Copula
Lesson Vocab
| English | Part of speech | IPA | Lugso | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| master | N | ɣiʃ | gi5 | |
| music | N | fɻʌɣ | frog | |
| servant | N | fβuʃ | fbu5 | |
| secret | N compound* | ɮʌzjəzəf | lozyozof | speak-PTCP.NEG-NMLZ.DER.patient |
| star | N | ɮiχ | lih | |
| DET.PROX | PART | iviχ | ivih | proximal determinant (this) |
| DET.DIST | PART | ivəɮ | ivol | distal determinant (that) |
| friend | N compound | ɸʌɮ-χuɸz | pol-hupz | follower-human |
| thing | N | vzuɻ | vzur |
Is, Am, Are
In English, we say “the star is a sacrifice”, or “I am the secret.” Using the verb to be we describe equality between two things. This verb is called the copula.
In Lugso, the verb to be does not exist. To describe equality, you would say “sacrifice star” or “secret I”.
lozyozof no
secret 1SG
I am the secret.
lihd fbu5d ungu
star-PL servant-PL 3SG-POSS
The stars are its servants.
frog gi5 nogu
music master 1SG-POSS
Music is my master.
xoz’zon zuyn-sot fiznli zin-zuyn-sot5ix hupz-gorngih’hzofgu
obey-NMLZ.DER.act word important-SUPER vocabulary-LOC human--cult-POSS
The most important word in a cultist’s vocabulary is “obedience”.
This & That
The determinants, “this” and “that”, are either adjectives that modify nouns, or nouns.
hufoh ivol do
consume-INT DET.DIST 2SG
Are you going to eat that?
vzur ivih pol-hupz nogu
thing DET.PROX friend 1SG-POSS
This thing is my friend.