Demonstratives

English distinguishes « this book » from « that book » — two degrees. Shikomori, like most Bantu languages, has three: near (« this »), intermediate (« that, the one in question ») and far (« that, over there »).

And the demonstrative agrees with the noun class: mwana unu (this child, class 1), but mbuzi ini (this goat, class 9). The forms in this lesson are shiNdzuani, from Ahmed-Chamanga (1992, pp. 22-24).

Recall the general rule (cf. M1.3): no w before u or o, no y between i and e.

Absolute exception: demonstratives. They always keep their semi-vowel. That's their signature.

• iyo, never io
• uwo, never uo
• wawo, never wao

A strong orthographic convention — you'll always spot a demonstrative at a glance.

A useful subtlety: the pre-prefixes e-, o-, i- (which attach to the noun) are different from the standalone pronouns ye, wo, yo (which stay detached).

• omsomo — « the reading » (pre-prefix o- + msomo, one word)
• ye mwana — « the child » (standalone pronoun ye + noun, two words)

Standalone pronouns have a semi-vowel, pre-prefixes don't. Don't mix them up — a classic learner's mistake.

Nisila (I eat) → Tsisila (I don't eat). Negation fuses with the verb in shikomori. Built in, not stuck alongside.