The Grammar of Creolian
ELEMENTS OF THE SENTENCE
Basic Syntax
Sentences include a subject, which performs the action, and a verb, which describes the action. Sentences can also include direct and indirect objects. The basic sentence structure, like English, is subject-verb-object (SVO). So to say “I eat rice,” you would say:
Mi makan rice. (I eat rice.)
In Creolian, unlike in standard English, verb and noun forms never change. So for example, you don’t have to change a verb depending on the person (like in English, I am, you are, he is, etc.) or the tense. Nouns do not change depending on their grammatical position (such as I killed him, but he killed me) or number (so nouns do not become plural by adding an “s” at the end). In this sense, Creolian is known as an “analytical language.” In addition, there are no feminine and masculine nouns, as exist in many European languages.
Adjectives and Stative Verbs
Adjectives and stative verbs are treated the same. In English, we might say "I am tall" (an adjective) or "He is sleeping" (a stative verb). In Creolian you can use stative verbs like an abjective.
Mi bi hapi. (I am happy)
Im bi xuwi. (He is sleeping)
Asking Questions
Word order is not changed in questions. In other words, a question would be “you do what?” Rather than “what do you do?” in English.
In addition, certain ideas, such as interrogation, can be expressed by placing ending tags at the end of a sentence. For example, you can put “ma” at the end to make a sentence into a question, “la” to show that it is emphatic (i.e. that you are stating something strongly) “ne” to make the sentence quizzical or suggestive (in English, you might add “don’t you?” at the end in this case), and “ba” to make it into a command. This is common in Asian languages, and once you get used to it, it is a very convenient device.
Asking Yes/No Questions
Do ask a question that requires a yes or no answer, simply place the particle "ja" at the end of the sentence.
Ti go, ja? (Do you go?)
Another method to as a yes/no question is to write the verb once, followed by "no" plus the verb again. In this case, you don't need to put a "ja" at the end of the sentence.
Ti xiaq go no xiaq go? (Do you want to go?) Literally, "you want go, no want go?"
Dem bi no bi teacher? (Is he a teacher?)
Asking Information (Wh-) Questions
There is no need to change the word order when asking a question that requires information, such as "where are you going?." The position of wh-words is not changed within the sentence. There should be no question marker at the end of an information question, as it leads to a different meaning.
Ti go waswela? (When will you go?)
Wasjan makan rice? (Who is eathing rice?)
Putting a "ja" at the end of a question with a wh- word makes it into a question asking, for example, if you want to go somewhere. Thus, the sentence:
Ti xiaq go waswela? (Where do you want to go?)
But:
Ti xiaq go waswela ja? (Do you want to go somewhere?)
This form is used in Chinese, incidentally.
Expressing Emphasis
The particle "la" can be placed at the end of a sentence to mark emphasis.
Mi go, la. (I'm going!)
Expressing Suggestion
Similarly, the particle "ne" can be used to make a sentence into a suggestion.
We go swim, ne? (Why don't we go for a swim)
Direct and Indirect Objects
In Creolian, the objects should come after the verb. No marker is necessary for a direct object. However, an indirect object should be marked with a preposition, "fi," meaning loosely "for" or "to," and should be placed after the direct object.
Mi tel story fi dem. (I told a story to him)
Prepositions
Prepositional phrases, which describe things about an action, such as when it took place or using what, are preceded by prepositions (words like to, from, in, at, behind, etc.). Prepositional phrases can be placed either before the subject of the sentence, or after the verb, depending on the sentence. This is the same as in English.
In addition to "fi," which is used as a marker for the indirect object, the following prepositions are used in Creolian.
Expressing the Time/Location of Action
The preposition “in” can be used to indicate a time or location of an action. You don’t need to worry about different prepositions, like “at” and “in” and “on” in English.
Mi go xule in Lunjadia. (I go school on Monday)
Mi live in Tokyo. (I live in Tokyo)
Expressing Destination
The preposition “sa” means “to,” so to say “I am going to school” you would say:
Mi go sa xule. (I go to school)
Expressing Origin
The preposition "li" means "from," so to say, "the train came from Tokyo," you would say:
Train come li Tokyo.
Expressing Togetherness
In English, we use the preposition "with."
MODIFYING THE VERB
Many ideas, such as past and future, can be expressed in Creolian by modifying the verb, or by combining verbs together. First, there are a number of particles that can be placed before a verb to change the meaning. For example, to make a negative statement, you add “no” before the verb.
Mi no go. (I will not go)
Serial Verbs
Verbs can be concatenated to indicate various ideas.
Dem no bin xiaq makan rice. (She didn't want to eat rice.)
Expressing a Completed Action
To express a past action, which is already completed, you can place the word "bin" before the verb. This is called the anterior tense.
Mi bin makan. (I (already) ate)
Irreal mode
The irreal mode, expressed by the particle "go," is used for the future or to express something conditional.
Mi go watch game.
Nonpunctual aspect
Adding the particle "a" is generally used to indicate an action that is not yet completed, as in the progressive tenses.
Mi a xuje history. (I am studying history)
Expressing Experience
This is used to express something that you have done, or perhaps haven't done.
Mi gwo go Tokyo. (I've been to Tokyo before)
Expressing Lack of Experience
Mi no gwo go Tokyo. (I've never been to Tokyo)
Expressing Capability
Use "bole" to indicate the capability to do something.
Mi bole naxe. (I can swim)
Expressing Degrees of Certainty
Expressing Future Possibility
In English, the common usage is “he will probably come.”
Mi (maybe) go naxe. (I might go swim)
Expressing Necessity
Mi debe go naxe. (I must swim.)
Expressing Lack of Necessity
Mi bole no go swim. (I don't have to go swim.)
Expressing Advisability
Expressing Prohibition
Mi no bole go swim. (I can't go swim.)
Expressing Naturalness, Expectation or Appropriateness
In English, we might say, “He should go.”
Expressing a Definite Plan
Expressing Repeated Action in the Past
In English, we would say "I used to go there."
Using Adverbs
A modifier, which acts as an adjective, can be placed before a verb to modify it. Add the particle "di" between the modifier and the verb.
Mi kwai di makan. I eat fast.
MODIFYING THE SUBJECT AND OBJECTS
Modification
Modifiers (adjective/adverb type words) are placed before the head word. The rule for order is deictic + relative clause + genitive + adjective + head word.
Expressing Posession
Possession is marked by adding the particle "di" after the possessor and before the possessee. The particle can also be used to relate nouns to one another. For example, you might say:
John di xule (John’s school)
Dem steal mi di mani (He stole my money)
Boy di student (The students who are boys)
Relative Clauses
Relative clauses come before the headword, and are constructed just like possession. Put the particle "di" at the end of the clause. In addition, it is better to repeat the subject (as a pronoun) after the head, for clarity. For example;
Mala rice makan di jan, em biani maladi. The man who ate bad rice got sick.
Discussing an Action
A verb can be made into a subject or object of a sentence, as in when we say "eating is fun." There is no "-ing" form, so you can just use the verb as is.
Makan banana bi fun. (Eating bananas is fun)
Expressions of Quantity
Expressing Cardinal Numbers
Add the suffix counter -pela to a number, before the noun.
Dopela jan be in cemba. (Two people are in the room)
Expressing Ordinal Numbers
Add the prefix namba- to the number.
Dem bi mi di namba-do son. (He is my second son)
Conjunctions
The word for “and” is “na”.
Mi na Tom go xule fi Lunjadia. (Tom and I went to school on Monday)
Expressing Absence
Negative concord is used.
Mi no suka nobody. (I don't like anybody)
TOPIC PROMINENCE AND THE PASSIVE VOICE
Expressing the Passive Voice
Left displacement can be used.
Dem abwat, mi hit. (he was hit by me)
2. Having a particle to show passive voice is a possibility, such as “kena” from Malay.
Auto kena break by dem.
Existential Sentences
In English, we say "there is a man," for example, in a way that simply expresses the presence or existence of something. In Creolian, you can use the verb "tene" meaning "have." For example.
Atas mi di mesa, tene wanpela mjao. (There is a cat on my table)
EXPRESSING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN IDEAS
Connecting Sentences
Sentences can be connected using conjunctions. For example.
Mi bi America-jan, na dem bi Frans-jan.
Mi bi America-jan, kexi dem bi Frans-jan.
Expressing Condition
Place "sapos" before the first clause.
Sapos tomorrow skai good, mi go park. (If he weather is good tomorrow, I’ll go to the park.)
RELATIONSHIPS IN TIME
Expressing Simultaneity
Mi during eat, during read book.
Expressing Becoming
In English, we have a suffix –ize that signifies a transformation. For example, international becomes internationalize.
Expressing Repetition
In English, the prefix re- can signify a repetition of an action.
EXPRESSING NATURAL PHENOMENA
There should be a subject plus a verb. For example: Rain is falling, wind is blowing; air is cold.
Barix fall. (It’s raining)
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