A Grammar of Vabungula. Part 2.1: Parts of Speech: Nouns.

Vabungula

A Grammar of Vabungula

Part 2.1 - Parts of Speech - Nouns

Nouns - General Characteristics

Nouns in Vabungula have no gender or declension.

Many nouns in Vabungula end with the letter L and carry the accent on the last syllable. This is especially the case with nouns formed from verbs.

     flogál "invitation" (from flógas "to invite")
     mênól  "touch"      (from mênó   "to touch") 
     misál  "life"       (from mísa   "to live")

Plurals

Plurals are formed by appending the letter e if the noun ends in a consonant, or the letter n if the noun ends in a vowel.

      singular           plural

      logakam (door)     logakame (doors)
      solam   (place)    solame   (places)   
      êndwado (country)  êndwadon (countries)
      agu     (story)    agun     (stories)

There is only one exception to this rule: the plural of sum (person) is sumi (people).

Articles

In Vabungula there are no definite or indefinite articles. Thus sekara can mean "the tree" or "a tree".

Suffixes and Prefixes

Some nouns can be formed from suffixes. (Read more about prefixes and suffixes in Part 4 - Word Formation and Roots). Some common suffixes are:

      -KAM, -KA, -KO (from kamo, "thing")
         a thing, a tangible object  
      -SUM (person) 
         a person
      -LAM (from solam, "place")
         a place

Examples:

    faidokam     toy; (from faido = play)
    famidokam    bed; (from famidor = sleep)
    krêkam       hammer; (from krêp = hit) 
    galesum      husband; (from ga = male, and le = with)
    kafagsum     servant; (from kafag = serve)
    lalsum       neighbor; (from lal = next to)
    afalulam     hospital; (from afaludo =- heal)
    džumnilam    school; (from džumni = learn)
    sisekûlam    library; (from sisekûlo = book)

Prefixes can be:

     E-   abstract concept
     ÊN-  abstract concept

There is no rigid distinction between E and ÊN. However, ÊN tends to be used primarily in words having to do with people, society, culture, and human institutions, whereas E tends to be used for abstract concepts and intangible things in general.

Examples:

    ekamo     (intangible) thing (cf. kamo = tangible object)
    enelon    form (cf. nelon = shape)
    egres     seem (cf. gres = look like, appear)

    ênfal     custom, tradition; (from falê = do)
    êndwado   country, state, nation; (from dwado = land, ground)
    ênsul     society; (from sum = person, with the -L noun suffix)

Page last modified on December 29, 2009

Vabungula is an artificial language invented by Bill Price in 1965.

Vabungula co nûsk mugola famêlêtke onudž Bill Price larla alara idekuzorekol.