ña ɲa
ATense Aspect Mood marker
Grammar
1 – + kapeexclamatoryApprehensional modality: (s.th. negative) might (happen)
Etapu! Ña leka kape i-rom' eo!Don't! Your cousin might see you!
synonymnara
Grammar
2 – by extpolite Prohibitive: (you) shouldn't, you'd better not
Dapa wopine! Na pi-romo ngaten’ ae na i-ke nanana, ña pe-ko uña ngatene pon na pe vele.secret men's houseWomen! You all saw those things appear today: well, you'd better not tell around where it happened.
Bsubordinator
Grammar
used as subordinatorlest, so that not
Mata ini i-ke me i-romo kape i-mako vele, ña i-tabau.holes on dancing mask[The dancer] looks through them so he can see where he's dancing, to avoid tripping up.
main entrynara
ñe ɲe preposition
Lvnie, aka
Tnmwo
Grammar
1 – ‘(do V) with’, ‘using’: Instrumental preposition
Li-avi visiboko ñe aviro.You remove the oven stones with the tongs.
Puro, li-ejau ñe die idi.War arrows are made using human bones.
Ai-ava iu ñe vakaboro?Did you fly (in the sky) in a plane?
Li-romo ñe duduko we damala pe Franis.They were watching using the spyglass of the French foreigners.
Ene ni-romo ñe mata ene!I saw it with my own eyes!
2 – ‘to’, ‘of’, ‘at’: oblique preposition, with some verbs governing an oblique complement
U-met' eo ñe ene etapu!Don't shy away from me!
I-watebo ñe et' iape.He asked her mother.
I-bi ñe iawo.She fanned the fire. [lit. fanned at the fire]
Teliki Makumoso Banie i-waivo idi mwaliko ñe telepakau, ñe maluo.Our Great Lord Banie instructed people with the Law, with our way of life.
seesetowards, to, at
ñei ɲei ñi adverb
Lvniei, aka
Tnmwo
ñe
Grammar
anaphoric counterpart of the Instrumental–Oblique preposition ñe
1 – Instrumental anaphoric: ‘with it’, ‘using it’
Wa bale we Ginio, pi-pinoe ñei.[lit. ankle rattles, we dance with them] We wear ankle rattles when dancing.
U-la uro u-si tetawene ñei.You can use charcoal powder for tattooing.
Buro pe li-mede idi ñei.It's a song for leading (the dancers).
2 – ‘to it’, ‘of it’, ‘at it’: Oblique anaphoric, with some verbs governing an oblique complement
Ni-bisi tamwalikose ñei!I'm very surprised by this.
Ngatene pon etapu tamwase pe li-vet' pien' ñi.This topic is very delicate to talk about.
Ni-punuo ñi tae.I didn't steal it.
ñepe ɲepe particle
Lvnñeme
Tnmbe
Grammar
1 – following personal pronounreflexive marker
I-katei kiñe vabasa ini ñepe.He's pulling his own hair.
2 – oneself, by oneself: with no external input
Ene ñepe ni-bo ñe vilo.wooden knifeI made it myself.
None pon, ini ñepe pe i-ta, pe li-wowo tae.This kind of tuber grows spontaneously [by itself], it is not planted.
Grammar
3 – following non-singular personal pronounreciprocal marker
Da la-mo korone da ñepe.They are arguing with each other.
ñi ɲi adverb
anaphoric oblique: ‘with it’, ‘at it’, ‘of it’
main entryñei
Ñivale ɲivale placename
name of an islet, facing the village of Pakare
📘 According to the myth, Ñivale, together with its neighbouring islet Sebei, were separated from the mainland of Banie by the legendary hero Mwasu.
ñoko ɲoko particle
Lvnioko
Tnm(nin)ako
Grammar
1 – restrictive particle: only, exclusively
Daviñevi tae, dapenuo ñoko.Women can't; only men.
Tamwaliko pe i-vio ne kulumoe iono ñoko.It would be a shame if (this plant) only grew in your village.
Pon vilo pe li-e ñoko, ne temotu pon.There were only edible plants on this islet.
2 – following a personal pronounpersononly him/her/them; hence alone
Da ñoko lai-te ne kulumoe.Only they two were living in the village.
Kape i-vo moe iape ini ñoko i-te ñei.[His father] will build him a house for him to live alone.
Ponu kulumoe iadapa ñoko, temotu pon.[lit. (it was) the land of them only] They were the only inhabitants on that land, that islet.