SUBSTANTIVO CL. IX
Rule §15
Class IX nouns have no prefix in the singular and form the plural by prefixing ji— to the singular, e.g. hoji → jihoji.
15. A cl. IX carece de prefixo no sing., e forma o plur., antepondo ji— ao sing. Ex.: hoji pl. jihoji.
Rule
Class IX nouns are recognized by lacking any prefix from the other classes and may begin with h-, p-, j-, x-, s-, f-, n-, a-, e-, i-, o-, or m- (excluding mu-/mi-, t- other than as tu- class VII/X, k- other than ki-/ka-/ku-, and l- other than lu-, which mark other classes).
Reconhecem-se os nomes d'esta cl. pela ausencia de qualquer dos pref. das outras classes. Os nomes da cl. IX podem ter por inicial qualquer das lettras seguintes: h—, p—, j—, x—, s—, f—, n—, a—, e—, i—, o—, m—. (Exc.: sing. mu— e pl. mi—), t— (Exc.: sing. tu— cl. VII e pl. tu— cl. X), k— (Exc. ki—, ka—, ku—), l— (Exc.: lu—).
Rule
Doubt can only arise when a noun begins with tu-, ku-, or lu-; in that case simply ask a native speaker for the plural — any noun taking ji— in the plural belongs to class IX.
Pode haver alguma duvida só quando um nome começa por tu—, ku—, lu—. N'esse caso basta perguntar a um indigena o pl. do nome. Todos os que têem ji— no pl. pertencem á cl. IX.
Rule
This class formerly denoted animals only; today it is also used for people and things.
Antigamente era esta a cl. dos animaes; hoje usa-se tambem para pessoas e coisas.
Rule
Almost all foreign loanwords form their plural like class IX regardless of their initial form, e.g. kabalu 'horse' → jikabalu.
Quasi todas as palavras estrangeiras, sem embargo da sua forma inicial, formam o pl. como esta cl. Ex.: kabalu, cavallo pl. jikabalu.
Rule
When a noun's initial letter is i-, that i- is elided in the plural since the ji- prefix and the initial i- merge into one, e.g. inzo 'house' → jinzo.
Quando um nome tem por letra inicial um i— elide-se este i— no pl. Ex.: inzo, casa, pl. jinzo (i+i=i).
The pattern
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| funducamp | jifunducamps |
| hojilion | jihojilions |
| inzohouse | jinzohouseselided per §15 final rule (i+i=i) |
| imbuadog | jimbuadogs |
| kukugrandfather | jikukugrandfathers |
| mamamother | jimamamothers |
| mbonzosweet potatoper the page footnote the collective 'mbonzo' (this singular form) is the preferred/recommended form | jimbonzosweet potatoescarries the footnote asterisk '*' (pouco usado — little used; the collective 'mbonzo' singular is preferred) |
| niokasnake | jiniokasnakes |
| ndandurelative | jindandurelatives |
| pokoknife | jipokoknives |
| sanjihen | jisanjihens |
| tangubranch | jitangubranches |
| xinguneck | jixingunecks |
Exercises
Translate each sentence, using the pattern and the words above.
Now meet the words
Browse every dictionary entry in the class this lesson explains.
Héli Chatelain, Grammatica Elementar do Kimbundu ou Lingua de Angola (1888-1889), printed page 7. 8 transcription notes.