The Yagaria people live in low areas about 1,400 meters (4,500 ft.) above sea level with a warm and dry climate around Kami and Gotomi. They practice substance agriculture and live in small hamlets where their population is barely 400 people for each clan. They harvest and plant sweet potatoes, taro, yams, sugarcane, bananas, beans, "pitpit", and different types of spinach. They domesticated pigs, dogs, and chickens. Their diets are usually sweet potatoes, marsupials and birds. When coffee plantations were introduced in the late fifties, cash profit changed most of the Yagaria lifestyle. Now rice, tinned meats and fish, and other food items are easy to find in their stores. Men wear European clothes while most women still wear traditional clothing.[2]
There are four syllable patterns used in the Yagaria language. The four are V, CV, CVC, and VC where CV is the most used. Vowels and glides can be used in any of the four syllable patterns. Any consonant can be used for the first constant in the patterns of CV, and CVC. The final constant can only be used if it is a glottal stop for patterns CVC, and VC.[3]
Morphology
Pronouns
Personal, Possessive, Emphatic, and Interrogative pronouns are used. Personal and Possessive pronouns happens in free word and affixed forms. Emphatic pronoun occurs in suffixes.[4]
Singular
POV
Subject (Yagaria)
Subject (English)
1
dagaea
I
2
gagaea
you
3
agaea
he/she
Dual
POV
Subject (Yagaria)
Subject (English)
1
la'agaea
we
2
latagaea
you
3
tagaea
they
Plural
POV
Subject (Yagaria)
Subject (English)
1
lagaea
we
2
lapagaea
you
3
pagaea
they
Short Forms Open/Closed
Personal Pronouns
POV
Open
Closed
English
Singular
1
dagae
dagae'
I
2
gagae
gagae'
you
3
agae
agae'
he/she
Dual
1
la'agae
la'agae'
we
2
latagae
latagae'
you
3
tagae
tagae'
they
Plural
1
lagae
lagae'
we
2
lapagae
lapagae'
you
3
pagae
pagae'
they
Nouns
The main noun classes used in the Yagaria language are Class 1 and Class 2.
Class 1
Nouns can indicate living and non-living objects. They occur in two forms, long-form where carrying suffix -na, and short-form where the suffix is removed and ends with a glottal stop. Long-form nouns are used less and mostly for citation, some as a subject, and mostly used in intransitive clauses.
Long Form
Short Form
Translation
ana
a'
women
yona
yo'
house
yana
ya'
taro
gokolena
gokole'
chicken
Examples of using Long forms
Yagaria
ba yana ege gilena
Breakdown
sweet potato taro banana corn
Translation
sweet potato taro banana corn
Yagaria
ana hoya no' - eli-e
Breakdown
woman work PROG-do- IND
Translation
the woman is working
Long forms as an object:
Yagaria
ve agaea ana eli- d- i- e
Breakdown
man he woman take-PAST-3.SG-IND
Translation
the man took the woman
Short forms as subject in intransitive clause and as an object:
Yagaria
faya' ni- pi' bei- d- i- e
Breakdown
fish water-IN live-PAST-3.SG-IND
Translation
there are fish in the water
Yagaria
yale pagaea yo' gi- d- a- e
Breakdown
people they house build-PAST-3.PL-IND
Translation
the people built a house
Class 2
Class 2 nouns have some ending in -na, and is never omitted. Suffixation happens after that syllable.
Examples:
Yagaria
bina
Translation
price
Yagaria
bina- 'a
Breakdown
price-ita
Translation
its price
Class 2 nouns that behave somewhat like class 1 nouns. They carry suffix -'na, has short form without ending in a glottal stop. All suffixation occurs with long form carrying the suffix -'na.
Examples:
Yagaria
dote'na
Translation
food
Yagaria
dote' yava laga- 'a
Breakdown
edible tree fruit-its
Translation
edible tree-fruit
Yagaria
dote'na-ka no- k- am- u- e
Breakdown
food- your PROG-you-give-1.SG-IND
Translation
I am giving you your food
Yagaria
filite'na
Translation
death
Yagaria
filite' yale
Breakdown
dead people
Translation
dead people
Yagaria
filite'na- e' l - amota no'- ei-e
Breakdown
death- BEN us- fear IND
Translation
we are afraid of death
Yagaria
nalu-di
Breakdown
wife-my
Translation
my wife
Yagaria
da-nalu-di
Breakdown
my-wife-my
Translation
my wife
Adjectives
Yagaria has a distinction between primary and secondary adjectives. Primary adjectives are used to determine the morphological behavior of "adjectives". Secondary adjectives are obtained from nouns or verbs, or local or temporal expressions occurring as noun adjuncts.[2]
Primary adjectives
Morphological pattern of class 1 nouns, and class 2 nouns are the two groups being used in the primary adjectives. Most adjectives have short or not-suffixed form for attributive occurrence, and long or suffixed form for predicative occurrence.
Class 1 examples
Adjectives following Class 1
Translation
haga'. / hagana
tasty
fagi' / faina
far
fate' / fatena
far
havá' / havána
unimportant
lava' / lavana
unimportant
lakoli' / lakolina
flat
bonu' / bouna
round
legi' / legina
true
havu' / havuna
unoltivated
Class 2 examples
Adjectives following Class 2
Translation
soko / sokona
good
feipa / feipana
bad
buko / bukona
warm
gata / gatana
heavy
hogo / hogona
short
hepa / hepana
bad
fotogo / fotogona
good
Numerals
Numbers are made using a system of only one, two, and fives. The sum of numbers are usually expressed by hands and feet.
Number (English)
Number (Yagaria)
one
bogo
two
lole
three
lole-'e' bogo-'e'
four
lole-'e' lole-'e'
five
d- anita bogo-ko'
six
d- anita bogo-kayagati' bogo-ko'
seven
d- anita bogo-kayagati' lole
eight
d- anita bogo-kaygati' lole-'e' bogo-'e'
nine
d- anita bogo-kayagati' lole-'e' lole-'e'
ten
d- anita lole
eleven
d- anita su ho- na d- eiya -logati' bogo
twelve
d- anita su ho- na d- eiya -logati' lole
thirteen
d- anita su ho- na d- eiya -logati' lole-'e' bogo-'e'
fourteen
d- anita su ho- na d- eiya -logati' lole-'e' lole-'e'
fifteen
d- anita su ho- na d- eiya bogo-kayaga'a
sixteen
d- anita su ho- na d- eiya bogo-kayagati' bogo-ko'
seventeen
d- anita su ho- na d- eiya bogo-kayagati' lole
eighteen
d- anita su ho- na d- eiya bogo-kayagati' lole-'e' bogo-'e'
nineteen
d- anita su ho- na d- eiya bogo-kayagati' lole-'e' lole-'e'
Renck, G.L. (1975). A Grammar of Yagaria(PDF). Pacific Linguistics Series B No. 40. Canberra: Dept. of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. doi:10.15144/pl-b40. hdl:1885/145156. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)