Demonstratives: view article

In Nolwynn, there is no single word for "this" or "that." Instead, demonstratives reflect how far away an object is, whether it is moving, and its general shape. They can be modified to describe things in exact detail. Here are their base forms:

1. Sitting: bxala
2. Approaching: timola
3. Close by and not moving: azu
4. Far away: oale
5. Very far away, or out of sight: lanwal
6. Close by but going away: kitxa

For example, bxala means "this" or "that" when referring to something that is sitting still, timola means "this" or "that" when referring to something that is approaching, and so forth.

Demonstratives can be further modified with infixes:

1. Surprising or mundane: -wútša-, -wótša-
3. Visible or non-visible: -á- , -ó-
4. Frightening, scary, or dangerous to the speaker: -wól-
5. Flexible, amorphous: -[z]wíl-
6. Tall, skinny, or long: í
7. Alive or dead: -úa-, kába-
8. Soft or hard: -úl, -úr-
9. Can hold other objects, a container, something that can open: -ehse-

For example, bxala can be transformed to bxála to mean something which is sitting still and visible. Lanwal can be transformed into lehsenwal to mean a container that is far away or out of sight.

Finally, demonstratives can show number:

1. Singular: no marking
2. Dual: -akw
3. Plural: -a

For example, oale refers to something far away. Oale can be transformed into oíle to mean something which is far away and tall or skinny. It can be further transformed into oíleakw to mean two tall things which are far away.

Here are a few more examples:

non timozwíla : that [approaching yet amorphous] wave
mali lánwal : that [visible but far away] bird

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