SIL Electronic Working Papers 1999-003

Nabay is an Austronesian language of Sabah, Malaysia. This data paper documents the verb morphology of Nabay with over 500 sample sentences. All verbs are marked for time and focus; further verb affixes may mark mode or aspect. The focus system is the most notable feature of the clause in Nabay. Five nuclear clause elements are eligible to receive focus: Actor, Goal, Referent, Instrument, and Time/Location. In addition to the focus affix on the verb, focus or non-focus may be marked in a noun phrase by special particles or pronoun sets.