Difference between revisions of "Kamba and English/ContrastiveGrammar"

Revision as of 14:49, 20 April 2023

Kam-Eng Tests

Sentence Structure / Word Order

When translating from Kamba to English, you would need to re-order the words in the sentence to match English word order, and also translate the demonstrative adjective and predicate adjective correctly. Similarly, when translating from English to Kamba, you would need to re-order the words in the sentence to match Kamba word order and ensure that you use the correct demonstrative adjective and predicate adjective.

• (kam) Ilinda yĩĩ ni yaasa. → (eng) This dress is long.

  (kam) Ilinda<n><sg><cl5> yĩĩ<dem> ni<v> yaasa<adj><cl5> → (eng) This<dem> dress<n><sg> is<v> long<adj>

In kamba the sentence directly/literally translates to “dress this is long” in english the determiner precedes the noun.

• (kam) Vulana ii ni nene. → (eng) This jersey is big.

  (kam) Vulana<n><sg><cl9> ii<dem> ni<v> yaasa<adg><cl9> → (eng) This<dem> jersey<n><sg> is<v> big<adj>

Noun Classes

The noun class system in Kamba is another significant contrastive grammar difference between Kamba and English. In Kamba, nouns are classified into different categories or classes based on their characteristics, such as their gender, shape, size, and other features. Noun prefixes can change depending on various factors such as the tense, aspect, and mood of the verb in the sentence.

(kam) Ilinda yĩĩ ni yaasa. → (eng) This dress is long.

• (kam) Ilinda<n><sg><cl5> yĩĩ<dem> ni<v> yaasa<adj><cl5> → (eng) This<dem> dress<n><sg> is<v> long<adj>.

In Kamba, the noun class 5 prefix "i-" is added to the noun "ilinda" to indicate that it belongs to that class.

(kam) Ngovia ii ni nini. → (eng) This hat is small.

• (kam) Ngovia<n><sg><cl9> ii<dem> ni<v> nini<adj><cl9> → (eng) This<dem> hat<n><sg> is<v> small<adj>.

The noun class 9 prefix "n-" is added to the noun "ngovia" to indicate that it belongs to that class.

Adjective Classes

In Kamba, adjectives are classified into different classes based on the noun they modify. In Kamba, each adjective corresponds to a specific noun class. The adjective must agree with the noun it modifies in terms of gender and number, as well as class. Conversely, when translating from English to Kamba, the adjective must be placed after the noun and its form must be adjusted to match the noun class.

(kam) Mbui, Ngiti na Ng'ombre mai anyanyae anene. → (eng) Goat, Dog, and Cow were great friends.

• (kam) Mbui<n><sg><cl9> Ngiti<n><sg><cl9> Ng'ombe<n><sg><cl9> mai<v> anyanyae<n><pl><cl9> anene<adj><sg><cl9> → (eng) Goat<n> , Dog<n><sg> ,{{}} and<null> cow<n><sg> were<v> friends<n><pl> great<adj>.}}

(kam) Ngovia ii ni nini. → (eng) This hat is small.

• (kam) Ngovia<n><sg><cl9> ii<dem> ni<v> nini<adj><cl9> → (eng) This<dem> hat<n><sg> is<v> small<adj>.

Complex Verb Tense System

Kamba has a complex verb system that includes tense, aspect, mood, and negation markers. In English, tense, aspect, mood, and negation are often expressed using separate words or constructions, while in Kamba, these features are marked using specific affixes attached to the verb stem.

No Definite articles

In English, we use the definite article "the" to refer to specific or previously mentioned nouns. For example, "the dog" refers to a particular dog that has already been mentioned or is known to both the speaker and listener. However, in Kamba, there is no equivalent definite article. Instead, the noun classes and contextual information are used to indicate specificity.

(kam) Ndeleva amea maive tikiti. → (eng) The driver asked them to pay their fares.

• (kam) Ndeleva<n><cl1> amea<v><pst> maive<v><inf> tikiti<n><cl5> → (eng) The<null> driver<n><sg> asked<v><pst> them<null> to<null> pay<v><inf> their<null> fares<n><pl>.

(kam) Sokisi ni nguvi. → (eng) The socks are short.

• (kam) Sokisi<n><pl><cl9> ni<v> nguvi<adj><cl9> → (eng) The <null> socks<n><pl> are<v> short<adj>