ma-
Basque edit
Etymology edit
Probably related to m-.
Prefix edit
ma-
- Non-productive prefix without a specific meaning.
Usage notes edit
In words where this prefix can be found, it takes the place of the first syllable of the original word, usually with no change in meaning (compare udare and madari, both meaning "pear"). It is likely that originally this was an expressive prefix, and that many Basque words starting with ma- contain this prefix, with the original word having been lost.
References edit
- “ma-” in Etymological Dictionary of Basque by R. L. Trask, sussex.ac.uk
Bikol Central edit
Prefix edit
ma-
- Used to form adjectives indicating a quality
- Object IV trigger infinitive verb prefix
- Object trigger to have done something; to be able to do something
- Object trigger to perform the action of the verb unintentionally
- to form the future tense of the verb.
Cebuano edit
Prefix edit
ma-
- Used to form adjectives indicating a quality
- Used to form the future tense of a verb
Hausa edit
Etymology edit
Cognate to the set of prefixes found in Arabic: مُ (mu) for agentive participles, مَ (ma) for locatives, and مِ (mi) for instrumentals.
Pronunciation edit
Prefix edit
ma-
- Used to form agentive nouns.
- Used to form nouns of place (locative nouns).
- Used to form instrumental nouns.
Usage notes edit
Each prefix forms a different template to which the noun must conform:
- Agentive nouns end in -ī in the masculine singular, -ìyā in the feminine singular, and -ā in the plural, and the root has low tone in the masculine and plural, but high tone in the feminine.
- Locative nouns end in -ā and are feminine, or uncommonly in -ī and are masculine, with all high tone in either case. There is rarely a plural form.
- Instrumental nouns end in -ī and are masculine, with plurals in -ai. The tones of the singular form are all high, and in the plural the tones are all low except for the plural morpheme.
Derived terms edit
Japanese edit
Romanization edit
ma-
Kambera edit
Pronoun edit
ma-
- first person plural exclusive nominative proclitic
See also edit
Maori edit
Prefix edit
ma-
- Adjective prefix
Northern Sotho edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Bantu *mà-.
Prefix edit
ma-
- Class 6 noun prefix.
Old Javanese edit
Etymology edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Prefix edit
ma-
- active verb
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Pitjantjatjara edit
Prefix edit
ma-
- away (prefixed to verbs)
Usage notes edit
- The hyphen is normally kept, for example, ma-pitjanyi.
- Although ma- is spelt with a short a, the vowel is actually long (maa-). The misleading spelling exists for historical reasons.
Shona edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Bantu *mà-.
Prefix edit
ma-
- Class 6 noun prefix.
Sotho edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Bantu *mà-.
Prefix edit
ma-
- Class 6 noun prefix.
Swahili edit
Alternative forms edit
- me- (before i and e)
Etymology edit
From Proto-Bantu *mà-.
Pronunciation edit
Audio (Kenya) (file)
Prefix edit
ma-
- ma class(VI) noun prefix and adjective agreement prefix, denoting mass nouns and plurals of a variety of classes
- maji machafu ― dirty water
- forms plurals of ji class(V) nouns
- forms plurals of some u class(XI) nouns
- forms collectives of n class(IX) nouns
See also edit
Tagalog edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ma-, from Proto-Austronesian *ma-. Compare may (existential marker).
Pronunciation edit
- (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ma/ [mɐ]
- Syllabification: ma-
Prefix edit
ma- (Baybayin spelling ᜋ)
- used to form adjectives indicating a quality
- actor III trigger infinitive verb prefix
- object IV trigger infinitive verb prefix
- object trigger to have done something; to be able to do something
- object trigger to perform the action of the verb unintentionally
- ma- + basag (“break, crack”) → mabasag (“to break something unintentionally”)
- Nabasag ko ang salamin. ― I unintentionally broke the mirror. Compare it when used with the suffix -in:
- basag (“break, crack”) + -in → basagin (“to break something on purpose”)
- Binasag ko ang salamin. ― I broke the mirror on purpose.
- (dialectal) used to form contemplative aspects of verbs prefixed with um- or infixed with -um-
Derived terms edit
Tausug edit
Prefix edit
ma-
- Used to form adjectives and adverbs; characterized by; abundant in
Derived terms edit
Ternate edit
Etymology 1 edit
Pronoun edit
ma- (Jawi م-)
- (non-human) third-person singular and plural possessive prefix, its, their
- indicates definiteness
- haka ngori maobo ― give me the bone (literally, “give me its bone”)
- mangofa hotu ― the child sleeps (literally, “its child sleeps”)
See also edit
independent | subject proclitic | possessive | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Informal | Formal | |||||
1st person singular | ngori | fangarem, fajaruf | to | ri | ||
2nd person singular | ngana | ngoni, jou ngoni | no | ni | ||
3rd person singular | unam, minaf | om, mof, inh | im, mif, manh | |||
1st person plural inclusive | ngone | fo | na, nga | |||
1st person plural exclusive | ngomi | fangare ngomim, fajaru ngomif, fara ngomi1 | mi | mi, mia | ||
2nd person plural | ngoni | ni | na, nia | |||
3rd person plural | anah, enanh | ih, nh, yoh, †, yanh, † | nah, ngah, manh |
- unmarked pronouns are gender non-specific
- m - masculine, f - feminine, h - human, nh - non-human
- 1 - for mixed-gender groups
- † - archaic
Etymology 2 edit
Prefix edit
ma- (Jawi م-)
- marks certain verbal aspects
Etymology 3 edit
Prefix edit
ma- (Jawi م-)
- reflexive
References edit
- Frederik Sigismund Alexander de Clercq (1890) Bijdragen tot de kennis der Residentie Ternate, E.J. Brill
- Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh
Tsonga edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Bantu *mà-.
Prefix edit
ma-
- Class 6 noun prefix.
Tswana edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Bantu *mà-.
Prefix edit
ma-
- Class 6 noun prefix.
Venda edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Bantu *mà-.
Prefix edit
ma-
- Class 6 noun prefix.
West Makian edit
Etymology 1 edit
Pronunciation edit
Prefix edit
ma-
- a prefix of unclear meaning
Usage notes edit
The prefix ma- is subject to West Makian vowel harmony, and as such may surface as me-, mi-, or mo-.
Alternative forms edit
Etymology 2 edit
Pronunciation edit
Pronoun edit
ma-
- first-person plural inclusive clitic, we
- moco ― we see
Usage notes edit
The prefix ma- follows West Makian vowel harmony, and as such may surface as me-, mi-, or mo-.
Alternative forms edit
Etymology 3 edit
Pronunciation edit
Pronoun edit
ma-
- (animate) third-person singular clitic for stative verbs, it
- madadi sangaji ― he became a chief
- di oma ma makaku i ― their child is still small
Usage notes edit
This clitic is only for stative verbs and does not undergo vowel harmony.
Etymology 4 edit
Pronunciation edit
Pronoun edit
ma-
Usage notes edit
The possessive prefix ma- is subject to West Makian vowel harmony, and as such may surface as me-, mi-, or mo-.
Alternative forms edit
See also edit
independent | possessive prefix | |
---|---|---|
1st person singular | de | ti |
2nd person singular | ni | ni |
3rd person singular | me | mVan., dVinan. |
1st person plural inclusive | ene | nV |
1st person plural exclusive | imi | mi |
2nd person plural | ini | fi |
3rd person plural | eme | di |
- V indicates the expected assimilated vowel of the following noun, following standard West Makian vowel harmony.
Etymology 5 edit
Pronunciation edit
Prefix edit
ma-
- forms adverbial numerals
References edit
- Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours[1], Pacific linguistics
Xhosa edit
Etymology edit
From a clipping of makhe (“hortative marker”).
Prefix edit
ma-
Usage notes edit
The prefix is attached to the subjunctive form of the verb, before the subject concord.
Zulu edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Proto-Bantu *mà-.
Prefix edit
ma-
- Class 6 simple noun prefix.
Etymology 2 edit
From a clipping of make (“hortative marker”).
Prefix edit
ma-
Usage notes edit
The prefix is attached to the subjunctive form of the verb, before the subject concord.
Alternative forms edit
References edit
- C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “ma-”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “ma-”