grammar_rules.json

{
  "grammar_rules": [
    {
      "rule_id": 1,
      "category": "Pronouns",
      "subcategory": "Personal Pronouns",
      "description": "Personal pronouns in Zarma are invariable across nominative, objective, and possessive cases.",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "ay", "english": "I, me, my"},
        {"zarma": "ni", "english": "you, your (singular)"},
        {"zarma": "a (nga)", "english": "he, she, it; his, her, its"},
        {"zarma": "iri (ir)", "english": "we, us, our"},
        {"zarma": "araŋ", "english": "you (plural), your"},
        {"zarma": "i (ngey, ey)", "english": "they, them, their"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 2,
      "category": "Pronouns",
      "subcategory": "Demonstrative Pronouns",
      "description": "Demonstrative pronouns indicate specific items; 'din' suffix can be added to nouns for specificity.",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "wo", "english": "this, that"},
        {"zarma": "wey", "english": "these, those"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 3,
      "category": "Pronouns",
      "subcategory": "Indefinite Pronouns",
      "description": "Indefinite pronouns refer to non-specific entities.",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "boro", "english": "someone, one (person)"},
        {"zarma": "hay kulu", "english": "everything"},
        {"zarma": "hay fo", "english": "something"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 4,
      "category": "Nouns",
      "subcategory": "Definite Article",
      "description": "Definite articles are expressed by adding 'a' or 'o' to the noun based on its ending.",
      "patterns": [
        {"ending": "a", "rule": "add 'a' (e.g., zanka → zankaa)", "exceptions": "Pre-1999 texts may not change"},
        {"ending": "o", "rule": "change to 'a' or add 'a' (e.g., wayboro → waybora)"},
        {"ending": "ko", "rule": "change to 'kwa' (e.g., darbayko → darbaykwa)"},
        {"ending": "e, i, u, consonant", "rule": "change to 'o' or add 'o' (e.g., wande → wando)"},
        {"ending": "ay", "rule": "change 'ay' to 'a' or add 'o' (e.g., farkay → farka or farkayo)"}
      ],
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "zanka → zankaa", "english": "a child → the child"},
        {"zarma": "wayboro → waybora", "english": "a woman → the woman"},
        {"zarma": "darbayko → darbaykwa", "english": "a fisherman → the fisherman"},
        {"zarma": "hansi → hanso", "english": "a dog → the dog"},
        {"zarma": "farkay → farka", "english": "a donkey → the donkey"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 5,
      "category": "Nouns",
      "subcategory": "Definite Plural",
      "description": "Definite plural is formed by replacing the definite singular vowel with 'ey'.",
      "pattern": "Replace final vowel with 'ey' (e.g., zankaa → zankey)",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "zankaa → zankey", "english": "the child → the children"},
        {"zarma": "hanso → hansey", "english": "the dog → the dogs"},
        {"zarma": "farka → farkey", "english": "the donkey → the donkeys"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 6,
      "category": "Nouns",
      "subcategory": "Indefinite Article",
      "description": "No explicit indefinite article; 'fo' (one) is used to specify 'a certain' or 'one'.",
      "pattern": "Add 'fo' after noun for specificity (e.g., musu → musu fo)",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "musu", "english": "a cat"},
        {"zarma": "musu fo", "english": "a (certain) cat, one cat"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 7,
      "category": "Nouns",
      "subcategory": "Gender",
      "description": "No grammatical gender; specific words indicate male/female for living beings.",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "alboro", "english": "man"},
        {"zarma": "wayboro", "english": "woman"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 8,
      "category": "Verbs",
      "subcategory": "Completed Action (Past Tense)",
      "description": "Verbs without auxiliaries indicate completed actions (past tense).",
      "pattern": "Subject + Verb (e.g., ay neera)",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "ay neera", "english": "I sold"},
        {"zarma": "a neera", "english": "he/she sold"},
        {"zarma": "zankaa kani", "english": "the child went to bed"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 9,
      "category": "Verbs",
      "subcategory": "Uncompleted Action (Future Tense)",
      "description": "Future tense uses auxiliary 'ga' before the verb.",
      "pattern": "Subject + ga + Verb (e.g., ay ga neera)",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "ay ga neera", "english": "I will sell"},
        {"zarma": "i ga neera", "english": "they will sell"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 10,
      "category": "Verbs",
      "subcategory": "Continuous Aspect",
      "description": "Continuous aspect uses 'go no ga' before the verb for ongoing actions.",
      "pattern": "Subject + go no ga + Verb (e.g., ay go no ga neera)",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "ay go no ga neera", "english": "I am selling"},
        {"zarma": "a go no ga neera", "english": "he/she is selling"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 11,
      "category": "Verbs",
      "subcategory": "Subjunctive",
      "description": "Subjunctive uses 'ma' to indicate possible actions.",
      "pattern": "Subject + ma + Verb (e.g., ay ma neera)",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "ay ma neera", "english": "I should sell"},
        {"zarma": "ni ma neera", "english": "you should sell"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 12,
      "category": "Verbs",
      "subcategory": "Imperative",
      "description": "Imperative uses 'ma' or 'wa' before the verb, or just the verb alone.",
      "pattern": "[Ma/Wa] + Verb or Verb alone (e.g., Ma haŋ or Haŋ)",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "Haŋ!", "english": "Drink!"},
        {"zarma": "Ma haŋ!", "english": "Drink!"},
        {"zarma": "Araŋ ma di!", "english": "You (plural) see!"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 13,
      "category": "Verbs",
      "subcategory": "To Be",
      "description": "The verb 'to be' varies by context: 'go', 'ya...no', or 'ga ti'.",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "A go fu", "english": "He/she is at home"},
        {"zarma": "Ay ya alfa no", "english": "I am a teacher"},
        {"zarma": "Nga ga ti wayboro", "english": "She is a woman"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 14,
      "category": "Verbs",
      "subcategory": "Irregular Verbs",
      "description": "Some verbs place objects unusually (e.g., direct object before verb without 'na').",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "Ay di a", "english": "I saw him/her"},
        {"zarma": "A ne ay se", "english": "He/she said to me"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 15,
      "category": "Adjectives",
      "subcategory": "Qualifying Adjectives",
      "description": "Adjectives follow the noun they modify.",
      "pattern": "Noun + Adjective (e.g., fu beeri)",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "fu beeri", "english": "a big house"},
        {"zarma": "hansi kayna", "english": "a small dog"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 16,
      "category": "Sentence Structure",
      "subcategory": "Basic Order",
      "description": "Basic sentence order is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO).",
      "pattern": "S + V + O (e.g., Ay neera bari)",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "Ay neera bari", "english": "I sold a horse"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 17,
      "category": "Sentence Structure",
      "subcategory": "Direct Object",
      "description": "Direct object before verb requires 'na' in past positive.",
      "pattern": "S + na + O + V (e.g., Ay na bari neera)",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "Ay na bari neera", "english": "I sold a horse"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 18,
      "category": "Sentence Structure",
      "subcategory": "Indirect Object",
      "description": "Indirect object is marked with 'se' after the object.",
      "pattern": "S + V + O + IO + se (e.g., Ay no bari wayboro se)",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "Ay no bari wayboro se", "english": "I gave a horse to the woman"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 19,
      "category": "Negation",
      "subcategory": "Past Negative",
      "description": "Past negative uses 'mana' after the subject.",
      "pattern": "S + mana + V (e.g., Ay mana neera)",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "Ay mana neera", "english": "I did not sell"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule_id": 20,
      "category": "Negation",
      "subcategory": "Present/Future Negative",
      "description": "Present/future negative uses 'si' instead of 'ga'.",
      "pattern": "S + si + V (e.g., Ay si neera)",
      "examples": [
        {"zarma": "Ay si neera", "english": "I do not/will not sell"}
      ]
    }
  ]
}