Noun Family With alá-

Association Words with Alá-

Level 3

Aláta names a pepper seller, aláṣọ a cloth seller, and aláàánú a compassionate person.

How It Works

Alá- occurs in established association words related to oní-. In the attested formation oní + ata → aláta, the prefix’s final vowel disappears, n changes to l, and its initial vowel becomes a. The high tone is retained in the result. These changes explain an attested formation rather than authorizing arbitrary substitutions.

The complete word determines the association. Aláta and aláṣọ can name sellers; aláàánú describes compassion. Compare ata ‘pepper’, the commodity, with aláta ‘pepper seller’, the associated person.

Preserve the complete vowel sequence in longer forms such as aláàánú. Do not assume that every a-initial noun yields an independently established word with a predictable meaning. These derived words have no gender or number agreement endings. A plural group can be expressed separately with àwọn.

Examples (3)

  1. Aláta náà ń ta ata rodo.

    The pepper seller is selling hot peppers.

    Aláta has an established occupational association.

  2. Àwọn aláṣọ ti dé.

    The cloth sellers have arrived.

    Àwọn marks the plural group.

  3. Aláàánú ni Dúpẹ́.

    Dupe is a compassionate person.

    The derived word expresses a character quality.

How It Connects

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Noun Family With alá-Level 3Association Words with Alá-

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Learn the attested alá- word, its base and its association.