ABWAKI GRAMMAR

The Abakwi language is spoken in two villages, or tribes, in a remote area of

the Mamberamo basin of Irian Jaya, on the Island of New Guinea. It does not
seem to me to be related to any other languages I have come across, and it
may not have been dealt with before, linguistically or otherwise. My suspicion
is that it may be a creole formed of two now-extinct and unknown languages.
-James Macbeith Finlay

The following is a basic descriptive grammar of the language, based on the

unpublished work of J.M.Finlay, who travelled extensively in the area of New
Guinea in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Topics
Sounds
Sentence Structure
Parts of Speech

Verb
Noun
Verb-Modifier
Noun-Modifier

Relative Clauses
Miscellaneous Notes
Vocabulary
Stories and Translations
Index

Pronunciation, Transcription of Abakwi

I have attempted to provide a simple transcription of the sounds of Abakwi,

which should be almost transparent to most readers familiar with the Roman
alphabet.
Vowels:

more as in Spanish, less as in the following English:

a All
e thEy
i machIne
o nOte
u rUle

(These are pure vowels, with no glides.)

Consonants:

nearest English equivalents:

p pall
b ball
t tall
d dell
k kill
g gall (never as in gem)
s sell (never as in pose)
z zero

f fine
v vary
h hall (but stronger, as in Spanish jota)
gh (no equivalent, this is a voiced h.)
sh show
zh azure
ch chair
j jack
l let
r run (a single tap, as in Spanish para)
m man
n no
ng ring
w well
y yes
q uh-oh (glottal stop)

Note:the consonant groups nd, mb, ngg, nj are common and may appear
initially.
ngg represents two sounds, as in English "finger".
ng represents a single sound, as in English "ring".
The groups sk, nt appear rarely, in probable loan-words.
Unvoiced stops p,t,k are unaspirated.
l represents a clear l as in 'like', not dark as in 'cool'.
q , the glottal stop, represents the sound you hear instead of 't' in some British
pronunciations of "bottle", or initial in the German "Aber".

Here is a better approximation of the sounds:

front--back
high i
mid
low

u
e o
a
labial lab-dnt dental alv alv-pal velar glottal

stop

pb

fricative

td
fv

sz

affricate

sh zh

h gh

ch j

approximant
nasal

kg

w
m

rl
n

y
ng

Stress

Stress is fairly weak and normally occurs on the vowel before the last
consonant of a phrase (explained under Structure). A heavier stress may be
placed in the same location when at the end of an utterance.
Certain modifiers tend to receive stress in other positions, especially the last
modifier in a phrase.
In some cases, the shifting of stress will change the meaning of a phrase, in
other cases, its position may be altered for emphasis.

Baknga (Bak-ang'a) He is not speaking.

Bakang (Bak'a-nga) No one is speaking.

Ba kungsa? (B'a kung-as'a) Did he kill it?

Ba kungas? (B'a kung'a-sa) Which did he kill?

Back to topics To index

Sentence Structure

Abakwi has an extremely regular grammar, with very few exceptions to its
rules. Sentences are made up of one or more phrases. Each phrase consists of
a verb (optionally followed by modifying particles) and a subject (optionally
followed by modifying particles).

Abakwi sentence structure can be represented as:

(V(v)S(s)) where

V=Verb

S=Subject

v=Verb-modifier

s=Subject-modifier

Phrase order within a sentence is rather loose, but subjects always follow their
verbs within a phrase, and modifiers always follow their heads.

Exception #1:

The subject, if understood, can be omitted at the end of an utterance: Panam =

"It is raining." Panam! = "Rain!" Yal'u q'i ="Help me", Yal! = "Help!" Kim =
Kim'u = Come!
An utterance can be anything from an interjection to a complete story, but it
always ends in a pause. If the subject is not omitted, the final vowel is often
stopped, with a sound similar to the T in SPOT at the end of a sentence in
English (an unreleased alveolar stop). This signals "I am done speaking" and is
considered polite, although it is usually abandoned in energetic, excited
speech.

Back to topics To index

Parts of Speech

There are four distinct parts of speech in Abakwi:

Verb
Noun
Verb-Modifier
Noun-Modifier

What about adjectives,adverbs,prepositions,etc?

Verbs :

Abakwi verbs have a single 'root' form and do not conjugate or change form in
any way. Many of the common ones are monosyllabic, or even shorter.

Bak'i q'Abakwi."I speak Abakwi".

(Two phrases, VS VS)

Bak

verb

'i

noun I

verb

'Abakwi

speak

'accusative' verb*
noun Abakwi

(A better translation might be "I am speaking Abakwi" or "I was speaking

Abakwi", but more on that later.)

* The verb q generally indicates that its subject acts as patient within a
sentence. It may be replaced by other more specific verbs, and often has
modifiers attached to it.

Note that nouns are preceded by a tick mark ( ' ) and modifiers are preceded
with a hyphen, as an aid in reading. This does not affect pronunciation, except
in indicating where stress is likely to occur (often on the last modifier in a
phrase).

Back to Parts of Speech To index

Nouns :

Nouns are also very simple. Like the verbs, they do not change form. Pronouns
and proper nouns behave identically to all other nouns. You've seen two, 'i and
'Abakwi.

'i is of course a pronoun, and here are some useful ones, along with the verb
sh, "to be":

sh'i

I am

sh'u

you are

sh'a

he/she/it is

sh'ala he is
sh'ara

she is

sh'wi we (you and me) are (pronounced as English "we"!)

sh'ay we (not you) are (pronounced as English "I"!)
sh'una*

you (plural) are

sh'ana*

they are

sh'alana*

they (masc.) are

sh'arana*

they (fem.) are

sh'wija(na)**
sh'e

one is,we all are

which is

* Exception #2: Final (a) is often dropped at the end of an utterance.

**wija/wijana are generally interchangeable.

e is a relative pronoun.
Note: sh may represent existence, equality, or membership in a class.

Gender is usually only expressed for clarity.

-la and -ra can be added to other nouns to express gender:
'uruha-la "male weasel"
'amifa-ra "queen bee".
Also, the plural marker -na is often omitted if the meaning is clear from the
context.
These are Noun-Modifiers , which are covered later.

Back to Parts of Speech To index

Verb Modifiers :

Verb modifiers always follow the verb, and are commonly used to express
tense, aspect, mode, etc. Some verb modifiers,with kum, to go and mob, to
eat:

-ang

negative

kum-ang'i

I am not going

-am

future

kum-am'i

I will go

-ab

past

-as

question

kum-ab'i

-ungg intensifier

I went, I was going

kum-as'i

am I going?

mob-ungg'i I am chowing down

-ingg de-intensifier

mob-ingg'i

I am snacking

-war

ability

kum-war'i

I can go

-wal

possibility

kum-wal'i

I might go

-ej

obligation

kum-ej'i

I should go

-wej

necessity

kum-wej'i

I must go

-ezh

probably,likely

-aj

present/now kum-aj'i

I am going now

-eng

if (possible) kum-eng'i

if I were going

-ish

if (but not)

if I had gone

-und

progressive, continuing

-it

finished (perfect)

mob-it'i

-uzh

more mob-uzh'i

I am eating more

-izh

less

I am eating less

-azh

equally, also, as much as mob-azh'i

kum-ish'i

mob-izh'i

-wah too much

kum-ezh'i

mob-wah'i

-imb

too little, not enough

-esh

want kum-esh'i

I am likely to go

mob-und'i

I am still eating

I am done eating

I am eating also

I am eating too much

mob-imb'i

I want to go

I am not eating enough

-ond

like to

kum-ond'i

I like to go

-eh

hate to

kum-eh'i

I hate to go

-umb try to,attempt

kum-umb'i

I am trying to go

-uz

so that, in order to kum-uz'i

so that I go

-um

because, since

kum-um'i

because I go

-ul

then,therefore

kum-ul'i

therefore I am going

-ind

begin,become

mob-ind'i

I begin to eat

-il

while mob-il'i

while I am eating

-unj

as if, seem to

mob-unj'i

-ij

until, before kum-ij'i

-enj

instead,rather,but kum-enj'i

as if I am eating

before I go
instead I am going

-wad instead of

kum-wad'i

instead of going

-ong

unless

kum-ong'i

unless I am going

-end

then,thereafter

-and

previously, already

kum-and'i

-inj

so long as

kum-inj'i

so long as I am going

-ush

be allowed

kum-ush'i

I am allowed to go

-anj

repetitive

kum-anj'i

I go all the time

-angg well, enough

kum-end'i

then I am going
I had already gone

mob-angg'i I am eating well

-wam always

mob-wam'i

I am always eating

-ol

to undo

mob-ol'i

I vomit (un-eat)

-waj

to be about to

-wik

stop oneself, cease(not prevent)

kum-waj'i

I am about to go
mob-wik'i

-wab to intend to kum-wab'i

I intend to go

-ik

I suddenly left

suddenly

kum-ik'i

I stop eating

There are idiomatic expressions using the modifier -ol:

Bayang-ol'a q'ebi. (He un-hunted the tree-kangaroo) meaning he drove them
deep into the forest.

The past-tense marker -ab is often omitted.

Tense-modifiers in general are used less than in English. In a narrative, often

the time frame will be set with an expression like Kum'ehe-zhu... (many years
ago..) etc. and then the tense remains in the "unmarked" present (tense
markers are omitted). The marker -aj is only used to emphasize present tense,
as in "right now".

Actually, Abakwi uses relative tense. Verbs are marked relative to the current
time reference, so a verb might be marked in the future tense while referring to
a past time or vice versa.
For example: Nd'ashombe zhik-it'i q'anggawa-bula. Tomorrow I will have taken
five cassowaries.
nd'ashombe 'by tomorrow' is the time reference, while zhik-it'i 'I took' is in the
past perfect tense.

'I (am able to) speak Abakwi' would be: Bak-war'i q'abakwi.
Bak-ab'a q'atapisi.He spoke in Tok-Pisin.

Verb modifiers can be combined to express many shades of meaning:

sh-ab-ang'i =I was not

sh-ungg-ang'i =I am not at all
sh-am-ang'i =I will not be
tak-ab-ungg'i =I knew long ago

tak-ab-ingg'i =I just found out

kim-am-ang-ungg'i =I will definitely not come
kum-ab-anj'i =I used to go
mob-ol-enj-ab'i =Instead I vomited.
kum-ond-am'i =I will like going
kum-am-ond'i =I hope to go
kim-ab-und'i =I was coming
kim-am-it'i =I will have come
mob-ang-wam'i =I never eat.
mob-wam-ang'i =I am not always eating.
mob-wab-ang'i =I ate it accidentally.

Compound Sentences (Subordinate Clauses)

Subordinate clauses are expressed with verb-modifiers.

Dibwik-ab-il'e q'ijalu, bik'a q'akira mutuk'e. While he was spearing mudbugs, he

heard a dog singing.
dibwik=to spear, to hunt with a pointy stick.
ijalu=mudbug.
bik=to hear.
akira=dog.
mutuk=to sing.

D-esh-eng'u q'ambu-kwi, b-ej'u sh'ambu-du. If you want good beer, you should
make your own beer.

d=to have.
ambu=beer. (-kwi=good, -du=your)
b=to cause.

Nik-ab'i q'emanara juk'amibe, nging-umb-ab-il'i q'ebasa.

While looking for tubers, I saw a nun in a clearing.

nik=to see.
emanara=nun.
amibe=clearing.
nging=to find.
ebasa=tuber.

Mob-eng-ab'u q'wanabu, nggesh-wal-ul'u.

If you ate the toad (which you might have), you might get sick.
Mob-ish'u q'wanabu, kung-ul-it'u.
If you ate the toad (which you didn't), you would be dead.

wanabu=toad.
nggesh=to be sick.
kung=to die.

Comparative, Superlative
Rokok-uzh'abasa-ja. That fruit is redder.
Rokok-uzh'abasa-ja q'arani. That fruit is more red than blood.
Rokok-uzh'abasa-ji q'amu. This fruit is reddest of all.

abasa=fruit.
rokok=to be red.
arani=blood.
amu=all.

Ndak'a. It is long.
Ndak-ungg'a. It is very long.
Ndak-uzh'a. It is longer.
Ndak-uzh-ungg'a. It is much longer.
Ndak-uzh'a q'amu. It is longest.
Ndak-wah'a. It is too long.
Ndak-angg'a. It is long enough.

Back to Parts of Speech To index

Noun Modifiers :

Noun modifiers always follow the noun, and are commonly used to help identify
or express feeling about the noun. Some noun modifiers:

-ra

female

-la

male

-na

plural, several

-nwa one,a
-pa

pair of, both

-ji

this(by me)

-ju

that(by you)

-ja

that(over there)

-sha

same

-twa

other,different

-mbe next
-ngge last
-sa

which?

-nga

no, not one

-mu

all,every

-zhu

many, much

-zhi

few,little(quantity)

-kwe group, collection, mass of

-ke

piece of

-za

sort, kind of

-pwa bad,unpleasant
-mba small,diminutive,dear
-ndu

big

-gwa lacking respect,damn

-kwi

good, pleasant, "regular"

-ngga so-called
-bwa person,human
-cho

spirit,ghost

-ko

inanimate

-vi

abstract

-ga

tool

-jwa

food

-zu

venerated

These are as close as Abakwi gets to having gender, but they are always
optional. They may be used to link pronouns (a, e etc.) to the nouns they refer
to.

The 'plural' marker, -na is used less than in English, and would never be
combined with markers such as -pa, -mu (dual, all).

These markers can be stressed for emphasis, especially -sa, -ja, -sha.
-sa usually receives stress wherever it appears.

Nik-ab'i q'abala-nga. I saw no house.

Nik-ab-ang'i q'abala(-nwa). I did not see a house.
Nik-ab-as'u q'abala? Did you see the house?
Nik-ab'u q'abala-sa? You saw which house?
Nik-ab'u q'abala-za-sa? You saw what kind of house?

Possessives:
Possessives are formed by -d+pronoun :
adungga-di my drum
adungga-du your drum
adungga-da his/her drum
adungga-de whose drum
adungga-dara her drum
adungga-dana their drum
adungga-na-dala his drums
a-di mine
etc.

Of course, there is really no difference between the noun-modifier -di (my) and
the phrase d'i (I have). All noun-modifiers may have originally been phrases,
some of them becoming reduced through frequent use.

In the ordering of noun-modifiers, "unbound" ones (-di, -ji, -sha, etc.) which are
clearly derived from phrases, can be freely ordered for emphasis, and always
follow "bound" modifiers (-ra, -la, -na, etc.)

Demonstratives:
aba-ji This bone
aba-ju That bone (by you)
aba-ja That bone (over there)

aba-na-ji These bones

Sh'a-ja q'akira. That is a dog.

Sh'a q'akira-ja. It is that dog.
-ji,-ju,-ja, -sha may function as definite articles, though the definite article is
usually omitted.
-nwa, -na, -pa, -twa may function as indefinite articles (a, some, a couple of,
another).

aba-nwa

A bone

aba-na Some bones

aba-dara-ji, aba-ji-dara

Her bone here, this bone of hers

Reflexive pronouns are formed with the noun-modifier -sha, "same":

'a-sha="himself".

'i-sha="myself".
Buk'a k'a-sha. He spoke to himself.
These are also used in an "emphatic" sense:
Buk'a-sha (q'a). He himself said it.

-sha will normally receive stress.

Back to Parts of Speech To index

What about other parts of speech?

Verbs in Abakwi tend to take over roles which in English would normally given
to other parts of speech. For instance,
adjectives

"I am thirsty" becomes "I thirst"

Swar'i. I thirst.
ndak = to be long.
Ndak-ind'a. It became long.
rokok = to be red.
Mob-ab'i q'abasa rokok'e. = I ate the red fruit.

adverbs
Gwal-ab'i swar-unj'e. I drank as-if I thirst .I drank thirstily.
Kum'a pis-unj'e. He left quietly.
pis = to be quiet
prepositions, conjunctions
Here are some common verbs used as prepositions:

beside, with

jik

in, inside

juk

outside, around

jak

on (touching)

jib

over, above

jub

under, below

jid

before, in front of

jud

behind, in back of

jim

near

jum

far from

juv

to the left of

jiv

to the right of

jav

between, among

j-ang not with

jak-ang off of
Kum-ab'i j'ala. I went with him.
Kum-ab'i j-uz'ara. I went to be with her.
j'a-sa? = with what?

By replacing initial j with k you express movement rather than position:

kuk outward
kak-ang to move off of
kav to go through

B'i jub'a. I put it down.

B'i jak'a. I attached it or placed it on.
Kub'u. Sit down.
Kib'u. Get up.
B'i kib'a. I made him get up.

j "with" is used for the conjunction "and".

j-enj, j-ong, j-wad express "or".
wama j'abasa meat and fruit
wama j-enj'abasa meat or fruit
wama j-ong'abasa meat unless fruit
wama j-wad'abasa meat or fruit (exclusive or)
"And" is not translated between phrases:
Pis'u mob-end'u q'aguma. Be quiet and eat your snake-head soup.
"Or" in this case is expressed with verb-modifiers:
Kum'u pak-wad'i. Go away or I'll hit you.

Nik-ab'i q'anicho jim'ubula. I saw an anicho near the stream.

anicho = "white demon".
ubula = stream.

Zhik'a q'ebi-tipa chabak'e kum'oku. She took three roasted tree-kangaroos from
the fire.

Important: Verbs are often opposite in meaning from the preposition used in
English prepositional phrases. Just remember that the following noun is the
subject of the verb.
jik = to be in.
Jik'i q'abala. I'm in the house.
Jik'abala-di q'atare. My house is in the forest. (Not: *Sh'abala-di jik'atare.)
But:
'abala juk'atare. the house in the forest (the house that the forest is around).
'ajacha jik'abala fire that house is in
'ajacha juk'abala fire in the house

Note: ajacha=blaze, oku=cooking-fire.

Lushak-ab'i q'ozabi d'Ubani-Tata kuk'ambu. I poured Uncle Ubani's ashes into

the beer.
lushak = pour
ozabi = ash
ambu = beer

Note:
Tata, Aunt or Uncle, is a common title given to older members of the clan,
whether closely related or not.
Another title is Bwandu, Head-man or head-woman, which is conferred on
anyone especially skilled or respected. It is also used sarcastically to indicate
someone overly full of himself.

I have prepared a page dealing with kinship terms

nd is another verb used as a preposition (to be at,in ,for etc.)

nd'ubu-sa =for what reason, why?

nd'umu-sa =in what way, how?
nd'ugu-ju =at that place, there.
nd'uzhu-sa =how many, how much?
nd'ugu-sha, nd'ulu-sha =same place, same time.
Mob'i nd'ulu-nga q'akira. I never eat dog.
Mob'i nd'ulu-mu q'ebi. I always eat tree-kangaroo.
(more emphatic than Mob-wam'i q'ebi.)

Back to topics To index

Relative Clauses

The pronoun 'e is used as a resumptive pronoun in relative clauses. It generally

refers to the subject of the previous phrase or the "main" subject of the
sentence. Note that the word order is not changed and the pronoun is never
omitted, as is common in English. Here are some examples:

Kelek-ab'a q'aba duk-ab'i q'e k'a. He broke the bone which I gave him.
(Break-did'he q'bone give-did'I q'which to'him).
Mob-ab'i q'abasa rokok'e. = I ate the red fruit.
(Eat-did'I q'fruit red'which).

Q'abwa pikak'e jub'ogo jiv'e.The man had a cut over his left eye.
Lik-umb-'a q'aba d'Anicho duc-ab'i q'e k'a juk'atare.He studied the bone of the
Anicho which I gave him in the forest.

Kul'a sh'e q'Edoba q'e mbenwabech'ara nubak'i q'e.

The one who is Edoba thinks that she who I live with is stupid.
kul = think
mbenwabech = to be stupid
nubak = to live with
Edoba = a neighboring tribe/village

tak-ingg = to think, implies probable truth, while kul does not.

tak-ingg also can mean "be acquainted with". tak-angg means "be familiar
with".

tak-ingg'e q'i he who knows me.

tak-ingg'i q'e he who i know.

Note "adjectives" are often relative clauses which immediately follow the
modified noun:

Duk-ab'i q'aba twamb'e k'abwa-ra. I gave the strange bone to the woman.
Duk-ab'i q'aba k'abwa-ra twamb'e. I gave the bone to the strange woman.
twamb = to be strange.

Of course 'e can be followed by noun-modifiers like any other noun, which can
reduce ambiguity.
e-ra, e-la-na, e-ko = woman which, men which, thing which .

With certain verbs (to think, know, say, believe etc.),'e usually refers to the
following phrase as a whole.

Buk'u q'e buk'i q'e kum-it'a. You said that I said that he left.

In the above, stress is shifted to the subject of each phrase ( u, i ).

Note: Q'e is sometimes translated as "let".

Q'e mob'wi. Let's eat.

Back to topics To index

Miscellaneous Notes

Interjections

Interjections are reduced forms of phrases.

Yes, No
Yes= Ke, Sha, Qa etc.
No= Nga, Shang, Qang etc.
Often the answer is expressed with a sentence:

Do you have beer?=D'u q'ambu?

Yes=D'i (I have)
No=Nga (quite rude)
Dang (neutral, I don't have)
Desh (polite, I wish)

Other Common Interjections

Sa huh?
Pwa yuck
Hu you don't say.
Kwi great.
Ngga no way.
Gwa no good.
Yaye ouch.
Qe, Ghe hey.

Common Expressions
Bash'anti. Thank God (Lit., forest-god provides)
Sh-angg-as'u? How are you?
Nd'ugu-sa (kum'u)? Hello (Lit., Where are you going?)
Bash'u q'a-sa? What is your name?
Bash'i q'Ufune. My name is Ufune.
Mob'i q'udu-du! So glad to see you again! (Lit., I eat your feces)
(Kum'u) Kim-end'u Good-bye (to one leaving)
Bwareng. Please (If you can).
Duqinda. Thank you.

Paki qisha. I'm sorry.

Sh-angg'i. I am fine.
Pwang'i Not bad.
Nik-anj'wi. Nik-anj'. Goodbye.(see you)
Kum-angg. Goodbye.(farewell)
J-ond-ungg'i (q'u). I love you.
Shwala. Maybe.
Duk-war-eng'u q'abako. Please give me a cigarette.
Bula. Here, take it.
Bwibwi. Never mind.
Pis. Shut up.
Obwibwi refers to the "polite conversation" taken up before getting to the
"topic".

Note: the verb bash, "to provide", also means "to be named".

Cultural Note:
Abwa-di, Abwa-na-di "Fellow tribesman", "My people" is how the Andake
commonly refer to themselves.
Andake , Andake-na "The long one(s) is the correct way for outsiders to refer to
them. This is a reference not to their stature but to the 'udwanggu , or penisgourd.

Numbers
Numbers are noun modifiers:

-nga

zero

-nwa one

-pa

two

-tipa three
-jana four
-bula five
-shapa

six

-toka seven
-mila eight
-gachi
-chi

nine
ten

-hachi

hundred

-chindu

thousand

abwa-chi-pa twelve men

asho-tipa-chi-bula thirty-five days
abwa-hachi-nwa one hundred and one men
asho-tipa-hachi-chi-nwa three hundred eleven days
abwa sh'e-tipa third man
a-tipa threesome, trio
nd'ulu-tipa three times, thrice
a-pa-je-tipa two thirds

Expressions of Time
Tense markers are often replaced by time expressions. Here are a few of the
more common ones:

asho-ji today

ashonga-ji tonight
ashongge or kum'asho yesterday
ashombe or kim'asho tomorrow
king'asho morning
kung'asho evening
king'ashombe tomorrow morning
ashongangge last night
ago month
ehe year
kung'ehembe end of next year
kum'ehe-chi ten years ago
kim'ago-pa in two months
ekweche is a term for twelve years, commonly used to refer to someone's age.
A person's 24th birthday would be called ekweche-pa.

Ordering of Phrases

Phrase order is rather loose in Abakwi:

Mob-am'i q'abwangga. I will eat pig.
Q'abwangga mob-am'i. It is pig that I will eat.

A "passive" construction can be produced by a change in phrase order:

Kelek'a q'aba. He broke the bone.
Q'aba kelek. The bone broke/was broken.
Q'i pwek. I was bitten.
Q-esh'a pak. He wants to be beaten.

aba kelek'a q'e. The broken bone.

Phrases can generally be omitted from a sentence, and are never

grammatically required:
Duk'i q'abasa k'imbe.I gave the fruit to the child.
Duk'i k'imbe. I gave (it) to the child.
Duk'i q'abasa. I gave the fruit.
Q'abasa k'imbe.The fruit was given to the child.
Duk-aj'u q'aba-ndu. Give (me) the big bone now.

Causative Constructions
Constructions with b , to cause,make:
B'i sh'ambu. I am making the beer.
B'i mob-ang'a. I am keeping him from eating.
B-am'i kung'a. I will kill him.
B'u kung'a-sa? What did you kill?

Note: In English, some verbs can be transitive or intransitive, as in "The house

burned" or "I burned the house". In Abakwi, a causative construction is used:

Kulum'abala. The house is burning.

B'i kulum'abala. I am burning the house.

Back to topics To index

Vocabulary

Generic Verbs

As English often uses the verb "to do" in place of other verbs to show some
action by the agent, Abakwi uses a set of "generic" verbs to show grammatical
relationships. These are used constantly, and here are the main ones:

b = to make, cause, do as agent (nominative)

q = to be a patient,direct object(accusative), be equated or described (with sh )
k = to be an indirect object (to, dative)
nd = to be peripherally related to an action (to be at,in ,for etc.)
d = to have, own, (to be of,genitive)
g = to be used (instrumental)

Of course, verbs like q,k,d,g can be thought of as markers for the accusative,
dative, genitive or instrumental cases, but they may be followed by verb
modifiers and should be considered verbs.
Mob-ang'i q'ugwana. It is not I who ate the sago-grubs.
Mob'i q-ang'ugwana. It was not the sago-grubs that I ate.
Mob'wija q-ang'akira. We do not eat dog.
Q-esh'a pak. He wants to be beaten.
abwara d-am'i. the woman that I will have.

These can also be replaced by other, more specific verbs:

Duk-ab'i q'aba k'akira = Duk-ab'i q'aba dik'akira. I gave the bone to the dog.

The Verb-Modifiers are useful for expressing new concepts, as with

-umb , to try, attempt :

lik

learn lik-umb

study

bik

hear

bik-umb

listen

nging-umb

look for

nging find

I/U Opposition

Many word pairs in Abakwi reflect a distinction based on the i/u vowel
opposition:

i=near,together,small,with,receive
u=far,apart,large,without,impart

Often there is a neutral form with the vowel a .

dik

take

kim

come kum

zhik

catch zhuk throw, let go

tib

read

tub

write tab

read and write

bik

hear

buk

speak

bak

lik

learn luk

nging find
king

duk

dak

exchange

go

kam

move (oneself)
zhak toss around, etc.

converse

teach

ngung

be born

dikwand

give

lose
kung die

call (for)

dukwand

send (away)

There may be words that fit into the empty spaces, but I have not heard them
used.
Note:
tib, tub originally referred to a system of cord-knots and twig-notches, more of
a tally or map than a writing system.
lik, luk refer to formal instruction, or education by rote.
tak-ind is used for "learning by doing":
tak-ind'i bayang'i. I learn to hunt.
b'a tak'i. he teaches me.

Compounding

Abakwi does not form compound words in the usual sense, but uses the verbs d
(to have) or j (to be with) or sh (to be) to join nouns together:
Ibo j'akobo Tree of skulls.
"Cassowary thighbone dagger" could be expressed as isho d'aba d'inganwa
d'anggawa , "dagger of bone of thigh of cassowary", but the normal term is
ishungga.
Note:
ugwine d'abwa the man's beard
abwa j'ugwine the bearded man

Sh'abwa q'abwangga.=The man is a pig.

abwa shunj'abwangga =the piggy man.
abwa sh'abwangga =the pig-man.

Cultural Note:

The Andake would find these expressions somewhat humorous, but not
insulting. They seem to have an inordinate fondness for pigs, treating them
almost as members of the family. They are also an important symbol of wealth
and good luck. Referring to someone as anggawa, or cassowary, on the other
hand, could be a serious insult.

Creating Nouns from Verbs

A noun can be created from a verb root, as with mob , to eat:

omobe eater
omobaqe food, thing eaten
omobulu eating-time
omobugu eating-place
omoba act of eating
omobage eating instrument
omobuke portion of food, meal
omobumu manner of eating

No dictionary is available at this time, however, here is a Swadesh List of 100

common words.

Back to topics To index

Stories and Translations in Abakwi

Babel Story
Nd'ulu-ja d'araba-mu q'abaka-nwa j'abaka-kwi.
Kam-il'abwa-na kim'onggwo, nging'ana q'ekika juk'aShinara sh-und'a nd'ugu-ja.

Bak'a, Kim'wi b'wi sh'etwe, haket-ungg'wi q'edoba. G'etwe g-wad'agake,

g'ojwejage jabul.
Bak-end'a, Kim'wi b'wi-sha sh'umara, j'iskara kim'ulama, b-uz'wi q'aya d'wi-sha,
kwanak-ang'wi jak'araba-mu.
Kimbad-enj'ulugu nik-uz'a q'umara j'iskara b-und'abwa-na q'e.
Buk'ulugu, sh-eng'abwa-kwe-nwa bak'abaka-sha b-ind-ul'a q'a, sh-ang-warang'e j'ana b-wab'a.
Kim'wi, kumbad-wi shekesh-wi q'abaka-da bak-war-ang-uz'ana.
Kwanak-ul'ulugu q'a kum'ugu-ja jak'araba-mu, b-wik'a sh'umara.
Sh-ul'aya q'aBabela -- shekesh-um'ulugu q'abaka d'araba-mu. Kum'ugu-ja
kwanak'ulugu-ja q'a jak'araba-mu.

At that time, the whole world had one language and a good language at that.
As people moved to the east, they found a flat place in Shinar and moved in.
They started talking and said, "Come, let's make bricks, let's cook mud and
cook it good." They used brick not stone, and stuck it together with tar.
Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city with a tower to the sky, so
that we may make our story known and not be scattered over all the earth."
But a demon came down to see the city with the tower that the men were
building.
The demon said, "If as one people speaking one language to each other they
have begun to do this, then nothing they intend to do will not be done.
Come, let's go down and shatter their language so they will be unable to speak
to each other."
So the demon scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped
building the city.
Therefore it is called Babel -- because there a demon shattered the language of
the whole world. And from there that demon scattered them over all the earth.

Here is a gloss of the Babel Story.

The story of Udanami and the pig thieves.

(Nd'adikwahe d'abwangga j'Udanami sh')

Kung'asho-ja, nging-war-ang'Udanami q'abwangga-sh'enwa-da, Dikwand'a kimang'a dikwand'a kim-ang'a. Kum-ul'a q'egulu sh'Elele buk'a k'a q'e, Nging-engam'u q'abwangga-di, duk-ul-am'i k'u q'ashabwa. Bulak'a q'a, mbishit'a juk'ago
shok'e. Zhik-ul'Elele q'aba d'ubandanduta j'a shunj'unaru kum'a juk-ungg'atare.
Kim-end'a buk'end'a q'e, Nik'a q'abwa-pa, b'a-pa kung'abwangga mob-und'a q'.
Bar-ab'arani. Buk'a q'e q'abwa pikak'e jub'ogo jiv'e. Kub'a nd'ugu-ja d'warwa.
Buk'Udanami, Tak-angg'i q'abwa-ja. Sh'Edoba. Kum'a nd'ugu-ja, abwa-pa-ja
manggan-und'a pul-und'a kundog'a sabad-wah'a d'abwangga-jwa. Kamakit'abwa-pa-sha-ja, tutungg-ang'a, buk'a, zhik-ab-ul'a q'abwa-pa-ja-gwa, b'a
kung'a, b'a kung-ungg'a mob-end' a q'.

It happened one evening, Udanami could not find his best pig and he called the
pig and it would not come.
So he went to the witch Elele and told him, if you could find my pig I would give
you my pig tusk necklace and he held it and it glistened in the moonlight.
So Elele brought out the bone of his great grand uncle and took the form of a
sugar-glider and went deep into the forest.
Then he returned and said he had seen two men, and they had killed the pig
and were eating it. Blood was everywhere.
He said one man had a cut over his left eye. They were sitting in the flying fox
place.
Udanami said I know those men. They are Edoba. He went to the place and the
men were lying on their backs asleep, fat and full of pigmeat.
These two men had had their own private pig-roast, it was not right, he said.

So he caught those two men, he killed them dead and then he ate them.

Sayings of Ubani Tatamba

Mob-ang'wi q'udu, nd'ubu-sa bik-umb-ej'wi q'e-gwa?

We do not eat excrement, why should we listen to it?
Kum'u kim'abala buk-ungg'u bik'ulugu-mba zwang'e.
Go home and pray to your feeble god.
D'ubara-di q'ichi ket-wal'anggawa, haket-war-angg'a.
My mother had a face that would frighten a cassowary, but she was a fine
cook.
Tak-ungg'u q'e, makamak-ul'Edoba q'ubara-sha, shatash-ang-ish'e.
You well know, that the Edoba would feast on their own mothers if it were not
tabu.
Sh-angg'ikela, mob-war-ang-enj'wija q'.
Shell money is fine, but you can't eat it.
Bayang-azh ulugu d'ananggi q'imbe pis-ang'e nd'ashonga.
The river demon also hunts children that are not quiet at night.
Shunj'akinda nd'ulu-kwi q'amera d'atare.
Friends in good times are like the leaves of the forest.
Kim'amu hingg'e kum'ananggi, kum'amu hungg'e kim'atare.
All new things come from the river, all old things go into the forest.
Sh'ojonda q'onjage jik'abulamba, sh'anja q'onjage jik'alemba, sh'odaqe q'
onjage jik'afalamba-pa.
Friendship is a rope around the wrist, marriage is a rope around the neck,
wealth is a rope around both ankles.

MACBETH, From Act 5, Scene 5.

Kung-ab-enj-ish'a nd-end'ulu;
Sh-ab-it-and'ulu ng'aya-kwi.
J'asho-mbe, j'asho-mbe, j'asho-mbe
Kim-ingg-anj'e kim-imb'e kum'asho kim'asho
K'aya-mba ndak-uzh'a d'ulu tak-und'a q'e,
B'asho-ngge-mu-kwi shok-ab'e q'ubwama
K'okunga sh'adwako. b-wik'u, b-wik'u, gh'asholage-mba!
Sh-azh'okinga q'ashoke-nga kam'e, sh'obakebwa-pwa
Kam-ungg'e kul-ungg'e q'ulu-mba jak'obakege
Q'a bik-wik'e: sh'obukake
Buk'ubwama q'e, buk-ungg'e j'oha,
Buch'e q-ang'.

She should have died hereafter;

There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Chant
Ghulugu ngede ngede kuji qaba kamaji
Ghuloba ndaji ghuloba ngede kabalaga
Makanak ulugu
ngulugu makak