-jai

See also: jai, Jai, jäi, and j'ai

Hungarian

Etymology

-ja (possessive suffix) ‎ -i (possessive plural)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [jɒji]

Suffix

-jai

possessive suffix for multiple possessions:
1. (with no noun for possessor) his, her, its ……-s (third-person singular; the pronoun ő (“s/he”) being optional for emphasis)
  pad (“bench”) → a padjai (“his/her/its benches”), az ő padjai (“his/her benches”)
  
  zokni (“socks”) → a zoknijai (“his/her/its socks”), az ő zoknijai (“his/her socks”)
2. (with no noun for possessor, formal) your ……-s (second-person singular, grammatically resembling the third person sg.)
  pad (“bench”) → a padjai (“your [formal] benches”), az ön padjai, a maga padjai (“your [formal] benches”)
3. construed with a noun or certain pronouns as the possessor: ……’s ……-s, ……-s of …… (third-person sg. or pl., depending on the noun or pronoun)
  az ember(nek a) padjai ― the person’s benches
  
  a gyerek(nek a) zoknijai ― the child’s socks
  
  az emberek(nek a) padjai ― the people’s benches
  
  a gyerekek(nek a) zoknijai ― the children’s socks
  
  az önök padjai, a maguk padjai ― your (plural, formal) benches
  
  azok(nak a) padjai ― the benches of those
  
  ki(k)nek a zoknijai? ― whose socks?

Usage notes

(possessive suffix) Variants:
-i is added to words ending in a vowel except -i. Final -a changes to -á-; final -e changes to -é-. The latter feature distinguishes it from the -i (adjective-forming suffix), which does not lengthen the preceding -a/-e.

-ai is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant

-ei is added to some front-vowel words ending in a consonant

-jai is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant or the vowel -i

-jei is added to some front-vowel words ending in a consonant or the vowel -i
- If the possessed noun is in the plural and the possessor is expressed in English with a possessive pronoun only (rather than a noun), e.g. “their toys” (as opposed to “the children’s toys”), the -ik/-aik/-eik/-jaik/-jeik suffixes are required in Hungarian.

Ye'kwana

Variant orthographies
ALIV	-jai
Brazilian standard	-jai
New Tribes	-jai

Alternative forms

i- -jai (allomorph)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [-haj]

Suffix

-jai

forms abilitative adverbs from transitive and intransitive verbs, with a meaning of ‘able to X’

Usage notes

This suffix can cause syllable reduction.

When this suffix is attached to intransitive verb stems, they do not bear person markers or the intransitive prefix w-. Consonant-initial stems experience palatalization of their initial consonants, and, if a stem begins with two consonants, this suffix takes the form of a circumfix i- -jai instead of its ordinary shape. However, when this suffix derives an adverb from a transitive verb, it carries a series I person marker referring to the object/patient of the verb.

Rather than the usual adverbial plural suffix -nñe, adverbs derived with this suffix take the nominal plural suffix -komo. They still take the usual adverbial negative suffix -'da, however.

Derived terms

Ye'kwana terms suffixed with -jai

References

Cáceres, Natalia (2011) “-jai”, in Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana‎^[1], Lyon, pages 153–154, 199–200, 248–251