9B.10 "A", or nothing: when to say *kha*
9B · Linking sentences — how one thing leads to the next · a plain-language guide to Assyrian (Sureth) grammar
kha is "one", and it doubles as "a" (Chapter 7). English puts "a" in front of almost every singular noun; Assyrian is far choosier. Khan spends thirteen pages on it, and his rule comes down to this:
Say kha when you mean one particular thing that matters to what you're saying, especially something you will go on to talk about. Leave it out when you mean "any one, the kind of thing".
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| bayyeva bakhta gaverva. tavvuyele tavvuyele, kha-bakhta begvarele, shemmo Maheva | he wanted to marry a woman (any woman). He searches and searches, and marries a woman (this one) called Mahe | A 40:1 |
| halli kha-bruna | give me a son (one, now) | A 3:4 |
| at le-avilukh bruna | you will not have a son (any son, ever) | A 3:5 |
| kha-yuma krile raba … nashe lipe | one day, he summoned many learned men | A 3:3 |
| bayyen kha-mendi tanennukh | I want to tell you something | A 3:47 |
No kha for "the kind of thing", habits, "is a…" and "do a…" phrases:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| chukhta k-avivalun | they used to have a cellar | B 2:4 |
| nekva men-urza bush-khelantela | a woman is stronger than a man | A 2:36 |
| ad-lele aten pt-avet kay arkha | tonight you will be a guest of mine | A 4:7 |
| ana khelta viden | I have made a mistake | A 3:48 |
Go deeper
kha-dana is a heavier "a": "a certain…". Storytellers use it to introduce a main character:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| etva kha-dana malka | there was (once) a king | A 3:1 |
| kheshle kes kha-dana tajer | he went to a (certain) merchant | A 1:2 |
"Be a…": no kha with a bare noun, kha when it has a describing word after it:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| vi kha-nasha lipa. vi kha-nasha makikha | be a learned man. Be a gentle man | A 3:11 |
| vi spay nasha | be a good man (describing word first, so no kha) | A 3:13 |
"Each one has a…": kha after kut "each":
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| kut-beta etvale kha tanuyra | each house had an oven | B 14:1 |
Amounts usually take kha:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| kha-palget saat | (for) half an hour | B 12:5 |
Somebody, one of them, nobody:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| kha-menne Almas, kha-menne Bahar | (name) one of them Almas and one of them Bahar | A 42:3 |
| gashukele kha-menne har-kalu bitayele | he sees that somebody is making a noise | A 43:18 |
| kha-nasha liten | there is nobody (here) | A 6:7 |
| hech-kha menne letvalun karmane | none of them had any vineyards | B 2:6 |
A thing that plays no further part in a story often goes without kha: a sekle men-semmalta "he went up by a ladder" (A 2:31). The ladder is never mentioned again.
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