====== Topic marking ======

The base form for the topic marking particle is /a/ (i.e. Jp. /wa/) which will be modified according to the last syllable of the preceding noun.
===== 1. For a word ending in /a/, add /a/ to that word. =====

ba (‘I’) + a = baa
===1. ba=a kyuu=ya isIgasI munu.=== 
===I=TOP today=TOP busy===
===‘I am busy today.’===

===== 2. For a word ending in a long vowel (e.g. /aa/) or a sequence of vowels (e.g. /au/), add /ya/ to that word. =====

tii (‘hand’) + a = tii=ya
hau (‘snake’) + a = hau=ya
nai (‘nuts’) + a = nai=ya

===3. vva=ga tii=ya gabaa munu===
===    you=NOM hand=TOP big ADJ_PRED===
=== ‘Your hands are big.’===
===4. kunu hauya naga munu ===
=== this  snake=TOP long ADJ_PRED===
=== ‘This snake is long.’===
===5. kunu kii nu nai=ya imi munu===
=== this tree=GEN fruit=TOP small ADJ_PRED===
=== ‘The fruit of this tree is small.’===

===== 3. For a word ending in /u/, add /u/ to that word. =====
=== zzu + a = zzuu===
===zzuu mma munu===
=== ‘Fish are delicious.’===
===== 4. For a word ending in /i/, delete /i/ and add /yaa/ to that word. =====

===huni (‘bone’) + a = hunyaa===
===hunyaa puka munu===
=== ‘The bones are hard.’===

===== 5. For a word ending in /sI, cI, zI/, change these final syllable to /ssa, ccya, zzya/. =====

===usI (‘cow’) + a = ussa===
===akacI (‘blood’) + a = akaccya===
===buuzI (‘sugar cane’)+ a = buuzzya===
===ussa gabaa munu===
=== ‘Cows are big.’===
===akaccya akamunu===
=== ‘Blood is red’===
===kunu buuzzya naga munu===
=== ‘This sugarcane is long.’===

===== 6. For a word ending in /n/, add /na/ to that word. =====

===in (‘dog’) + a = inna===
===kunu inna imi munu===
=== ‘This dog is small.’===

===== [Note] =====
 Some older speakers may pronounce some words with the final /m/. In this case, add /ma/.

im (‘ocean’) + a = imma
mm (‘potato’) + a = mmma

Younger speakers pronounce these words with the final /n/.
in (‘ocean’) + a = inna
nn (‘potato’) + a = nnna