Referring to a Known Noun

Level 2

Feminine singular nouns ending in -a take -r; other nouns, including other feminine nouns, take -n.

How It Works

Previous-reference suffixes identify an established referent and are often translated with English ‘the’. Feminine singular nouns ending in -a take -r; other nouns take -n. This includes feminine nouns with other endings. Previous-reference marking includes a low-tone component. A high final tone can become falling, while an already low tone remains low. Ordinary Boko spelling does not show these distinctions. Learn the noun’s attested marked pronunciation rather than assuming that the written ending determines vowel length.

Compare ma'aikatar ‘the workplace’ with ma'aikatar Amina ‘Amina's workplace’. The first ending marks reference; the second links the noun to a possessor. Their written shapes can coincide, while their tones can differ. When the noun already ends in low tone, the pronunciation distinction can also disappear. An emphasized independent possessive can precede a previous-reference noun. Feminine -ta ‘my’ belongs to first-person possession and is not the feminine previous-reference suffix.

Examples (3)

  1. Ga ma'aikatar.

    Here is the workplace.

    Feminine ma'aikata takes previous-reference -r.

  2. Yaran sun tafi kasuwa.

    The children went to the market.

    Plural yara takes previous-reference -n.

  3. nawa abokin

    MY male friend

    Phrase fragment: an emphasized independent possessive precedes a masculine previous-reference noun.

How It Connects

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Referring to a Known NounLevel 2

Learn This First

Recognize noun gender, presenting an expressed object and reporting a completed event before marking an established referent. Tone and vowel length are inherited through completion. In nawa abokin, emphatic nawa means MY and precedes the known-reference masculine noun; its full possessive paradigm is developed later.

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