A Grammar of Vabungula

Adjectives and Adverbs

Strictly speaking, Vabungula makes no distinction between adjectives and adverbs. Thus, fûmun can mean both "fast" and "quickly".

De lese fûmun.        He is very fast.
De agula lese fûmun.  He speaks very fast.

Many adjectives in Vabungula end with the suffix -ke, especially adjectives formed from verbs or nouns.

rêmgeke  loud (from rêmge, loudness)
karanike logical (from karanil, logic)

Note that adjectives precede nouns, as in English:

arela di   (a/the) red flower

The position of adverbs, however, is rather fluent:

De agula fûmun.  He speaks quickly.
De fûmun agula.  He speaks quickly.

Demonstrative Adjectives

The demonstrative adjectives are:

      tu (this)   tun (these)
      tê (that)   tên (those)

The plural forms tun and tên, although more frequently used, have a colloquial flavor, and may be replaced in more formal usage by tu and tê.

       tu gace   (this path)     tê mihuli   (that cloud)
       tun gacen (these paths)   tên mihulin (those clouds)

(also: tu gacen; tê mihulin)

Comparatives

Comparatives are formed by the words janglu ("more") and sikiglu ("less", "fewer").

      Tu sekara janglu agasê ne tê sekara.
      This tree is older than that tree.

      So sa sikiglu murafa ne ka.
      I have less money than you.

      Exceptions: do ("good"), dosa ("better"); 
                 na ("bad"), nasa ("worse").

      Tu sefamukam dosa ne tê.
      This pencil is better than that one.

Notice the word for "than": ne. Actually, ne means "compared with", "in relation to"

      Upoja ne tu solam galasê kagace.
      North of this place there is a road

Therefore, janglu ne actually means "more in comparison with."

Superlatives

Superlatives are formed by the words janasa ("most") and sikilisa ("least", "fewest").

      Tu sekara janasa jana ne mna karela.
      This tree is bigger than all the others.

      Ke sikilisa golamake.
      It is the least interesting.

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Page last modified on December 30, 2009

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

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

Copyright © 1999 by Bill Price