Nouns
1 min read · 168 words
Articles
Tsìyáahngśah, like a number of Aetini languages, has a definite article, taking the form sah before a consonant and sr before a vowel. Similar to the Arabic particle al-, the definite article does not decline to case or number
sah-dàng
DF son
the son
sr-aamulh
DF orange
the orange
Unlike most Aetinī languages, however, Tsìyáahngśah also has an indefinite article, which takes the form tì. It also does not decline
tì dàng
IN son
a son
Both articles proceed any classifiers and numbers
Classifiers
Tsìyáahngśah requires the use of a classifier in numerical phrases. These come between the preceding numbers and the following noun.
téení 'lu yubí
three book:CL book
'three books'
Classifiers allow certain words around them to be omitted. The number can be omitted if the quantity is already stated or if the quantity are unknown or vague, acting like a plural number
elu yubí
book:CL book
'(some) books'
Moreover, given context, the noun itself may further be omitted.
elu
book:CL
'some (books)'