5. Clauses and Questions
Kokanu provides two main tools for building questions and complex sentences: demonstratives (including ci as a question marker), the yes/no particle ka, and the clause markers ta and te. Together they allow both precise questioning and flexible sentence nesting.
5.1 Demonstratives
Kokanu has three demonstratives: ne, na, and ci.
- ne → “this”
- na → “that”
- ci → interrogative determiner (“which / what / where / why”)
Examples:
| Kokanu phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| loso | bad |
| ne le loso | this is bad |
| mi le suki in na pawo | I like that dog |
Warning
Demonstratives always precede the word they modify:
→ mi le suki in na pawo (not in pawo na).
ci as a Question Word
By replacing the item of inquiry with ci, any interrogative can be formed.
Examples:
| Kokanu phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tu le makan in ci? | What do you eat? |
| ja le makan konje nenka ci? | Why do they stop eating? |
| pawo le antomi pi ci? | Where/When does the dog sleep? |
Sometimes ci can be used as a modifier for more precision:
| Kokanu phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pawo le antomi pi jan ci? | At which place does the dog sleep? / Where does the dog sleep? |
| pawo le antomi pi ten ci? | At which time does the dog sleep? / When does the dog sleep? |
| canwa ci le makan in makan mi? | Which animal ate my food? |
New Words
- loso = bad
- pawo = dog
- jan = place
- ten = time
- canwa = animal
5.2 The Particle ka
Yes–no questions are formed with ka. It can appear at the start, end, or both.
Examples:
| Kokanu phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ka ne makan le tope ka? | Is this food good? |
| ka tu le antomi? | Do you sleep? |
| pata le okutu ka? | Is the book hidden? |
New Words
- okutu = hidden, covered
- pata = book
- tope = good
- antomi = asleep / to sleep
5.3 The Clause Marker ta
ta introduces subclauses. Kokanu has two types, similar to English:
- Adverbial clauses (because, when, if…)
- Relative clauses (that, which…)
Adverbial Clauses
Placed after a preposition, a ta-clause behaves like a main clause.
Examples:
| Kokanu phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| mi le suki in na makan nenka ta sapole ja le tope | I like that food because its flavor is good |
| mi le wisan in ta tu le makan in makan mi / mi le wisan ta tu le makan in makan mi | I know that you ate my food |
New Words
- sapole = to taste (a flavor)
- wisan = to know
Closing Clauses
Every subclause must be closed (unless final in the sentence).
Closers are: comma (,), hu, or wa.
- hu is used only to close clauses.
- wa is explained in Chapter 6.
Examples:
| Kokanu phrase (variants) | Meaning |
|---|---|
| po ta tu le sema in kota mi, men mi le kota len | I speak loud so you hear what I say |
| po ta tu le sema in kota mi hu men mi le kota len | same meaning, with hu closer |
New Words
- len = strong
- sema = to hear
- kota = to say / speech
Relative Clauses
A ta-clause follows the word it describes. Inside, ja refers back to that word.
Examples:
| Kokanu phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nin ta in ja men mi le suki | a person that I like |
| pawo ta mi le makan in makan ja | a dog, whose food I ate |
| jan ta mi le pasan pi ja | a place at which I’m happy |
| jan ta mi le pasan pi | a place I’m happy at |
New Words
- nin = person
- pasan = happy
Nested Clauses
ta-clauses can be nested, collapsing inside → out.
Example:
- mi le kujo nenka ta pi ta mi le koman, men tu le cuma
→ “I am sad because you leave when I come.”
New Words
- kujo = sad
- koman = arriving
- cuma = leaving
Clauses can be closed in multiple ways, sometimes stacking multiple closers to avoid ambiguity:
| Kokanu phrase (variants) | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nenka ta tu le cuma hon ta mi le koman, mi le kujo | I am sad because you leave when I come |
| nenka ta tu le cuma hon ta mi le koman,, mi le kujo | (same, but multiple , used) |
| nenka ta tu le cuma hon ta mi le koman hu, mi le kujo | (same, but hu used) |
| nenka ta tu le cuma hon ta mi le koman hu hu mi le kujo | (same, but multiple hu used) |
Indirect Questions
Indirect questions are formed by replacing ta with ka:
- tu le solu ka mi le makan → “You ask whether I eat.”
5.4 The Clause Marker te
te is similar to ta, but with key differences:
- A te-clause cannot have a subject.
- It implies le.
Relative Clauses
te is equivalent to ta ja le:
| Kokanu phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nin ta ja le suki in mi | a person who likes me |
| nin te suki in mi | same meaning |
Adverbial Clauses
As an adverbial clause, te acts like an infinitive clause in English:
| Kokanu phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| mi le ju (in) te makan | I like to eat |
| te pata, le tope | To read is good / Reading is good |
| te makan in kuwosi, le tope | Eating fruits is good |
New Words
- ju = to want / to like
- pata = to read
- kuwosi = fruit