Editing Beja language (section)

===Nouns, articles, and adjectives===
Beja nouns and adjectives have two genders: masculine and feminine, two numbers: singular and plural, two cases: nominative and oblique, and may be definite, indefinite, or in [[construct state]].{{sfn|Appleyard|2007}} Gender, case, and definiteness are not marked on the noun itself, but on clitics and affixes. Singular-plural pairs in Beja are unpredictable.

====Plural forms====
Plurals may be formed by:
* the addition of a suffix {{lang|bej-Latn|-a}} to the singular stem: {{lang|bej-Latn|gaw}} 'house', {{lang|bej-Latn|gawaab}} 'houses' (the final -b is an indefinite suffix)
* the shortening of the final syllable of the singular stem (or [[Ablaut]] in this syllable{{sfn|Vanhove|2014|loc=§3.1.5}}): {{lang|bej-Latn|kaam}} 'camel', {{lang|bej-Latn|kam}} 'camels'
* shift of the accent from the ultimate to the penultimate syllable: {{lang|bej-Latn|hadhaab}} {{IPA|/haˈɖaːb/}} 'lion', {{lang|bej-Latn|hadhaab}} {{IPA|/ˈhaɖaːb/}} 'lions' (orthographically identical)
* a combination of these.
A small number of nouns do not distinguish between singular and plural forms. Some nouns are always plural. A few nouns have suppletive plurals.{{sfn|Wedekind|Wedekind|Musa|2007|p=43}}

====Case and definiteness====
A noun may be prefixed by a clitic definite article, or have an indefinite suffix. Definite articles indicate gender, number, and case. The indefinite suffix marks gender only, and does not appear in the nominative case.{{sfn|Roper|1928|loc=§43}} For feminine common nouns, the indefinite suffix is {{lang|bej-Latn|-t}}; for masculine nouns and feminine proper nouns, {{lang|bej-Latn|-b}}. The indefinite suffixes only appear after vowels. The definite article is proclitic. It has the following forms with masculine monosyllabic nouns that do not begin with {{IPA|/h/}} or {{IPA|/ʔ/}} (note that an initial glottal stop is usually omitted in writing, and that all words that appear to be vowel-initial actually begin with a glottal stop):

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!| &nbsp;
!| Nominative
!| Oblique
|-
!| Singular
| {{lang|bej-Latn|uu-|italic=no}}
| {{lang|bej-Latn|oo-|italic=no}}
|-
!| Plural
| {{lang|bej-Latn|aa-|italic=no}}
| {{lang|bej-Latn|ee-|italic=no}}
|-
|}

The feminine definite articles begin with {{angbr|{{lang|bej-Latn|t}}}} but are otherwise identical ({{lang|bej-Latn|tuu-}}, {{lang|bej-Latn|too-}}, {{lang|bej-Latn|taa-}}, {{lang|bej-Latn|tee-}}). With nouns longer than one syllable and with nouns that begin with {{IPA|/h/}} or {{IPA|/ʔ/}}, reduced forms of the definite article are used which do not distinguish between cases, but maintain gender distinctions. In some dialects (e.g. that described by Wedekind, Wedekind, and Musa for Port Sudan) the reduced forms maintain number distinctions; in others (e.g. that described by [[Martine Vanhove|Vanhove]] and Roper for Sinkat) they do not.

====Possession====
Possessive relationships are shown through a genitive suffix {{lang|bej-Latn|-ii}} (singular possessed) or {{lang|bej-Latn|-ee}} (plural possessed) which attaches to the possessing noun. If the possessing noun is feminine, the genitive marker will begin with {{lang|bej-Latn|t}}; if the possessed is feminine, the suffix will end with {{lang|bej-Latn|t}}. When the suffix does not end with the feminine marker {{lang|bej-Latn|t}}, it reduces to {{lang|bej-Latn|-(t)i}}, whether singular or plural (that is, the singular/plural distinction is only marked for feminine possessa). Because this suffix adds a syllable to the noun, full forms of articles cannot be used; thus, the article on the noun itself does not indicate case. However, agreeing adjectives will be marked for oblique case. No article or indefinite suffix may be applied to the possessed noun. The possessed noun follows the possessor. Examples:

* {{lang|bej-Latn|utaki raaw}} 'the man's friend (m)'
* {{lang|bej-Latn|utakiit raaw}} 'the man's friend (f)'
* {{lang|bej-Latn|tutakatti raaw}} 'the woman's friend (m)'
* {{lang|bej-Latn|tutakattiit raaw}} 'the woman's friend (f)'
* {{lang|bej-Latn|indaayeet raw}} 'the men's friends (f)'
(The noun {{lang|bej-Latn|tak}} 'man' has the suppletive plural {{lang|bej-Latn|(n)da}} 'men'; {{lang|bej-Latn|raaw}} 'friend' has the shortened plural {{lang|bej-Latn|raw}} 'friends'.)

Postpositions follow nouns in the genitive. Examples:{{sfn|Roper|1928|loc=§§56–57}}

* {{lang|bej-Latn|Whad'aay'''iida''' uutak eeya.}} 'The man came toward the chief/elder.' ({{lang|bej-Latn|-da}}: 'toward')
* {{lang|bej-Latn|W'oor t'aritt'''i geeb''' eefi}} 'The boy is with the girls.' ({{lang|bej-Latn|geeb}}: 'with')

====Adjectives====
Adjectives follow the nominal heads of noun phrases. They agree in gender, number, case, and definiteness, and carry case and definiteness markers of the same form as nouns.