    prefix modification. To modify adjective stems as adverbs, we attach the prefix
    vi- to the stem. For those adverbs that do not require stems, we leave them as
    they are:
    Ulifanya vizuri: You did well
    Alipanga vibaya: He planned poorly
    Mtihani ulikuwa rahisi: The exam was easy
    Mnakimbia haraka! You are running fast!
    Dont forget that we can use sana and tu to modify both verbs and adverbs.
    So for example, we could say:
    Amesoma sana: He has really studied a lot
    Mmezoea haraka sana: You all have acclimated very quickly!
    Nenda polepole tu: Just go slowly!

    Endelea tu: Just continue


    SYNTAX
    Key rules to remember:

    Adjectives come after the objects they describe: mtoto mdogo

    Associatives always come last in a sentence: shamba kubwa la

    shule

    Possessives come before adjectives: Gari langu jekundu

    Demonstratives come immediately after the object they refer

    to: nyumba hii kubwa

    -ote and -o-ote come before other adjectives: matango yote

    mabovu / wanafunzi wote wengine

    -ingine and -ingi come before other adjectives: masomo mengine

    magumu
    CONCLUDING ADVICE
    It will take a lot of time and practice to get some of the adjectives down. Be
    disciplined, and push yourself to get them right from the start, because its very
    easy to develop bad and lazy habits with adjectives.
    EXERCISES
    Swahili Unit 10 Worksheet
    Swahili Unit 10 Worksheet Answers

    You might also like