ウェンクル クネ。
Wenkur ku=ne.
I am poor.
オンネ エカシ クネ。
Onne ekasi ku=ne.
I'm an old uncle.
Ne is the standard Ainu copula, and it can combine with the pronominal prefix ku= to express "I am." However, unlike English, ku=ne is used mostly to express the identity: I am something. Pay attention not to say "ク ウェンクル ネ ku wenkur ne" instead of "ウェンクル クネ wenkur ku=ne."
ウェ we is not pronounced as two distinct syllables. This is another pronunciation that may cause troubles to a Japanese learner, who might say ウエ ue with two distinct syllables. It is more like "whe" as in "where" in English.
Examples:
ウェン | Wen | Bad |
ハウェ | Hawe | Voice |
ルウェ | Ruwe | Trace |
ウェンテ | Wente | To break, invade |
ウウェカルパ | Uwekarpa | To collect |
And note that the stress falls on the second syllable in all cases.
kune (X)
kune (O)
1) I am a woman.
2) I am a college student from Muroran.
1) メノコ クネ Menoko ku=ne.
2) モルラン ワ エク 大学生 クネ Moruran wa ek Daigakusei ku=ne.
ネ | Ne | Copula (to be) |
ク | Ku= | I |
メノコ | Menoko | Woman |
エク | Ek | To come |
モルラン | Moruran | Muroran |
大学生 | Daigakusei | College student (Japanese loanword) |
ワ | Wa | From |
ウェンクル | Wenkur | A poor person |
エカシ | Ekasi | Uncle, a grown-up man |
オンネ | Onne | Old, aged |
エエトゥ ポロ。
E=etu poro.
Your nose is big.
エチセ クヌカル。
E=cise ku=nukar.
I see your house.
E= is the second person singular pronominal prefix. This is used to express the inalienable possession, analogous to ku= in lesson 5. Note that "house" cise is considered as an inalienable possession.
トゥ tu may be written as ト゜ or ツ゜ depending on the writer, as this is a sound that doesn't exist in normal Japanese. However, this "tu" has been introduced to Japanese through various English loanwords such as "today" or "tonight", and トゥ became the standard spelling for this sound.
Examples:
エトゥイ | Etuy | Sea |
エトゥ | Etu | Nose |
トゥイマ | Tuyma | Far |
トゥシ | Tus | Net, network |
トゥプ | Tup | Two |
トゥク | Tuk | To feed, raise (children, etc) |
トゥカル | Tukar | Seal (animal) |
トゥルセ | Turse | To fall down |
There is a type of red coloured bird called "puffin" known in Japanese as "エトピリカ Etopirika", but the real Ainu name would be "エトゥピリカ Etupirika." This is an Ainu loanword into Japanese. Here, "etu" means not a rose, but (reasonably enough) a beak.
1) Your hair is white.
2) I wash your shoes.
1) エエトピ レタル E=etopi retar.
2) エケリ クフライエ E=keri ku=huraye.
エトピ | Etopi | Hair |
レタル | Retar | White |
エ | E= | You |
フライェ | Huraye | To clean, wash |
ケリ | Keri | Shoes |
ク | Ku= | I |
エトゥ | Etu | Nose |
チセ | Cise | House |
ヌカル | Nukar | To see |
ポロ | Poro | Big |
エコル ハポ ポロンノ モンライケ。
E=kor hapo poronno monrayke.
Your mother works a lot.
エコル カメラ ソンノ ピリカ。
E=kor kamera sonno pirka.
Your camera is very good.
E=kor is used to express the alienable possession of the second person, analogous to ku=kor in lesson 6. This literally translates as "(something) that you have/hold."
Note that e=kor is not used for the body parts such as "エコル エトゥ e=kor etu" (your nose) or "エコル パケ e=kor pake " (your head). Body parts are expressed with simple e= instead, as they are considered to be inalienable.
1) Your earrings are beautiful.
2) Yesterday your aunt danced.
1) エコル ニンカリ ピリカ E=kor ninkari pirika.
2) ヌマン エコル ウナルペ リムセ Numan e=kor unarpe rimes.
コル | Kor | To have, to hold |
ニンカリ | Ninkari | Earrings |
ピリカ | Pirka | Beautiful, good |
エ | E= | You |
ウナルペ | Unarpe | Aunt |
リムセ | Rimse | Dance |
ヌマン | Numan | Yesterday |
カメラ | Kamera | Camera |
ソンノ | Sonno | Very, truly |
ハポ | Hapo | Mother |
ポロンノ | Poronno | A lot, many, much |
モンライケ | Monrayke | Work, to work |
ウポポ エイェ。
Upopo e=ye.
You sing a song.
ピリカ 車 エコル。
Pirka kuruma e=kor.
You have a good car.
The pronominal prefix e= could be placed before a verb to mark the subject of the predicate as well, analogous to the usage of ku= in lessons 7 and 8. Ainu verbs has no time tense, and additional temporal adverbials are added to indicate the time when it is necessary.
1) You see a big mountain.
2) You will arrive in London tomorrow.
1) ポロ ヌプリ エヌカル Poro nupuri e=nukar.
2) ニサッタ ロンドン タ エシレパ Nisatta London ta e=sirepa.
ヌカル | Nukar | To see |
ヌプリ | Nupuri | Mountain |
エ | E= | You |
ポロ | Poro | Big |
ニサッタ | Nisatta | Tomorrow |
ロンドン | Rondon | London |
タ | Ta | Locative case particle |
シレパ | Sirepa | To arrive |
イェ | Ye | To say, speak, sing |
ウポポ | Upopo | Song |
車 | Kuruma | Car (Japanese loanword) |
コル | Kor | To have, hold |
ピリカ | Pirka | Good, beautiful |
クアニ クオマン。
Kuani ku=oman.
I go.
クアニ ポロンノ クアプカシ。
Kuani poronno ku=apkas.
I walk a lot.
Ainu has the independent pronouns beside the pronominal prefixes. The first person pronominal suffix is ku=, and the independent pronoun is kuani or its contracted form kani. (Kani form is used more often in Saru, Mukawa and Chitose areas.) This is analogous to French moi or Latin ego, and the Ainu independent pronouns are used in a similar way to emphasise the subject pronoun.
But you can't omit the pronominal prefix even if you have an independent pronoun, just like you can't say *Moi suis instead of Moi, je suis in French.
・ I go.
○ クアニ クオマン。 Kuani Ku=oman.
× クアニ オマン。 Kuani oman.
○ クオマン。 Ku=oman.
・ I walk a lot.
○ クアニ ポロンノ クアプカシ。 Kuani poronno ku=apkas.
× ク ポロンノ アプカシ。 Ku poronno apkas.
× クアニ ポロンノ アプカシ。 Kuani poronno apkas.
○ ポロンノ クアプカシ。 Poronno ku=apkas.
1) I play a lot.
2) I am very tired.
1) クアニ ポロンノ クシノッ Kuani poronno ku=sinot.
2) クアニ ソンノ クシンキ Kuani sonno ku=sinki.
シノッ | Sinot | To play (having fun) |
ポロンノ | Poronno | A lot, many, much |
クアニ | Kuani | I |
ク | Ku= | I |
シンキ | Sinki | To be tired |
ソンノ | Sonno | Very |
アプカシ | Apkas | To walk |
オマン | Oman | To go |
This is the end of part four. You can continue with part V of this course.
Thanks for your interest in this course! If you discovered any mistakes or you just want to say something then please let us know . We do need feedback!