Language/Xhosa/Grammar/Noun-Classes
Nouns and Pronouns are essential components of any Xhosa sentence. Nouns refer to people, places, things, and ideas, while Pronouns are used to replace Nouns to avoid repetition. In Xhosa, both Nouns and Pronouns have an assigned class. In this lesson, you will learn about the Xhosa Noun Classes, how to identify them, and how they affect sentence structure.
Xhosa Noun Classes
Xhosa has a total of eighteen Noun Classes, each one assigned to different types of objects, animals, and people. The table below shows the Xhosa Noun Classes, their assigned prefixes or class markers, and some examples:
| Noun Class Prefix or Class Marker | Example |
|---|---|
| 1a | uFundi (student) |
| 1b | uMama (mother) |
| 2a | abaThembu (Thembu people) |
| 2b | amaLungelo (rights) |
| 3a | inkomo (cow) |
| 3b | izinkomo (cows) |
| 4a | ilitye (puppy) |
| 4b | amatye (puppies) |
| 5a | isezi (star) |
| 5b | amasezi (stars) |
| 6a | igama (name) |
| 6b | amagama (names) |
| 7a | incwadi (book) |
| 7b | izincwadi (books) |
| 8a | ubisi (milk) |
| 8b | amasi (sour milk) |
| 9a | isilulu (skin) |
| 9b | izilulu (skins) |
| 10a | isibhamu (drum) |
| 10b | izibhamu (drums) |
| 11a | umngane (friend) |
| 11b | abangane (friends) |
| 14a | intombi (girl) |
| 14b | amatyala (girls) |
| 15a | inkosana (little chief) |
| 15b | amatshotsho (little chiefs) |
Every Noun Class has a singular and plural form. The singular prefixes, such as "u-" in class 1a and 1b or "i-" in class 7a, can indicate that the Noun is an individual or a name. The plural forms, which use prefixes like "a-" or "i-", indicate that there are more than one of the same object or person, like in class 3b "izinkomo" (cows).
For example, the sentence "iThuba lenkosi." means "The king's power." The Noun Class 7a prefix "i-" indicates that Thuba is a singular Noun.
Noun Classes and Sentence Structure
Noun Classes are important for sentence structure in Xhosa. The Noun Class of a subject or object can affect the agreement in verb conjugation as well as Pronoun selection. It is essential to identify the Noun Class of each Noun to understand the sentence properly.
When a verb refers to an object or subject, it must agree with the Noun Class of that object or subject. For example, the sentence "Umfundi uyenza izinto ezinhle." means "The student is doing good things." The verb "uyenza" agrees with the singular Noun Class 1a "umfundi."
Pronoun selection is also affected by Noun Classes. For example, the Pronoun "yena" can replace Nouns in Classes 1, 3, 9, and 10. The Pronoun "babo" can substitute Nouns in Classes 2, 4, and 14.
Common Xhosa Nouns
Below are common Xhosa Nouns in their assigned Noun Classes:
- Class 1a: uMntana (child), uTitshala (teacher)
- Class 1b: uMama (mother), uThixo (God)
- Class 3a: inkunzi (bull), izitshebo (shoe)
- Class 3b: amanki (watermelons), izimvu (lions)
- Class 5a: igamla (big pot), amagama (words)
- Class 5b: imizi (trees), amabom (boxes)
- Class 7a: incwadi (book), ubungcweliso (advice)
- Class 7b: izitapileyo (planes), izitshixo (gods)
- Class 9a: ukusinda (to beat someone), ukukhala (to cry)
- Class 10a: isigubhu (cup), iroad (road)
- Class 10b: izitsha (saddles), izinto (things)
- Class 14a: intombi (girl), iingane (children)
- Class 14b: amatyala (girls), amantombazana (young girls)
- Class 15a: umakhelwane (neighbor), umntwana (child)
- Class 15b: abakhelwane (neighbors), intshotsho (little chief)
Conclusion
Learning about Xhosa Noun Classes is essential to speak and write in Xhosa properly. Every Noun has a corresponding Noun Class, which affects verb agreement and Pronoun selection. It is vital to identify Noun Classes to understand Xhosa sentence structure. In the next lesson, we will discuss Pronouns and their agreement with Nouns in gender and number.