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DETERMINERS

Used in a sentence as a stand-in for articles on nouns, here are the determiners:

  • “This” - chÄ«

  • “That (thing)” - eba

  • “Those” - lifu

  • “These” - neme

  • “That (person)” - ma +pronoun

The distinction between “these boots” and “those boots” is typically proximity/visibility to the speaker. Anything immediately visible is neme, whether on one’s feet or across the room.

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*Note on the example: degree of experience or age is the most important signifier in Seaspeaker communities, and functions closest to gender (more on this later). Here I have substituted “man” for “master laborer/worker”, and assumed the appropriate level of honorifics throughout.

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