KWANYA NA SASTA - Kah

KWANYA NA SASTA
Lesson Nine
Kwantono na Yuka na Kah
Kah Language Course

Lesson 9
Kes yu Yil - The X that Y-d
This lesson is to tackle one of the most complicated features of Kah: relative
clauses. To give you an idea of what relative clauses are, here are some
examples from English:
the boy that won
the man who fell
the house which burnt down
Kah does not use words like that, who or which, it does not have relative markers.
Instead, Kah resorts to double marking of the word that is the head of the relative
clause. Double marking means the word is referred to twice, once as a head, and
once with a personal pronoun. In practice this looks like:
simbu yu fiti
BOY HE WIN
the boy that won
The head of the phrase is simbu. A phrase like simbu fiti would have meant
simply "the boy won". The fact the head is "repeated" by adding a personal
pronoun yu "he" makes the relative aspect come out. Compare:
simbu gevu
BOY RUN
the boy ran
simbu kiza
BOY EAT
the boy ate
nia bai
CAR BROKEN
the car is broken
yudo opi
HOUSE BURNT
the burnt house
simbu yu gevu
BOY HE RUN
the boy that ran
simbu yu kiza
BOY HE EAT
the boy who ate
nia ya bai
THE CAR IT BROKEN
the boy that is broken
yudo ya opi
HOUSE IT BURNT
the house which is burnt

9.1 Kwau yu kiza seki
The following story makes extensive use of double marking/relative clauses:
Kwikuta tauku wi, Uma Kwau sencho reo ya yunkule janjang wi. Ya rosa
kwambe ai lam wi.
Uma nura tila reo ai jovan ya eno Uba Kwau
nong ke weyun reo janjang.
Ze maro kwa reo tombai ai bene yu pesan
wi bochu. Yu kwauka: "Mama!" ai nonoivu
denu Uba ai Uma Kwau.
"Hayu uwau?" donka Uba Kwau. "Bene wau
nong na wa. Kwau nong janja pesan ai nong
le vuvu pan. Je nong tengi sofi ewe!"
"Abal lo!" Uma Kwau ka ai gevu denu aso ai nuku sofi. "Mama!" bene
pesan kwauka ai gevu denu aso mau.
Pya bo aso ai geta vubon. "Weyun ha?" Uba Kwau kwauka wonka. "Uye
nong bene na wa! Uye yoyong bene!"
Bene pesan tinu. Randun kenke nai na Uma Kwau ai vunu mau kum yu
vu aso. Tai jede ho bene yu pesan nong kwau, chumun kwau yu kiza
seki nong laila.
Yunkule yompo moreo pembenga.
kwikuta - once, once upon a time
tauku - ago
sencho - to give birth to
janjang - weird, unusual
rosa - round
tora - to sit down
jovan - to hide

tombai - to break, get broken
bene - chick, duckling
bochu - to hatch
nonoivu - to waddle
donka - to yell, scream, exclaim
janja - usual, usually
sofi - to swim
ewe - even
abal - nonsense
nuku - to start, begin
pya - to jump, hop
geta - instantly, immediately, right away
vuboa - to submerge, sink
wonka - angry
tinu - to ascend, come up
randun - to bite
ken - neck
jede - to realize
yunkule - to seem
yompo - instead
moreo - to hatch
pembenga - crocodile
In this text the word ya was used in order to double-mark a relative clauses
having a inanimate noun as a head:
reo ya yunkule janjang wi
EGG IT LOOK UNUSUAL VERY
an egg which looked very unusual
More examples of the use of ya as a double-marker are:
aso ya sonu
WATER IT RUN
running water
dinya ya bai
LAMP IT BROKEN
the broken lamp
Plural nouns are double-marked by the pronouns yunyo (animate) and yanyo
(inanimate):
simbu yunyo senji
BOY THEY DANCE
the boys that danced
ape yanyo bon
TREE THEY FALL
the trees that fell

9.2 Ala al dochu lai
Kwau yu kiza seki la yoyoi. "Mama nong le," donka. "Baba nong le. Yoi,
vanyo yoyong le. Vado nong le chumun nong jo ala wa dochu lai..."
Dundu nechi na uma ai yoyoi ai sofi nong la boyun ala yu denu lai.
Bua Sinsipya wehim bene minyun la yoyoi ai haka yu: "Tente wa tengi
leo. Jo ala li chu lai ha?" "Eo reshi," bene waika. Jewai reo wa bochu lai
nen wi. Ya rosa ai lam."
"Nen, nen," Sinsipya jeje. "Echu jo ata bochu tai ha?" "Eo, ninku wau wa
nuchi reo ye. Wa lara lai maro kwa deche ata wa bochu tai,"
"Ai nong yunkule fanyo ha?" Sinsipya haka. "Yoyong," bene kwauka.
"Echu tim li ho tikim," Bua Sinsipya jesa. "Kwiku koyun kaiko ya bole
atoka shai. Tontoye, tim kele tikim yin,"
"Pai wi lo," bene minyun waika la nyeka ai geza ken na Sinsipya kum yu
vu aso eno kiza yu mau.
Yunkule yu rata pembenga.
dochu - to belong, belong to
dundu - to chew, chew on
nechi - wing
boyun - to notice, pay attention to
sinsipya - dik-dik
haka - to ask
leo - to help
waika - to answer
jewai - to remember, recall
donka - to yell, scream
jeje - to ponder
deche - until
tikim – swan

jesa - to think, feel, be of the opinion that
kwiku - once, once before
koyun - to read
kaiko - book
bole - to contain
atoka - story
yin - other
nyeka - happy, happily
geza - to grab
In this text relative clauses referring to a location came up:
ala wa dochu lai
PLACE I BELONG THERE
the place I belong
(literally: "the place I belong there")
ala yu denu lai
PLACE HE GO THERE
the place he was going
(literally: "the place he goes there")
ala li chu lai
PLACE YOU FROM THERE
the place you come from
(literally: "the place you come from there")
The head of these relative clauses is the word ala "place". It is marked again by
the word lai "there". In another relative clause referring to a location the word reo
"egg" was double-marked by lai as well:
reo wa bochu lai
EGG I HATCH THERE
the egg I came from
(literally: "the egg I was hatched out of there")
Similarly the following locations are double-marked by lai:
kwando wa dedenu lai
SCHOOL I ATTEND THERE
the school I attend
(literally: "the school I attend there")
yudo li dora lai
HOUSE YOU LIVE THERE
the house you live
(literally: "the house you live there")

dola ya to lai
CITY IT HAPPEN THERE
the city where it happened
(literally: "the city it happened there")
For words referring to time, the double-marking is done with the word tai "then":
ata wa bochu tai
TIME I HATCH THEN
when I hatched
(literally: "the time I hatched then")
tiro yu senchu tai
YEAR HE BE BORN THEN
the year he was born
(literally: "the year I was born then")
sinta yu jede tai
MOMENT SHE REALIZE THEN
the moment she realized
(literally: "the moment she realized then")

9.3 Amun chumunye
Naim ai mambau la dora kwala bo yudo. Toyo naim ke jandoren kwasi.
Ai mambau ke woika, yoika ai wua sisi, chumun tatang ke oyosa.
Naim kan lon, sekan ai geku. Anin yo jaren yudo. La kwa, mambau ka yu
en shim zubea. Eta naim oyo munyun mambau bea be yulo shim ya,
esto mambau che naim la titi.
"Yai!" naim silka ai donka: "Hamun che wa ha?" "Bea yin rata nong shim.
Amun chumunye!" mambau donka naim yu yoyoi.
Naim shim ai sekan nyom bea yo. Eta oyo, mambau pya denu yu, za
kenke ai janonoi. "Hamun?" naim yoika. "Nong yingo zonya, amun
chumunye!" mambau waika naim.
Naim gevu denu zombea, yingo zongo na zonya na mambau, nyom
shenum yo ai shim ango yo na mambau mau. Esto mambau wai che yu
la titi don ai wua: "Nong kwi janzu, amun chumunye!"
Naim nong jo ashi tengi janyosa mambau shai, esto gevu chipola, paza
seki shu, peki henchu ai loiki mweti wi. Denu vado ai kemun lon en jam
kito shu. Zeye, za chuntal ai zipe ai shinas ai shim yudo wai, nyom ai
moham doya yo deche ayo dingu. Tai pau mambau kito ai tara anenka.
Mambau kiza chunka kiski, loloi yol yo kwa ze kwa, weyun yudo kwambe
ai nyeki: "De lo, ustu sinsi!"
Eta naim pepye faunu, mambau cheche yu la titi layo ai wua: "Hamun
nong jango tivan?!"
atoka - story
kwala - together
jandoren - to tend the house, do the housekeeping
woika - to complain
yoika - to lament
wua - to howl

tatang - never
oyosa - satisfied, content
kan - to work
lon - intense, hard
sekan - to work hard, labour
geku - to hurry
jaren - to tidy up
la kwa - first, in the first place, firstly
shim - to clean
zubea - kitchen
eta - when
oyo - ready, done
munyun - to show
bea - room, chamber
che - to hit
silka - to shriek
janonoi - to rock, shake back and forth
yin - to change, change clothes
amun - reason
chumunye - because of that
amun chumunye - that's why
nyom - to rub
shenum - window
dingu - to glitter, sparkle, shine
yingo - to change, change clothes
zongo - sheet
ango - cloth
zonya - bed
zombea - bedroom
don - hard, forceful
ashi - way, manner
janyosa - to satisfy
pya - to jump
henchu - fresh
mweti - delicate
kito - meal
zeye - afterwards
chuntal - to lie, lie down
zipe - brush
shinas - soap
moham - polish
doya - (piece of) furniture
deche - until
tara - to wait, wait for
anenka - compliment
chunka - to smack
kiski - lips
loloi - to lick

kwambe - whole, entire, complete
nyeki - to smile
ustu - friend
pepye - to tremble
faunu - toapproach, come close
cheche - to beat, hit repeatedly
layo - everywhere
jango - to put on, dress
tivan - hat
The phrase amun chumunye "that's why" is a relative clause of its own. The
word chumunye "because of that" double-marks the word amun "reason": "The
reason is because of that". Compare:
nong jo amun wa jam chumunye
NOT KNOW REASON I DO BECAUSE OF THAT
I don't know why I did it
(literally: "I don't know the reason I did it because of that")
ka wa amun li jam chumunye
SAY I REASON YOU DO BECAUSE OF THAT
tell me why you did it
(literally: "Tell me the reason you did it because of that")
aye amun mambau che naim chumunye
THAT REASON WOLF HIT RABBIT BECAUSE OF THAT
that's why the wolf hit the rabbit
(literally: "That is the reason the wolf hit the rabbit because of that")
tengi ka wa amun na tusung en jempeza lau chumunye ha?
CAN SAY I REASON OF BE PROHIBITED THAT SMOKE HE BECAUSE OF THAT
Q
can you tell me why it is prohibited to smoke here?
(literally: "Can you tell me the reason of being prohibited to smoke
here because of that?")
Furthermore, we saw a relative construction which is translated with gerunds in
English:
mambau donka naim yu yoyoi
WOLF YELL RABBIT HE CRY
the wolf yelled at the crying rabbit
(literally: "the wolf yelled at the rabbit he cry")
Kah uses such constructions quite a lot:
une yu la jika
BIRD IT BE AT SING
the singing bird, the bird that is singing

weyun une yu la jika
SAW BIRD IT BE AT SINGING
I saw the singing bird, I saw the bird that was singing
wamai kenyo yunyo la fiti
CHEER TEAM THEY BE AT WIN
they cheered for the winning team, the team that was winning
Also, the story contained a relative clause of manner:
naim nong jo ashi tengi janyosa mambau shai
RABBIT NOT KNOW MANNER CAN SATISFY WOLF LIKE THAT
the rabbit did not know how to satisfy the wolf
(literally: "the rabbit did not know the manner he could satisfy the
wolf like that")
The word shai "like that" double marks the word ashi "manner". Compare:
awau nong ashi eno jam shai
THIS NOT MANNER TO DO LIKE THAT
this is not the way to do it
(literally: "this is not the manner to do it like that")
om yun ashi jam shai
OPT LOOK WAY DO LIKE THAT
let's see how to do this
(literally: "let's look at the manner to do it like that")
ashi eno zia yunga shai
MANNER TO SERVE HUMAN LIKE THAT
how to serve man
(literally: "the manner in order to serve human like that")
9.4 Yuka be li la kwan ya
The text in the previous paragraph contained a phrase reading:
munyun mambau bea be yulo shim ya
SHOW WOLF ROOM TOP HIMSELF CLEAN IT
he showed the wolf the room he cleaned
This phrase is interesting because of two things. First of all, the pronoun yulo
"himself" is used instead of yu "he":
munyun mambau bea be yulo shim ya
SHOW WOLF ROOM TOP HIMSELF CLEAN IT
he showed the wolf the room he cleaned
If he would have said yu "he", the translation would be identical in the English
translation:

munyun mambau bea be yu shim ya
SHOW WOLF ROOM TOP HE CLEAN IT
he showed the wolf the room he cleaned
The difference would be in the interpretation of the English word "he". When the
Kah sentence uses yulo, the word refers back to the speaker, the rabbit:
munyun mambau bea be yulo shim ya
SHOW WOLF ROOM TOP HIMSELF CLEAN IT
he showed the wolf the room he (i.e. the rabbit) cleaned
When the Kah sentence uses yu, however, the word refers to a third person:
munyun mambau bea be yu shim ya
SHOW WOLF ROOM TOP HE CLEAN IT
he showed the wolf the room he (i.e. someone else) cleaned.
Also compare:
simwana ka yulo kwasi
GIRL SAY HERSELF ALONE
the girl said she (.i.e. the girl herself) was alone
simwana ka yu kwasi
GIRL SAY SHE ALONE
the girl said she (i.e. someone else) was alone
simwana ka ustu kwasi
GIRL SAY FRIEND ALONE
the girl said her friend was alone
The second remarkable thing about this phrase is the use of the topic marker be.
The head of the relative clause, the word bea, is followed by it:
bea be yulo shim ya
ROOM TOP HIMSELF CLEAN IT
the room he cleaned
The head bea is marked by the marker be since the object of the verb shim "to
clean" is placed in the beginning of the phrase just like the examples we
encountered earlier in Lesson 8:
Merih Jan nenju - John loves Mary / Mary loves John
Merih be Jan nenju - John loves Mary / *Mary loves John
hayu weyun - who did you see? / who saw it?
hayu be weyun? - who did you see? / *who saw it?
haya mun? - what did you cause? / what caused it?
haya be mun? - what did you cause? / *what caused it?

Now compare the following phrases:
bea be yu shim
ROOM TOP HE CLEAN
it was the room he cleaned
une be yu weyun
BIRD TOP HE SEE
it was a bird he saw
nia be yu paza
CAR TOP HE BUY
it was a car he bought
vs.
bea be yu shim ya
ROOM TOP HE CLEAN IT
the room he cleaned
une be yu weyun yu
BIRD TOP HE SEE IT
the bird he saw
nia be yu paza ya
CAR TOP HE BUY IT
the car he bought
And the difference between the following phrases:
bau yu randun meo
DOG HE BITE CAT
the dog that bit the cat
bau be meo randun yu
DOG TOP CAT BITE IT
the dog the cat bit
The following conversation contains a lot of relative phrases and the be marker:
Dainah: -Mai baninta.
Dana: -Good afternoon
Umumpo: -Mai wai.
Vendor: -Hello.
Dainah: -Soi waipau nia be wa lapau ya ninku wau.
Dana: -I'd like to return the car I rented this morning.
Umumpo: -Nong tento en lapau anin sun ha?
Vendor: -Weren't you supposed to rent it for two days?
Dainah: -Je en nong.
Dana: -I think not.
Umumpo: -Ha ho? Nen, hala nia be li lapau ha?
Vendor: -Really? Well, where is the car that you rented?.
Dainah: -Lau chachau.
Dana: -Right here.

Umumpo: -A, aye nong nia be wa jalapau ya li...
Vendor: -Er, that is not the car I rented to you
Dainah: -Hashi jo?
Dana: -How do you know that?
Umumpo: -Nia be jalapau li ya le ada pan ai kudinya. Mau, ya lam, nong
rai ai pesan. Aku nong bai shi ya na nia ye.
Vendor: -the car I rented you had four wheels and headlights. Also, it
was white, not brown and green. The front was not broken like the one
on that car.
Dainah: -Reje ha?
Dana: -Are you sure?
Umumpo: -Reje wi. Haya to tos nia ye?
Vendor: -Very sure. What happened to that car?
Dainah: -Tim wa chenoi chu simbu yu geze sankane yu weka Faransaka
la nuno ai bunu ape.
Dana: -I had to steer clear of a boy chasing a parrot speaking French on
the road and crashed into a tree.
Umumpo: -Wu tomwong tos sankane ye...
Vendor: -I'm getting so fed up with that parrot...
...
waipau - to return, give back
lapau - to rent
tento - to be supposed to
chachau - exactly, precisely, right
jalapau - to rent to
ada - wheel
kudinya - headlights
bai - to be broken, not functioning
reje - to be convince, sure
chenoi - to steer clear of, change direction suddently
geze - to chase
bunu - to crash, crash into
tomwong - to get angry, fed up with
I realize these relative clauses are tricky stuff. Therefore a large portion of the
exercises is suppered up by recognizing, producing and repeating (and repeating)
relative clauses:

1) Please identify the head of the relative clause in the following sentences in the same manner
as the examples:
simwana yu jika
ata ya to tai
nia ya bai
simwana yu jika
ata ya to tai
nia ya bai
1. Simwana yu nyeki
2. Dinya ya bai
3. Win yu gevu
4. Rio yu bochu tai
5. Tiso be al kuka
6. Amun wa jam chumunye
7. Podola be al jampi ya
8. Bau yunyo jaru
9. Bau yu jandun meo
10. Bau yu kiza seki yo
11. Podola wa paza binki lai
12. Ashi yunyo jam shai.
2) Please identify the double marker in the following sentences:
1. Simwana yu nyeki
2. Dinya ya bai
3. Win yu gevu
4. Rio yu bochu tai
5. Tiso be al kuka
6. Amun wa jam chumunye
7. Podola be al jampi ya
8. Bau yunyo jaru
9. Bau yu jandun meo
10. Bau yu kiza seki yo
11. Podola wa paza binki lai
12. Ashi yunyo jam shai.

3) Please make relative clauses of the following phrases in the same
manner as the examples:
simwana jika
nia bai
simwana yu jika
nia ya bai
1. Yudo lam
2. Buyu gevu
3. Ben jafi
4. Naini chu
5. Seki mwa
6. Ben yem jafi
7. Simbu yo jam
8. Ape wen yem boa
9. Ape boa
10. Ben gevu ge tio
4) Please translate into English:
1. Bau yu randun meo.
2. Bau yu randun meo yu kiza seki yo.
3. Bau yu randun meo yu kiza seki yo ya osauzu.
4. Apa be wa dadau ya.
5. Podo uba paza yu fia lai.
6. Podo be al mompi ya.
7. Uba paza yu fia la podo be al mompi ya ninye.
8. Pesanyo be wa paza yanyo.
9. Simwana yu kiza shuki yo.
10. Simwana yu kiza shuki yo be umukwan wonka.
11. Bibi na simwana yi kiza shuki yo yai.
12. Nong jo ata simwana kiza shuki yo tai.
13. Nong jo amun simwana kiza shuki yo chumunye.
14. Nong jo amun nia bai chumunye.
15. Nong jo amun win ye gevu chumunye.
16. Nong jo amun win be wa weyun yu gevu chumunye.
17. Nong jo ala simwana kiza shuki yo lai.
18. Simwana sisi jo ata yulo kiza ayo tai.
19. Jo amun simwana kiza shuki yo tai chumunye ha?
20. Lau ala yu kiza shuki yo lai.

5) Please translate into Kah:
1. It's my tummy that is hurting.
2. It's the cat that ate all the meat that I saw.
3. Is that really the way to translate this?
4. Where is the place that it happened?
5. Can you please tell me where I can buy some bread.
6. Is it known why the sun keeps shining?
7. Do they know when the mall was set fire to?
8. It was in October when it started to snow.
9. The month it started snowing was October.
10. I don't know how and I don't know when but I will kill you.
11. I really like the nuts you bought.
12. I don't want the nuts you stuffed up your nose.

Answers
1)
1. Simwana yu nyeki
2. Dinya ya bai
3. Win yu gevu
4. Rio yu senchu tai
5. Tiso be al kuka ya
6. Amun wa jam chumunye
7. Podola be al jampi ya
8. Bau yunyo jaru
9. Bau yu jandun meo
10. Bau yu kiza seki yo
11. Podola wa paza binki lai
12. Ashi yunyo jam shai
2)
1. Simwana yu nyeki
2. Dinya ya bai
3. Win yu gevu
4. Rio yu senchu tai
5. Tiso be al kuka ya
6. Amun wa jam chumunye
7. Podola be al jampi ya
8. Bau yunyo jaru
9. Bau yu jandun meo
10. Bau yu kiza seki yo
11. Podola wa paza binki lai
12. Ashi yunyo jam shai
3)
1. Yudo ya lam
2. Buyu yu gevu
3. Ben yu jafi
4. Naini ya chu ku tio
5. Seki ya mwa
6. Ben yem yunyo jafi
7. Simbu yo yunyo jam
8. Ape wen yem yanyo bon
9. Ape ya bon
10. Ben yu gevu ge tio

4)
1. The bog that bit the cat.
2. The dog that bit the cat that ate all the meat.
3. The dog that bit the cat that ate all the meat that was fried.
4. The money that I counted.
5. The shop father bought me a toy.
6. The shop they set fire to
7. Father bought me a toy in the shop they set fire to yesterday.
8. The vegetables I bought.
9. The girl that ate all the candy
10. It's the girl that ate the candy the teacher is angry with.
11. The tummy of the girl who ate all the candy is aching.
12. I don't know when the girl ate all the candy.
13. I don't know why the girl ate all the candy.
14. I don't know why the car is broken.
15. I don't know why the horse was running.
16. I don't know why the horse I saw was running.
17. I don't know where the girl ate all the candy.
18. Only the girl knows when she ate it all.
19. Do you know why the girl ate all the candy then?
20. Here is the place the girl ate it all.
5)
1. Bibi lo yai.
2. Meo be weyun yu lo kiza seki yo.
3. Aye ho ashi en yinka awau shai ha?
4. Hala ala ya to lai?
5. Soi ka wa podo tengi paza binki si lai.
6. Al jo amun anin lara dindi chumunye ha?
7. Al jo ata al mompi podola tai ha?
8. Ninimaro lo mwere nuku de.
9. Maro mwere nuku de tai Ninimaro.
10. Nong jo ashi shai ai ata tai esto denu jamia li.
11. Ho nenju peo be li paza yanyo.
12. Nong keju peo be li pombo fuku yanyo.