Relative clauses

There is no separate relative marker in Kah. Relative clauses are characterized by the double expression of the constituent that is relativized. Usually, this is done with simple pronouns. The noun that is relativized is followed directly by a pronoun:

simbu yu fiti

boy he win

the boy that wins

literally: "the boy he wins"

fanaiku sin ya tengi

locomotive little it can

the little engine that could

literally: "the little engine it could"

nia ya bai

car it broken

the car that is broken

literally: "the car it is broken"

Also, the relative constituent tends to be topicalized and to be moved to the front of the sentence, thus triggering topicalization marked by be:

nia be wa paza ya

car top i buy it

the car I bought

literally: "the car I bought it"

yudo be wa denu lai

house top i go there

the house where I went to

literally: "the house I went to there"

Although the relative phrase tends to be move to the front of the sentence due topicalization, it also can occur in different positions. Compare:

nia be yu paza ya wa weyun

car top he buy it i see

I saw the car that he bought

literally: "the car he buy it I see"

wa weyun nia be yu paza ya

i see car top he buy it

I saw the car that he bought

literally: "I see the car he bought it"

nia be yu paza ya bai

car top he buy it broken

the car he bought is broken

literally: "the car he bought it is broken"

Relative phrases are often used in the way participles are in English:

wehim une yu la jika

hear   bird   it  be at sing

I heard the singing bird

literally: "I heard the bird it is singing"

wamai kenyo yunyo la fiti

cheer for team they be at win

They cheered for the winning team

literally: "They cheered for the team they are winning"