This strategy is the simpler one, as only a vowel is prefixed in order
to match the form of a noun. The quality of the noun is not
determinable. Many of the words created by simple nominalization may
have been coined when the noun class system was still productive. The
quality of the vowel therefore indicated the affiliation to a noun
class. These words include, for example, ɔʃu - 'a run' from
ʃu - 'to run'
,
ɛkɔn - 'a fight'
or
ikɔn - 'a war'
from
kɔn - 'to fight'
, and
ohu - 'death'
from
hu - 'to die'.
Other words created by this strategy, however, are likely to be new
inventions: ɔ̀fanàg -
'bread', from fanàg
- 'continuously knead',
ògbegel - 'car'
from
gbegel - 'to roll'
, otìlátɔ - 'pen'
from tì lí atɔ - 'write
down', or
ɔ̀hùródùg - 'shoe'
from hùr òdùg - 'put a
leg inside'. The examples show, that verbal extensions,
objects or adjuncts can be incorporated. These new inventions all have
/o/ or /ɔ/ as the initial vowel, depending on the
ATR
value of the verb. Yet, there are not many new inventions, as new
concepts are usually borrowed from Yoruba or English. Speakers stated
that Abesabesi equivalents are only rarely coined. If they are coined,
they are used so that people who don't understand Abesabesi will not be
able to understand the topic of the conversation.
The results of this nominalization process are thus abstract verbal nouns
or concrete objects. They are not different from any other regular noun
and can be used in the same syntactic context or be modified.