MONTHS
October - Hochafo Iskitini - Little hunger month
November - Hochafo Chito - Big hunger month
December - Hashi Koi Chito - Big lion month
January - Hashi Koi Nakfi Ushi - Lion's little brother's month
February - Hashi Watonlak - Crane month
March - Hashi Mahli - Wind month
April - Tek "I" Hashi - Woman's month
May - Hashi Bihi - Mulberry month
June - Hashi Bissa - Blackberry month
July - Hashi Kafi - Sassafras month
August - Hashi Takkon - Peach month
September - Hashi Hoponi - Cooking month
13th month - Luak Mosholi - Putting out fire month
DAYS OF WEEK
Nitak Hollo - Sunday
Nitak Hollotuk Onna - Monday
Nitak Hollotuk Imisha - Tuesday
Nitak Hollotuk Imisha Nitak Tuchina - Wednesday
Nitak Hollotuk Imisha Nitak Ushta - Thursday
Nitak Hollotuk Imisha Tahlapi - Friday
Nitak Hollo Nakfish - Saturday
**********
Nitak Hollo Chito - Christmas
COLORS
Homma - Red
Homma Chomi - Pink
Lusa - Black
Tohbi - White
Okchako - Blue
Hata - Pale
Okchako Hata - Light blue
Okchakbi - Purple
Okchamali - green
Okchamali Hata - Light green
Lakna - Yellow
Hata Lakna - Orange (same for kind you eat)
Haton Lakna - Brown
Tali Hata - Silver
One of the most often said things about the language is that the main noun is the first thing you say when starting a sentence, and most of us will swear by that. However, there are times when it does not come first.
It is usually the noun, then the adjective to describe it or modify it such as OFI HOMMA - red dog. OFI=dog HOMMA=red, but if it happens that we use a noun to modify another noun, then the main noun comes last....just like in english.
We say it right but we don't notice, so you can just be on the lookout for it.
Talihina is a good example of the main noun coming last. Every once in awhile someone will say that it is said backward, but TALI is the word for iron or rock, and HINA is the word for road, so following the most used way of saying it we say that it should be main noun first (HINA) then TALI...iron or rock, hence Road of Iron...HINATALI. But HINA is the main noun and TALI modifies it, just like ISSI NIPI. 2 nouns, but the main noun comes last. ISSI=deer..NIPI=meat. Meat is what we are talking about, not a deer. It is just used to tell what kind of meat.
HATAK IBBAK=mans hand.The main noun is hand, not man, so it comes last.
Question words appear in the same place where the answers would appear in the sentences.
If you will notice the following:
NANTA is a question word.
OFI AT NANTA IMPA TUK
dog the-question word-eat-recent past
What did the dog eat?
OFI AT NIPI IMPA TUK
dog the-meat-eat-recent past
The dog ate meat.
NANTA and NIPI appear in the same place in the sentence. This will make it a little easier to make sentences with the question words.
BODY PARTS
Nushkobo=head
Panshi(nasel A)=hair on head
Hishi=all other hair
Nashuka=face
Nishkin=eye
Haksobish=ear
Ibishakni=nose
Italbi=lips
Noti=tooth
Ikonla=neck
Tachi=shoulder
Haknip=chest
Pishik=breast
Chukash(nasel U)=heart
Shakba=arm
Ibbok=hand
Ibbokushi=finger
Ibbokchush=fingernail
Iyapi=leg
Hanali=leg
Obala=rear-end
Itikolaha=knee
Iya=foot
Aiushi=toe
Chata have what we call inalienable nouns and they are kin folk and body parts, in short, what we are born with. And alienable nouns, which is like our dog, horse, house and anything else we can sell or trade or otherwise dispose of.
For ownership of inalienable nouns we use SA.
SA NISHKIN=my eye or eyes
SA SHAKABA=my arm
SA NUSHKOBO=my head
Some kinship nouns may use A instead of SA like...
AMAFO=my grandfather, or,
AHOKNI=my aunt
SA is first person singular.
For alienable nouns which start with a vowel or with the consonants B or P, you use AM.
AM OFI=my dog
AM ISSUBAH=my horse
AM BASHPO=my knife
AM PENI=my boat
If it starts with a consonant other than B or P, you use AN, which is really just a big nasel A, and the N is more pronounced when it comes before a C as in...
AN CHUKA=my house
AN TAKKON=my peach...the N is not heard as hard as it is in AN CHUKA.
AN HINA=my road
AN SHAPO=my hat
"KAT" WORDS
KATA=who
KATIMI Ho=why
KATIMIKASH=when in the past
KATIMIKMA=when in the future
KATIMAMPO=which of the two
KATIMMA=where
KATIMMAK o=which
KATIOHMI HOSH=how, in what manner
KATOHMI=how many
KATA HOSH=who is
KATIMMA ISH IA=where are you going?
We have all, or at least most of us, learned that if you want to turn a statement into a negative statement, all you have to do is put KEYO at the end of it.
ISSUBAH UT BALILI=the horse is running
ISSUBAH UT BALILI KEYO=the horse is not running
Although that is a real good way of doing it, there is another way that you will have to look for.
Have you ever figured out when you are studying the common phrases why
AKOSTININCHI LI (I understand) changes to
AK AKOSTININCHO when you say it as a negative (I don't understand)
IK is the sign of negation and becomes AK before a verb in the first person, when you are referring to yourself, so applying that, you would leave the LI off the end and put AK on the front of the verb and you get AK AKOSTININCHO...it ends up with an O on the end of it because if the verb ends in an A or an I, you change the verb ending to O.
SO to say I speak Chata, you say
CHATA ACHI LI - I speak Chata
CHATA AK ACHO - I do not speak Chata
Notice the first person singular marker changes position in the sentence, LI/AK
TAMAHA IA LI=I go to town (present tense)
TAMAHA AK IO=I do not go to town.
Notice LI changes to AK and IA(go) changes from an A ending to an O ending.
