Parts of speech

Nouns

Nominal phrases

1. Head noun
2. Totality
3. Quantifier/Number
4. Classifier
5. Attributive modifiers
6. Demonstrative
7. Prepositional phrase

Pronoun

Neutral

Neutral pronouns are similar to how they are in English. It is however mainly used in formal speech or formal writing. Using it on an one-on-one conversation implies either unfriendliness or distance.

Neutral pronouns can be pluralized by numerals and quantifiers as if they are nouns. Note that first plural personal pronoun is always exclusive.

Familiar

Gendered pronouns are chiefly used among people who are equal and close to one another, but not blood-related.

Hierarchical

There are not many non-familial hierarchies in Zì community, but the contrast in such relationships is showed clearly via pronouns. These pronouns lack third person pronoun. Hierarchical pronouns comes in pair, with one in the higher position and one in the lower:

• chieftain (kjá) - denizen (tò)
• teacher (se) - student (hin)
• leader (zi) - follower (hin)

One can be in several of these relationships at once. For example, one of the denizen can be the chieftain's teacher, in which case each party uses the lower pronoun for oneself and the higher for the other.

Kinship

• great-grandparent: sjà
• grandfather: fu
• grandmother: bu
• father: ba
  • father's elder brother: fa
    • father's elder brother's wife: nàn
  • father's elder sister: bá
    • father's elder sister's husband: gon
  • father's younger sibling: hju
    • father's younger sibling's spouse: tin
• mother: ma
  • mother's elder brother: fá
    • mother's elder brother's wife: nàn
  • mother's elder sister: sì
    • mother's elder sister's husband: gon
  • mother's younger sibling: vá
    • mother's younger sibling's spouse: mjé
• elder brother: kje
• elder sister: dje
• younger sibling: nen
• child: su
• niece/nephew: swá
• grandchild: gun
• great-grandchild: ngi

Note:

• Pronoun for parents' spouses who are not biological parents are the same as parents
• Pronoun for parent's elder brother's husband is lacked because homosexual relationships weren't acknowledged before, but he would use the same pronoun as the parent's elder brother. Likewise, the parent's elder sister's wife also use the same pronoun as her wife.
• Pronouns for father's elder brother, mother's elder sister, father's younger sibling, mother's younger sibling

Verbs

Adjective

Classifiers

• human: ngan
  • respectful: nga
  • derogatory: ngǐ
  • diminutive: ngí
• animal: man
  • four-legged: khú
  • winged: tǐ
• plant: ci
  • flower: khje
  • fruit-like (fruit, ball, egg): khwi
• thing: kí
  • book-like (dictionary, newspaper): hin
  • blade-like (knife, scissor, sword): zé
  • street-like (river, stream): lwin
  • yard-like (pond, lake): son
  • very large (sky, ocean, forest): lon
  • house-like: ngwo
  • clothes: bù
• food: bá
• abstract: tjen
• phenomenon: mwan

Numerals and Quantifiers

Numeral

DjanZi numerals is biquinary.

To refer to number zero (0), one use the negation particle khan.

10000 is a very big number already. In daily speech this number is synonymous with infinity. The next big word is cwé, 1000000000000 (trillion) if you really insist.

Quantifier

• several, few: ní
• many: fjè
• plenty: má má
• all: khá

Preposition

• at: zjà
• inside: tjǒ
• outside: ngà
• next to: nèn
• against: tá
• on, above: tan
• under, below: dú
• to: khá
• from: khè
• with: vjén
• of: kě
• between: nì

Conjunction

Conjunctions are words that connects two phrases to form some logical connection between them. Two conjunctions in a pair can switch place. Ones inside the parentheses in the below list can be omitted.

• because… so…: dà… so…
• though… but…: mà… nha…
• (either)… or…: (vo)… vo…
• (neither)… nor…: (cá)… cá…
• (both)… and…: (na)… na…
• … in order to…: ni… lun…

Particles

Modal

• imperative mood: ha
• interrogative mood: né
• possibility: sà
• acceptability: là
• admiration: san
• pity: ní

Adverbial

Adverbial particles indicates tenses and aspects.

• future: kja
• past: lwì
• continuous: can
• perfective: són
• perfect: ljě