The Basic Form of a noun is the form which has the simplest meaning, referring just to that object which is named by the Noun Base. This construction is composed of four basic parts: a Pronominal Prefix, the Noun Base, a Linker Vowel and the Basic Noun Suffix.
Here are a few examples, broken down into their component parts.
Basic Form Construction
| Pronominal Prefix |
Noun Base | Linker Vowel |
Basic Noun Suffix |
Basic Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| u- | -'nöhs- | -a- | -' | u'nöhsa' - onion |
| u- | -wis- | -æ- | -' | uwísæ' - ice |
| u- | -në- | -ö- | -' | unëö' - corn |
| ka- | -khw- | -a- | -' | kakhwa' - food |
| ká- | -yatösh- | -æ- | -' | káyatöshæ' - book |
This division between A-Class and P-Class nouns in Mingo is very similar to what in other languages is called gender. If you study French or Spanish, you know that all nouns in those languages must be either masculine or feminine. In German, all nouns must be either masculine, feminine or neuter. In Algonquian languages, nouns belong either to the animate or the inanimate class.
Is there any way to tell whether a given noun in Mingo is going to be an A-Class noun or a P-Class noun? Well, yes and no. Take a look at the following lists of nouns, divided into A-Class nouns and P-Class nouns.
| Some A-Class Nouns |
|
kahikwææ' -- hat kaöshæ' -- box këëwëë' -- wire katkonya'shæ' -- ladle katsi'káya' -- chair káyatöshæ' -- book |
kaya'ta' -- doll kaeu'ta' -- gun katsihkwanö' -- button kakawihsa' -- shovel kashewë'ta' -- bell ka'nö' -- arrow |
| Some P-Class Nouns |
|
uka'stææ' -- mud unëö' -- corn unö'kwa' -- milk usae'ta' -- bean utsi'tsu'kwa' -- pear u'nehsa' -- sand |
unôta' -- rhubarb uyë'kwa' -- tobacco usnö' -- bark unöni'ta' -- thistle unékhwa' -- bloodroot uhsëë' -- frost |
As we can see from the lists above, P-Class nouns typically refer to things which are found in nature, whereas A-Class nouns typically refer to things which are man-made. Although most nouns follow this general principle, there are definitely exceptions, so we can't rely on it all the time. Here are a few of the nouns which seem to belong to the "wrong" class.
| Some A-Class Nouns That Should be P-Class |
|
kaëhta' -- swamp wahta' -- maple tree kaháta' -- forest |
katsistöta'shæ' -- strawberry këtahsa' -- fin kakaa' -- eye |
| Some P-Class Nouns That Should be A-Class |
|
u'syöhsa' -- leather uæhkwa' -- bread uëhtsi'æ' -- fried meat |
uthe'shæ' -- flour uhsíyæ' -- thread u'niskææ' -- wheel |
Forms of the NsA prefix
The NsA prefix takes the form w- before A-Stem nouns:
The NsA prefix takes the form ka- before C-Stem or X-Stem nouns:
The NsA prefix takes the form ká- before L-Stem nouns:
The NsA prefix takes the form k[ë]- before I-Stem nouns. The -i- at the beginning of the Stem is dropped out and replaced with -ë-.
The NsA prefix takes the form kæ- before Æ-Stem nouns:
Forms of the NsP prefix
The NsP prefix takes the form u- before C-Stem and X-Stem nouns:
The NsP prefix takes the form [u]- before A-Stem nouns. The -a- at the beginning of the Noun Stem is replaced with -u-.
The NsP prefix takes the form ú- before L-Stem nouns:
The NsP prefix takes the form aw- before E-stem and Ë-Stem nouns:
| Some Nouns with no Pronominal Prefix in their Basic Form |
|
atya'tawi'shæ' -- clothes ahtahkwa' -- shoe ênishæ' -- day |
ëníshæ' -- shelf ë'hóshæ' -- ball êni'ta' -- month |
For Noun Bases with the Linker Vowel -a-, the ending of the Basic Form is -a':
For Noun Bases with the Linker Vowel -æ-, the ending of the Basic Form is -æ'.
For Noun Bases with the Linker Vowel -ö-, the ending of the Basic Form is -ö'.
Finally, for Noun Bases with the Linker Vowel -ë-, the ending of the Basic Form is -ë'.
As we can see from the lists of words above, there is no relationship between a noun's Linker Vowel and its status as an A-Class or P-Class noun. Both of these are things that you must just learn separately about each Mingo noun.