Ditlhopha tsa Maina (Noun Classes)

Ditlhopha tsa Maina (Noun Classes)

Noun classes are very important elements of Setswana grammar, and play a pivotal role in determining the correct syntax of a sentence. The spellings of verbs, adjectives, possessives, demonstratives, agreement markers, relative markers, and other grammar constructs are determined by the class to which the subject noun belongs. In fact, this is a characteristic that is common among Bantu languages in general, and creates for a scientific approach to learning them, which is particularly useful for first.

To put the cherry on top, Setswana (and other Bantu) nouns are made up of two parts: the prefixial morpheme, and the stem. And it is these prefixial morphemes that are the first visible determiners of a noun’s class. However, this is not always immediately obvious. Class 1 for instance, appears to have three different prefixes, when in fact it is just the one, and two different instances of it having undergone what diachronic linguists call a phonological change (as shall be explained later). Another example is Class 1 [again] and Class 3 sharing the same prefix(es), but differing contexts, and Class 9 having no apparent prefix. The similarity in the pronunciation of the prefixes for Class 5 and 11 also sometimes causes confusions, even for native speakers.

German linguist, Carl Friedrich Michael Meinhof is hailed as a pioneer in classing of Bantu noun classes, and is often attributed the honour of being the founder of the noun class system used in Setswana. However, it is important to note that there has been an evolution from that time to how the classes appear now. The current system we use is based on the 1955 work of Desmond Thorne Cole [pictured above], and comprises 18 noun classes (whose numbering has oftentimes caused a bit of confusion, as you are about to find out). They are Classes 1 to 18, excluding 12 and 13 (but with an additional Class 1a and 1b) which brings the total back up to 18.

ClassPrefixNotes on PrefixesNotes on the Noun Class
1mo-m- and ngw- are sometimes written as other class prefixes, but are actually just phonological changes to mo-. Examples: ngw- from ngwana originated as mo+ana. M- from mmopi originated as mo+bopi.1. Nouns associated with ordinary humans or human vocations, eg modisa, ngwale, mhudi.
2. Proper nouns naming ethnic groups or tribes start with Mo-, eg Mosotho, Morolong.
3. Adoptive words denoting personal use, eg moPalestina (Palestinian), mokeresete (christian).
4. Kinship terms DO NOT belong in Class 1, but instead Class 1a.
1aɸIncludes proper nouns used as names, and therefore cannot have a fixed prefix.1. Proper nouns for names of people, places, etc. Examples: Montshwari, Solomon, New York.
2. Kinship terms like mme (mother), rramogolo (uncle), malome (uncle), rrangwane (uncle). These words behave as Class 9 words (with their latent N), but have plurals with the prefix bo-.
3. Animals which are found in Class 9, but when used in a personalised/personified context (eg tshwene (baboon/simian) can be pluralised as ditshwene or botshwene when personalised, and all other animals (eg mmutla (hare).
2ba-Plural for Class 1. All words in this class have prefix ba-.Plural for Class 1. All words in this class have prefix ba- in the place of mo- for the singulars.
2abo-Plural for Class 1a. All words in this class have prefix bo-.Plural for Class 1a. All words in this class have prefix bo-appended to the whole Class 1a singular, eg bomalome (uncles), boMichael.
3mo-m- and ngw- are sometimes written as other class prefixes, but are actually just phonological changes to mo-. Examples: ngw- from ngwedi originated as mo-edi. M- from mmino originated as mo-bino.All other non-locative nouns with the prefix mo-, or its consequent ngw- and m-.
Examples include molelo, ngwedi, mhiko.
4me-Plural for Class 3. All words in this class have prefix me-.Plural for Class 3. All words in this class have prefix me- in the place of mo- for the singulars.
5le-Easily confused with Class 11’s lo-. Most of the differences are due to variances in dialects, as some may say lerato, while others say lorato. However, there are some words which are specific to either Class 5 or 11. The best trick to determine whether it is supposed to be in Class 5 or 11 is by checking if the plural begins with ma (then Class 5) or di (then Class 11).1. Nouns associated negatively with humans or human vocations, eg legodu (thief), lelatswathipa (bootlicker).
2. Proper nouns naming foreign or ethnic groups or tribes start with Le-, eg Lekgowa, Lezulu.
However, this usage has fallen out of favour with proponents of political correctness, insisting all ethnic names should be in Class 1 (eg Lezulu should be Mozulu, etc).
3. Adoptive words denoting personal use, eg lepolitiki (politician), leinjiniere (engineer).
4. Non-human concrete and abstract nouns whose plurals have the prefix ma-.
6ma-.Plural for Class 5. All words in this class have prefix ma- in the place of se- for the singulars.
7se-.1. Nouns associated negatively with humans or human vocations, eg serukhuthi (criminal), sebolai (murderer).
2. Nouns associated positively with humans or human vocations, denoting expertise, eg seopedi (good singer – beyond just “moopedi”), seroki (expert tailor – beyond just “moroki”).
3. Adoptive words which start with a sound similar to the prefix se- in their native language, eg. seterata (from street), setulo (stool).  Adoptive words denoting language and culture, eg sejuta (Jewish), seJeremane (German).
4. Non-human concrete and abstract nouns.
8di-.Plural for Class 7. All words in this class have prefix di- in the place of se- for the singulars.
9N-Words in this class are said to have a latent n- prefix. The n sound is not manifest in some of the words, but its effect can be felt in the phonological changes (nasalisation) it brings to the stems of the nouns. Examples: kgomo originates from n+gomo, thimo from n+simo.1. Words that do not appear to belong in any of the other classes because they do not have obvious prefixes.
2. Foreign or adopted words, eg mercury (mercury), parafini (paraffin).
3. Kinship terms DO NOT belong in Class 9, but instead Class 1a.
10diN-Plural for Class 9 and 11. All words in this class have prefix di- with the latent N for both Class 9 and Class 11 words. Examples: Class 9 podi (n+bodi) becomes dipodi; Class 11 lore becomes dinthe (din+re, and the re is nasalised to ‘the’).Plural for Class 9 and 11. All words in this class have prefix di- with the latent N for both Class 9 and Class 11 words.
Examples: Class 9 podi (n+bodi) becomes dipodi; Class 11 lore becomes dinthe (din+re, and the re is nasalised to ‘the’).
11lo-Easily confused with Class 5’s le-. Most of the differences are due to variances in dialects, as some may say lorato, while others say lerato. However, there are some words which are specific to either Class  or 11. The best trick to determine whether it is supposed to be in Class 5 or 11 is by checking if the plural begins with ma (then Class 5) or di (then Class 11).1. Mainly abstract nouns, eg lorato (love), loso (death), losika (family).
2. A noun form associated with large sizes or multitudes, eg lonko (extreme smell), lonku (many sheep).
14bo-.1. Abstract nouns, eg bogosi (royalty), boroko (sleep), botshwakga (laziness).
2. Adoptive words which start with a sound similar to the prefix bo- in their native language, eg. borotho (from bread), borukgwe (broek in Afrikaans).
3. Adoptive words denoting cultural or vocational tendencies of attributes, eg bopodise (police-like), boChaena (Chinese).
15go-.Infinitive verbs classified as nouns. Examples: go ja (to eat), go robala (to sleep).
16fa-.Locative nouns which are not derived from verb stems. They form the stem of adverbs of place, eg fatshe (floor), fale (there/yonder).
17go-.Locative nouns which are not derived from verb stems. They form the stem of adverbs of place, godimo (top).
18mo-.Locative nouns which are not derived from verb stems. They form the stem of adverbs of place, morago, moseja.

For a further discourse on this, follow this link to the Ditlhopha tsa Maina English page, or this one for the Ditlhopha tsa Maina Setswana page where you will find a summary table showing the relationship between name classes and other grammatic elements of Setswana.

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