Grammar
Syntax
Source: [5]
Foi is a subject–object–verb language, similar to most languages in Papua New Guinea.
Foe adopts the usage of focused objects as sentence-initial. In noun phrases, Foi follows the pattern of Noun + Quantifier and Adjective + Noun.
Adverbial phrases are marked postpositionally by clitics in Foi.
Foi also has a series of evidentials to mark the verbal aspect of seen, unseen, deduced, possibility, and mental deduction.
Morphology
Source: [5]
The subject or focus transitive in a sentence is marked with -mo as shown in example (1) below.
(1)
no-mo agira nibi'ae
I-FOC sweet.potato eat.did
'I ate the sweet potato'
Where the focus is on the person who is eating the sweet potato.
Subject or Focus Transitive Marking | Base Form | Marked for Subject or Focus Transitivity |
|---|
| 1 sg. | na(no) | no-mo |
| 2 sg. | naʔa | nomaʔa-mo |
| 3 sg. | jo | jo-ø |
| 1 pl. excl. | jia | jia-mo |
| 1 pl. incl. | jija | jija-mo |
| 2 pl. | haʔa | hemaʔa-mo |
| 3 pl. | jaʔa | jaʔa-ø |
| 1 dl. excl. | jage | jage-mo |
| 1 dl. incl. | jaʔa | jaʔa-ø |
| 2 dl. | hagaʔa | hagemaʔa-mo |
| 3 dl. | hagera | hagera-mo |
Lexical
Foi has separate words for today and yesterday, as well as two, three, four and five days prior and hence. [5]
Pronouns
Source: [5]
Singular, dual, and plural are distinguished in personal pronouns. In addition, Foe also marks clusivity for first-person pronouns.
Personal Pronouns of Foi | singular | dual | plural |
|---|
| 1st person | inclusive | na(no) | jaʔa | jija |
|---|
| exclusive | jage | jia |
|---|
| 2nd person | naʔa | hagaʔa | haʔa |
|---|
| 3rd person | jo | hagera | jaʔa |
|---|
It was not made clear if a reported minimal distinction in the first-person plural form between the inclusive jia and exclusive jija is real.
Body-part counting system
Foi adopts the body-part counting system. This feature can also be found in approximately 60 Trans-New Guinea Languages such as Fasu and Oksapmin. [5]
Counting typically begins by touching (and usually bending) the fingers of one hand, moves up the arm to the shoulders and neck, and in some systems, to other parts of the upper body or the head. A central point serves as the half-way point. Once this is reached, the counter continues, touching and bending the corresponding points on the other side until the fingers are reached. [6]
Body-part corresponding to number in Foi [5] | Number | Gloss | Translation | | Number | Gloss | Translation |
|---|
| 1 | 'little finger' | mena-gi | | 20 | 'side of nose' | to |
| 2 | 'ring finger' | ha-gi | | 21 | 'eye' | i |
| 3 | 'middle finger' | i-gi | | 22 | 'cheekbone' | bobo |
| 4 | 'index finger' | tugu-bu | | 23 | 'ear' | kia |
| 5 | 'thumb' | kaba | | 24 | 'upper neck' | fufu |
| 6 | 'palm' | tama | | 25 | 'lower neck' | heno-go |
| 7 | 'wrist' | bona-gi | | 26 | 'collarbone area', | keno |
| 8 | forearm' | kwebo | | 27 | 'shoulder' | ki |
| 9 | 'inside elbow' | karo-habo | | 28 | 'upper middle arm' | ame-ni |
| 10 | 'upper middle arm' | ame-ni | | 29 | 'inside elbow' | karo-habo |
| 11 | 'shoulder' | ki | | 30 | forearm' | kwebo |
| 12 | 'collarbone area', | keno | | 31 | 'wrist' | bona-gi |
| 13 | 'lower neck' | heno-go | | 32 | 'palm' | tama |
| 14 | 'upper neck' | fufu | | 33 | 'thumb' | kaba |
| 15 | 'ear' | kia | | 34 | 'index finger' | tugu-bu |
| 16 | 'cheekbone' | bobo | | 35 | 'middle finger' | i-gi |
| 17 | 'eye' | i | | 36 | 'ring finger' | ha-gi |
| 18 | 'side of nose' | to | | 37 | 'little finger' | mena-gi |
| 19 | 'ridge of nose' | kisi | | | | |
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