zi-
See also: Appendix:Variations of "zi"
Chichewa
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /zi/
Prefix
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Bantu *bì-
Prefix
zi-
- Class 8 noun prefix.
Prefix
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Bantu *bí-
Prefix
zi-
- Class 8 subject concord.
Prefix
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Bantu *jí-
Prefix
zi-
- Class 10 subject concord.
Prefix
Prefix
zi-
- plural of chi- (“augmentative prefix”)
Derived terms
Northern Ndebele
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the prefix of class 10, it replaced the class 8 prefix as well.
Prefix
zi-
- they; class 8 subject concord.
- them; class 8 object concord.
- they; class 10 subject concord.
- them; class 10 object concord.
Southern Ndebele
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the prefix of class 10, it replaced the class 8 prefix as well.
Prefix
zi-
- they; class 8 subject concord.
- them; class 8 object concord.
- they; class 10 subject concord.
- them; class 10 object concord.
Swahili
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *jí-.
Prefix
zi-
- they; n class(X) subject concord
- 1973, Mohammed S. Abdulla, Duniani kuna watu, page 3:
- Taa zenye nuru kali, moja kwa juu mwisho wa ngazi, na moja kwa chini mwanzo wa ngazi zilimmulika Kasim Hakimu Marjani […]
- Lamps shining with an intense light, one on top at the end of the stairs and one below at the beginning of the stairs, illuminated Kasim Hakimu Marjani […]
- verb-initial form of -zi- (“them, n class(X) object concord”)
See also
| class | subject concord | object concord | relative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| affirmative | negative | |||
| m(I) | a-, yu- | ha-, hayu- | -m-, -mw-, -mu- | -ye |
| wa(II) | wa- | hawa- | -wa- | -o |
| m(III) | u- | hau- | -u- | -o |
| mi(IV) | i- | hai- | -i- | -yo |
| ji(V) | li- | hali- | -li- | -lo |
| ma(VI) | ya- | haya- | -ya- | -yo |
| ki(VII) | ki- | haki- | -ki- | -cho |
| vi(VIII) | vi- | havi- | -vi- | -vyo |
| n(IX) | i- | hai- | -i- | -yo |
| n(X) | zi- | hazi- | -zi- | -zo |
| u(XI) | u- | hau- | -u- | -o |
| ku(XV/XVII) | ku- | haku- | -ku- | -ko |
| pa(XVI) | pa- | hapa- | -pa- | -po |
| mu(XVIII) | m-, mw-, mu- | ham-, hamw-, hamu- | -mu- | -mo |
For a full table including first and second person,
see Appendix:Swahili personal pronouns
Tooro
Alternative forms
- (before vowels) z-
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *jí-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /zi-/
Prefix
zi-
- class 10 pronominal concord
- they; class 10 subject concord
- zi- + -kora (“to do”) → zikora (“they (class 10) do”)
- positive imperative form of -zi- (“them; class 10 object concord”)
- zi- + -ha (“to give”) → ziha (“give them (class 10)”)
See also
| class | person | independent | possessive | subject concord |
object concord |
combined forms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| na | ni | ||||||
| class 1 | first | nyowe, nye | -ange | n- | -n- | nanyowe, nanye | ninyowe, ninye |
| second | iwe | -awe | o- | -ku- | naiwe | niiwe | |
| third | uwe | -e | a- | -mu- | nawe | nuwe | |
| class 2 | first | itwe | -aitu | tu- | -tu- | naitwe | niitwe |
| second | inywe | -anyu | mu- | -ba- | nainywe | niinywe | |
| third | abo | -abo | ba- | -ba- | nabo | nubo | |
| class 3 | gwo | -agwo | gu- | -gu- | nagwo | nugwo | |
| class 4 | yo | -ayo | e- | -gi- | nayo | niyo | |
| class 5 | lyo | -alyo | li- | -li- | nalyo | niryo | |
| class 6 | go | -ago | ga- | -ga- | nago | nugo | |
| class 7 | kyo | -akyo | ki- | -ki- | nakyo | nikyo | |
| class 8 | byo | -abyo | bi- | -bi- | nabyo | nibyo | |
| class 9 | yo | -ayo | e- | -gi- | nayo | niyo | |
| class 10 | zo | -azo | zi- | -zi- | nazo | nizo | |
| class 11 | rwo | -arwo | ru- | -ru- | narwo | nurwo | |
| class 12 | ko | -ako | ka- | -ka- | nako | nuko | |
| class 13 | two | -atwo | tu- | -tu- | natwo | nutwo | |
| class 14 | bwo | -abwo | bu- | -bu- | nabwo | nubwo | |
| class 15 | kwo | -akwo | ku- | -ku- | nakwo | nukwo | |
| class 16 | ho | -aho | ha- | -ha- | naho | nuho | |
| class 17 | (kwo) | N/A | ha- (...-yo) |
-ha- | N/A | nukwo | |
| class 18 | (mwo) | -amwo | ha- (...-mu) |
-ha- | N/A | numwo | |
| reflexive | -enyini, -onyini | — | -e- | — | |||
References
- Kaji, Shigeki (2007) A Rutooro Vocabulary[1], Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), →ISBN, page 414
Tumbuka
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Bantu *jí-
Prefix
zi-
- Class 10 subject concord.
Xhosa
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the prefix of class 10, it replaced the class 8 prefix as well.
Prefix
zi-
- they; class 8 subject concord.
- them; class 8 object concord.
- they; class 10 subject concord.
- them; class 10 object concord.
Zulu
Etymology 1
From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the pronominal and verbal concord, it displaced the older Bantu noun prefix *bì-. The tone was lowered by analogy with other noun prefixes.
Prefix
zi-
- Class 8 simple noun prefix.
- Class 10 simple noun prefix, used when preceding a consonant n, m, or l.
Etymology 2
From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the prefix of class 10, it replaced the class 8 prefix as well.
Prefix
zí-
- they; class 8 subject concord.
- them; class 8 object concord.
- they; class 10 subject concord.
- them; class 10 object concord.
References
- C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “zi-”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “zi-”