Relatives
Relatives are qualificatives used with the relative concords.
In the Bantu languages, the relatives form an open class and are the primary qualificatives used. Relative clauses are also used with the relative concords.
There are two types of relative stems:
- Stems which seem to be radical in nature, and from which abstract nouns in class 14 may be formed.
- Certain nouns unchanged in form.
Examples of both types follow below:
| Type | Example | English meaning(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Radical | -hlaha | wild |
| -kgopo | wicked | |
| -thata | difficult, hard | |
| -tala | raw, unripe | |
| -batsi | wide | |
| Nouns | -metsi | wet (water) |
| -molemo | worthwhile (worth) | |
| -sebete | brave (liver) | |
| -bohlale | intelligent (intelligence) | |
| -boima | difficult, heavy (heaviness) |
The relative -tala is not to be confused with the adjective -tala.
E.g.:
- Mawa a tjhatsi Simple strategies
- Mokgahlelo o boholkwa An important phase/stage
- Malakabe a bohale Fierce flames
Verbs can be used in very short relative clauses, although these are not considered proper relative stems:
- ho tsofala to become old ⇒ monna ya tsofetseng an old man
Read more about this topic: Sotho Parts Of Speech
Famous quotes containing the word relatives:
“When mother’s relatives visited,
delicacies were cooked.
When father’s guest arrrived,
mother swelled and had a fit.”
—Punjabi proverb, trans. by Gurinder Singh Mann.
“The most loving parents and relatives commit murder with smiles on their faces. They force us to destroy the person we really are: a subtle kind of murder.”
—Jim Morrison (1943–1971)
“The poor in bustling towns aren’t called upon, but the rich deep in the mountains have relatives visiting them from afar.”
—Chinese proverb.