Editing Shabo language (section)

==Grammar==

===Syntax===
Basic word order is subject–object–verb; there are [[postposition]]s rather than  [[preposition]]s.

===Pronouns===
Shabo has an unusually complex pronoun system for Africa:<ref>Kibebe, Tsehay Taye (2015): ''Documentation and grammatical description of Chabu'', Addis Ababa: Addis Ababa University doctoral dissertation, p. 161</ref>
{| class=wikitable
! colspan="2" |
! Singular !! Dual !! Plural
|-
! rowspan="2" | 1st person
! masc.
| tiŋŋ, ta, ti || antʃ || jiŋŋ
|-
! fem.
| ta || ann || jaŋfu
|-
! rowspan="2" | 2nd person
! masc.
| kukk || tʃitʃak || sitalak, silak
|-
! fem.
| kuŋg || sijak || subak
|-
! rowspan="2" | 3rd person
! masc.
| ji || otʃtʃa || odda
|-
! fem.
| oŋŋa || ojja || otala
|}
The pronouns "I" and "he" have been compared to [[Surmic languages]]; however, there are also resemblances in the pronouns with the [[Gumuz languages]] (Bender 1983).  The gender distinctions made are unusual for Africa.

===Verbs===
[[Negation]] is by adding the particle ''be'' after the verb or noun negated: ''gumu be'' "(it is) not (a) stick", ''ʔam be-gea'' "he will not come" ("come not-?"). Negative forms in ''b'' are widespread in [[Nilo-Saharan languages|Nilo-Saharan]] and [[Afro-Asiatic languages]].

There appears to be a [[causative]] suffix ''-ka'': ''mawo hoop'' "water boiled" → ''upa mawo hoop-ka'' "(a) man boiled water".

A particle ''git'' ([[infinitive]]? [[subjunctive]]?) marks the verb in constructions with "want": ''moopa git inɗeet'' ("sit ''git'' want") "I want to sit".

Much of the verbal morphology is uncertain; there appears to be a 3rd person singular future suffix ''-g-'' (e.g. ''inɗage t'a-g'' "he will eat") and a 2nd person plural suffix ''-ɗe''

{{interlinear|indent=2
|subuk maakɛle kak t'a-ɗe
|you-PL corn PAST? eat-2PL
|"You (pl.) ate corn"}}

===Nouns===
Plurals are optional; when used, they are formed with a word ''yɛɛro'' afterwards.

There is a suffix ''-ka'' which sometimes mark the [[direct object]], e.g. ''upa kaan-ik ye'' "a man saw a dog" ("man dog saw"), but also has many other uses.  A similar suffix is found in many [[Eastern Sudanic languages]], but there it is specifically accusative.

===Postpositions===
Shabo uses postpositions after nouns, e.g.: ''upa mana pond ɗɛpik moi'' "a man sat on a rock" (lit. "man rock on ? sat").

===Numbers===
{| class=wikitable
! Number !! Original !! Borrowed and mixed collocations !! Majang
|-
| 1 || iŋki || – || umuŋ
|-
| 2 || bab || – || pej
|-
| 3 || bab eku iŋki || dʒita || dʒit
|-
| 4 || bab eku bab || aŋan || aŋan
|-
| 5 || efi tʃumtʃum || – || tuːl
|-
| 6 || efi tʃumtʃum eku iŋki || tuːl eku iŋki, tula iŋki, tula um || tula um
|-
| 7 || efi tʃumtʃum eku bab || tuːl eku bab, tula bab, tula peej || tula pej
|-
| 8 || efi tʃumtʃum eku bab eku iŋki || efi tʃumtʃum eku dʒita, tuːl eku dʒita, tula dʒit || tula dʒit
|-
| 9 || efi tʃumtʃum eku bab eku bab || efi tʃumtʃum eku aŋan, tuːl eku aŋan, tula aŋan || tula aŋan
|-
| 10 || babif || arin || arin
|}<ref>Kibebe, Tsehay Taye (2015): ''Documentation and grammatical description of Chabu'', Addis Ababa: Addis Ababa University, pp. 235, 237</ref>