Hote language

Hote (HoÃ¢ÂÂtei), also known as MalÃÂª, is an Oceanic language in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.

Grammar

Stress Patterns

A. In words up to four syllables, the first syllable is primarily stressed with occasional exceptions.

Example:

'damak "lightening"
'dumloli "mountain"
du'viyaÃÂ "earthquake"

B. Four-syllable words, rare in the Hote language, have primary stress on the first syllable and secondary stress often on the third syllable. Some compound words have secondary stress on the fourth syllable.

Example:

'kate'poli "potato"
'kubaheÃÂ'vi "Friday"

Word Classes

Hote word classes include nouns, pronouns, verbs, modifiers, relators, location words, time words, demonstratives, and particles. Some words are members of several classes with no structural difference.

Nouns

Common Nouns: Most nouns in Hote are common nouns without inflection.
Example:
kamuÃÂ "jungle"
ayuk "firewood"
pik "ground"
uniak "house"
Person Names: Hote names are typically nouns and modifiers that have been put together (compound nouns), or sometimes taken from the Jabem or Tok Pisin language.
Example:
malak "home" [male's name]
kambaÃÂ "lime" [male's name]
Place Names: Place names in Hote are nouns that occur as subject only in an equative clause.
Example:
valantik (name of village)
biyaÃÂai (name of village)
bayuÃÂ "Bulolo"

Compound Nouns

Example:
kubaheÃÂvi "Friday" [ku ("garden") baheÃÂvi ("five")]
kuayova "Thursday" [ku ("garden") ayova ("four)]
balaliÃÂ "playground" [ba ("ball") laliÃÂ ("imprint")]

Pronouns

Pronouns are positioned as regular nouns but not used in descriptive nouns phrases, unless modified by a quantifier. Additionally, they are unable to be possessed.

Example:

yilu sapeÃÂ ana tamu skul

l.dl.exc all go down to school

"we (exc) all are going to the school."

In the plural forms of both the inclusive and exclusive pronouns, 'aniÃÂ' is used over 'iniÃÂ' often by Hote villagers and by coastal dwellers.

Example:

yanaÃÂ sup "my cloth"

my cloth

anim avuÃÂ "your dog"

your dog

aneÃÂ kev "his shirt"

his shirt

6. Modifiers: Divided into four classes, these words modify nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Class one modifiers are adjectives used to modify nouns and pronouns. These words are found in descriptive noun phrases which indicate size, quality, color, etc. Class two modifiers are adverbs that indicate manner and aspect. Class three modifiers can modify both nouns and verbs, however, there is only one known word. Fourth class modifiers are intensifiers.

Class 1 Example:

daim "tall, long"

moma "dry"

ma "sharp"

lopali "wet"

thapuk "white"

doho "some"

sapeÃÂ "all"

tom "one"

Class 2 Example:

ketheÃÂ "quickly"

daÃÂ "completely"

katu "well"

loÃÂbu "again"

tibum "straight"

Class 3 Example:

kambom "bad, very."

Class 4 Example:

amuÃÂ "very"

na "very"

Location Words: Hote location words are often depicted by vertical and horizontal planes with the exception of kapo "inside" and yaiÃÂ "outside." The orientations are as follows:

Vertical:

vuliÃÂ on.top/overhead

vibiÃÂ "underneath"

vumak "underneath" (farther down)

Horizontal:

saka "over there" (nearest)

toka "over there" (near)

toku "over there" (far)

tuvulu "over there" (farthest)

Height:

daka up.there (near)

saku up.there (far)

daku up.there (farthest)

tamu down/down to (any distance)

Example:

hamu vibiÃÂ "It is underneath."

3s.is underneath

Manner Words: These words connect a clause to the following particle of the sentence.

Example:

entek "this"

aintek "this"

nena "that, called"

hatum "like, as"

ma yamalu hanaiÃÂ i aintek nena

and 3s. talk to them this that

"and her husband said this,. . ."

Prepositions: In Hote, prepositions connect phrases to clauses.

Example:

aniÃÂ "inside"

haviÃÂ "with"

imbiÃÂ "with"

lok "with, including"

ek "for, to, at"

hamu haviÃÂ talebu lo lambu

3s.stay with mother and father

"He stayed with his mother and father."

Time Words

Example:

vemam "later"

vem "a little while, a little time"

wakbok "yesterday"

sebok "before"

yamuÃÂ "tomorrow"

denaÃÂ "not yet"

Demonstratives

Example:

atu "this"

entek "this" (close to)

intu "that" (close to)

namalu yauna atu "This very small boy."

male.child small.very this

duviyaÃÂ entek "It is an earthquake."

Verbs

Source:

In the Hote language, verbs are divided into four classes depending on what consonant the word begins with and how the word is tensed, class 1, class 2, class 3, and class 4. Class 1 verbs indicate tense signaled by a change in the first consonant of the stem. Class 1 verbs changed to voiced stops before the person marker prefix are prenasalized. Class 2 verb stems are identified by a beginning consonant of either the voiced stop d or b. The initial stop is prenasalized before the person marker to create the potential tense. Class 3 verb stems begin with the voiced prenasalized stop ÃÂg. Class 4 verb stems encompass all that are marked for poetneial b use of potential tense person markers or tense markers.

More Class 1 Verb Examples:

yaha-va "I made/ am making."

ls.make

ya-m-ba "I will make."

ls.pot.make

o-n-doyeÃÂ "You will dance."

2s.pot.dance

Class 2 Verb Examples:

yaha-dum "I worked/ am working."

1s.work

ya-n-dum "I will work."

1s.pot.work

i-n-dum "He will work."

3s.pot.work

Class 3 Verb Examples:

yaha-ÃÂgabom num "I am cooking food."

1s.cook food

ya-ÃÂgabom num "I will cook food."

1s.cook food

Class 4 Verb Examples:

yahu-mu "I am resting."

1s.rest

te ya-mu "I will rest."

pot 1s.rest

te i-tuÃÂ "He will find."

pot 3s.find

ha-tuÃÂ "He found."

3s.find

Person Markers

Actual Tense: verbs in action, completed, or habitual.

Potential Tense: verbs that have not yet taken place but will.

Example:

e-bi bok "They speared the pig."

3p.spear pig

ni-m-bi bok "They will spear the pig."

3p.pot.spear pig

ho-yuv "You blew/are blowing."

u-yuv "You will blow."

Reduplication: Complete reduplication of numerals signals distribution whereas complete reduplication of quantities signals an increase in quantity. However, reduplication is uncommon in the Hote language.

Example:

tom "one"

tom tom "each one"

hawa numbeÃÂ numbeÃÂ "He gets very many."

3s.get plenty plenty

Counting System

The counting system of the Hote language is based on one man which utilizes seven different numerals as a base: 1,2,3,4,5,10, and 20. Numbers in between, (6-9, 11-19, 21+) are indicated by inclusion quantifiers (6-9), multiple quantifier phrases (11-19), and additional quantifier phrases (21+).

Example:

baheÃÂ vi "five"

hands half

Example:

baheÃÂ vi lahavu te "six"

hands half including one

baheÃÂ vi (ba) lahavu ayova "nine"

hands half and including four

Example:

laumiÃÂ ba lahavu te "eleven"

ten and including one

laumiÃÂ ba la baheÃÂ vi ba lahavu te "sixteen"

ten and including hands half and including one

Example:

buÃÂ te "twenty"

whole one

buÃÂ te ba lahavu lu "twenty-three"

whole one and including three

buÃÂ te ba la laumiÃÂ "thirty"

whole one and including ten

buÃÂ te ba la laumiÃÂ ba lahavu te "thirty-one"

whole one and including ten and including one

Phonology

Consonants

Prenasalization: In the Hote language, all voiced prenasalized stops occur in medial position across syllable boundaries in nouns and verbs, except for [ÃÂg] which occurs word initial. Other exceptions include the following: [mb] can occur in compounds, [g] can occur in the initial position of loan words, and names, and [ÃÂg] can occur word initial before a low vowel.

[mb] Examples:

Verb

[ ' i . bi . tak ] / i-bitak/ "they came up"

[ ' im . bi . tak ] /im-bitak/ "he will come up"

Nouns

[ ' ko . bÃÂm ] /kobom/ "custom"

[kam . ' bÃÂm] /kam ' bom/ "bad"

[ ' ka . bÃÂÃÂ ] /kabeÃÂ/ "famine"

[ ' mam . be^ÃÂ ] /mambeiÃÂ] "play"

Coumpound

[ ' no^m . ' be^ÃÂ ] /noum-beiÃÂ/ "plenty"

[ ' dÃÂm . ' be^ÃÂ ] /dum-beiÃÂ/ "a large group"

[nd] Examples:

Verb

[ ' i . dÃÂm ] /i-dum/ "they work"

[ ' in . dÃÂm ] /in-dum/ "he will work"

Noun

[ ' o^ . do^ÃÂ ] /oudouÃÂ/ "source"

[ ' lÃÂÃÂ . ÃÂÃÂ . ' dÃÂÃÂ ] /lenondoÃÂ/ "his ear"

[ng] Examples:

Verb

[ ' ne . gya ] /ne . gia/ "they will carry"

[ ' ÃÂÃÂ . gya ] /eÃÂ . gia/ "he will carry"

Noun

[ ' li . giÃÂ ] /ligiÃÂ/ "sickness"

[ ' maÃÂ . gin ] /maÃÂgin/ "thorn"

Hote language

Grammar

Stress Patterns

Word Classes

Nouns

Compound Nouns

Pronouns

Time Words

Demonstratives

Verbs

Person Markers

Counting System

Phonology

Consonants

Vowels

References