Sango Language - Grammar

Grammar

Sango is an isolating language with subject–verb–object word order, as in English. Noun phrases are of the form determiner-adjective-noun:

"a small child"

Plurals are marked with the proclitic â-, which precedes noun phrases:

"some small children"

â- may be attached to multiple items in the noun phrase by some speakers, but this is less common:

"important people/dignitaries"

The derivational suffix -ngö nominalizes verbs. It also changes all tones in the verb to mid:

Genitives are normally formed with the preposition tî 'of':

"water hole, well"

However compounding is becoming increasingly common, for instance dûngü 'well' (note change in tone). Such compounds are sometimes written as two separate words.

The verbal prefix a- is used when the subject is a noun or noun phrase, and absent when the subject is a pronoun or implicit (as in imperatives):

"his children came"

"he was born" (lit. "someone bore him")

"get up and come (here)"

This prefix is sometimes written as a separate word.

The pronouns are: mbï "I", mo "you (sg.)", lo "he, she, it", ë "we", âla "you (pl.)", âla "they". Verbs take a prefix a- if not preceded by a pronoun; thus mo yeke "you are", but Bêafrîka ayeke "Central Africa is". Particularly useful verbs include yeke "be", bara "greet" (> bara o "hi!"), hînga "know". Possessives and appositives are formed with the word tî "of": ködörö tî mbï "my country", yângâ tî sängö "Sango language". Another common preposition is na, covering a variety of locative, dative, and instrumental functions.