Nuer Field Project

Nouns Verbs Verb Book Expressions Pedagogical Grammar of Nuer Translation of Genesis in Nuer Others

Lesson 13

This lesson will explain the interrogative pronouns [ŋa] and [ŋu̲].

Someone comes into the house and you call out:

You: Ɛ ŋa? Ɛ jï̲n ŋa?
Who is it? Who are you?
Person: Ɛ ɤä̲n raan.
I am I a person.
You: Kä̲ ɛ jï̲n raan ŋa?
But you are a person of whom?
Person: Ɛ ɤä̲n raan Rëët.
I am a person of Reet.
You: Go̲o̲ri̲ ni̲ ŋu̲?
What do you want?
Person: Ɣä̲n göörä̲ bi̲i̲y.
I want a cloth.
You: Ɛ bi̲i̲y ŋu̲kä̲?
It is a cloth of what.
Person: Ɛ bi̲i̲y duëël wal.
It is a cloth of the clinic (house of medicine)
You: Kä̲ bi̲i̲y ɛmɔ ɛ du̲ŋ ŋu̲kä̲?
And what is that cloth for?
Person: Bi̲i̲y ɛmɔ ɛ du̲ŋ la̲t duëël wal.
That cloth is for the work of the clinic.
You: Ɛ jɛn. Bä̲ jɛ ka̲m ji̲. Cu̲ŋŋi̲ lɛɛr. Bä̲ bɛ̲n.
It is so. I will give it to you. Stop a little bit. i.e. Hold on a minute. I will come.

PHONETICS

  1. Pratice reading the previous dialogues with the informant.
  2. Practice the drills.

SYNTAX

  1. There are 2 true interrogative pronouns in Nuer. They are [ŋu̲] -- what, why and [ŋa] -- who, whose, whom. These words may occur in the following grammatical positions: subject, predicate nominative, apposition direct and indirect object and genitive. They have plural forms. They may be suffixed by the possession adjective endings.

THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS

  ŋu̲ ŋa
Subjective-objective Sing. : ŋu̲
Pl. : ŋu̲u̲ni̲
Sing. : ŋa
Pl. : ŋaani̲
Genitive Sing.: ŋu̲kä̲
Pl. : ŋu̲u̲ni̲
Sing. : ŋa
Pl. : ŋaani̲

EXAMPLES

Nominative: Subject [Ci̲ ŋa bɛ̲n?] -- Who came?
[Tɛ̲ ŋaani̲ thï̲n? ] -- Who is there? Who is involved?
  Appositive [Ɛ jï̲n ŋa?] -- Who are you? Literally are you who?
  Pred. Nom. [Ɛ ŋu̲? ] -- What? literally, It is what?
[Dho̲o̲li̲ ti̲ti̲ kɛ ŋa̲a̲ni̲? ] -- Who are these boys? literally, These boys are who?
Objective: Direct Obj. [Cɛ ŋu̲ lä̲t? ] -- What did he do?
[Ci̲ ŋa luä̲k? ] -- Whom did you help?
[Ta̲a̲ ŋu̲ thï̲n?] -- What business do I have in it? literally, I have what involved?
[Thï̲lɛ ji̲ ŋu̲ thï̲n? ] -- It's none of your business. literally There-is-no what (something) to you involved.
  Ind. Obj. [Ci̲ jï̲n ɛ ka̲m ŋa? ] -- To whom did you give it?
[Bi̲ jɛ la̲r ŋa? ] -- To whom will you tell it?
  Obj. of Prep. [Cɛ wä̲ kɛ ŋa? ] -- With whom did he go?
[Bëë kɛ ŋu̲? ] -- With what has he come?
[Bä̲ wä̲ kä̲ ŋa? ] -- I will go to whom?
[Kɛ ŋu̲? ] -- Why? literally, for/with what?
Genitive: Possession [Nɛmɛ ɛ gat ŋa? ] -- Whose child is this? literally, this is child of whom?
[Ti̲ti̲ kɛɛ nyï̲n ŋaani̲?] -- Whose are These?
[Yaŋ ɛmɔ ɛɛ du̲ŋ ŋu̲kä̲?] -- Whose cow is that? literally, that cow is the belonging of whom?
[Nɛmɛ ɛɛ du̲ŋ ŋu̲kä̲? ] -- What is this for? literally, This is the belonging of what?
  Note:
Possessive Adjective Suffixes
[Ɛ ŋadiɛn bi̲ jiɛɛn ɔ? ] -- Who-of-them will leave? Literally, It is their-who who will leave.
[Ta̲a̲ ŋu̲dä̲ thï̲n? ] -- What have I to do with it? Literally, I have what-of-mine involved?

Note: Certain nouns cause the verb [ɛ-kɛ] to be lengthened.

Nuer Field Project Nouns Verbs Verb Book Expressions Grammar Genesis Others