Nominal ì- / à-
Action and Result Nouns
A prefix precedes its base: ì- + fẹ́ gives ìfẹ́ ‘love’; à- + lá gives àlá ‘dream’.
How It Works
Place the attested nominal prefix before its base. Ì- and à- have low tone but form different lexical words. Ìfẹ́ names love, while àlá names a dream. A larger base can also be nominalized: ìpẹja ‘fishing’ incorporates pa ẹja ‘kill fish’ with nominal ì-.
These prefixes do not acquire person, number or gender agreement endings. Compare Ó lá àlá ‘She/he had a dream’ with the noun phrase àlá rẹ̀ ‘her/his dream’: the verb predicates an event, while the noun names it. The evidence does not establish an exclusive division of ì- into action nouns and à- into result nouns. Distinguish low-tone à- from mid-tone agentive a-, as in apẹja ‘fisher’. Preserve each established word’s contraction, tones and meaning rather than selecting a prefix solely from its English gloss.
Examples (3)
- Ìfẹ́ ìyá ṣe pàtàkì.
A mother’s love is important.
Ìfẹ́ is a noun formed with low-tone ì-.
- Àlá náà yà mí lẹ́nu.
The dream surprised me.
Àlá is an established noun containing low-tone à-.
- Ìpẹja ni iṣẹ́ bàbá mi.
Fishing is my father’s occupation.
Ìpẹja contains nominal ì- and the contracted verb-object base pa ẹja.
Related Patterns
- Nominal Negation With àì-Naming the Absence of an Action
Compare positive nominal meanings with absence or failure expressed by àì-.
Level 3 - Naming an Activity
Reduplication provides another construction for naming activities or properties.
Level 3 - Words Built From an Action and a Noun
A nominal prefix can attach to a base containing a verb and its object.
Level 3 - Tone Changes Meaning
Distinguish low-tone à- from mid-tone agentive a-.
Level 1
Practice Nominal ì- / à- in Bubblegum
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