Editing Abau language (section)

==Noun classes==
Abau [[noun class]]es are:<ref name="Foley-Sepik"/>

:{| {{table}}
|+ Abau noun classes
! class !! formal marker !! semantics
|-
| class 1 || pru || human, spirits
|-
| class 2 || k(a)- || animals and default
|-
| class 3 || na || small objects with some volume
|-
| class 4 || s(i)- || flat surface objects
|-
| class 5 || pi || long thin objects
|-
| class 6 || u || geographical locations
|-
| class 7 || i || flat objects with little volume
|-
| class 8 || ri || certain types of trees
|-
| class 9 || ein(d)- || bundles of long uncut items
|-
| class 10 || reik || temporal
|-
| class 11 || hnaw || bundles of long cut items
|-
| class 12 || houk- || part of a long object
|}

Nouns can take on different class affixes depending on the physical characteristics being emphasized. Examples:<ref name="Foley-Sepik"/>

;''su'' ‘coconut’
*''su pi-ron'' /coconut class.5-one/ ‘a coconut palm’
*''su ka-mon'' /coconut class.2-one/ ‘a coconut’

;''pey'' ‘sugarcane’
*''pey pi-ron'' /sugarcane class.5-one/ ‘one stalk of uncut sugarcane’
*''pey houk-mon'' /sugarcane class.12-one/ ‘one piece of sugarcane’
*''pey eind-mon'' /sugarcane class.9-one/ ‘bundle of stored stalks of sugarcane’
*''pey hnaw-mon'' /sugarcane class.11-one/ ‘one bundle of sugarcane ready for transport’

Like most other [[Sepik languages]], Abau overtly marks [[grammatical gender]] (see ''[[Sepik languages#Gender]]''). The same object can be classified as either masculine or feminine, depending on the physical characteristics intended for emphasis. Example:<ref name="Foley-Sepik"/>
;''youk'' ‘paddle’
*''youk se'' ‘paddle {{gcl|M}}.{{gcl|DAT}}’ (focuses on the ''length'' of the paddle)
*''youk ke'' ‘paddle {{gcl|F}}.{{gcl|DAT}}’ (focuses on the ''flat nature'' of the two-dimensional paddle blade)