Cunacayahup
LANGUAGE FAMILY: QILDABIC
# SPEAKERS / WORLD RANKING: 400K / #43
SPOKEN IN: Najamur - 400K
PERIOD OF USE:
SCRIPT USED:
PARENT LANGUAGE:
"...and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind..." Translation: mől ʾűy pā̋nd hȍl nőm mȕv mől pā̋nd ʾinȅn ʾe̋ kȍkű kȉm mőrs Pronunciation: mől ʔuː̋j pɒː̋nd hȍl nőm muː̏v mől pɒː̋nd ˈʔiːnȅn ʔe̋ ˈkȍkuː̋ kiː̏m mőrs Cunacayahup word order: and he his hat holding stood and his wet face the wind to turned
Vowel inventory: /e iː o uː æ ɒː/
Tones: ̏ ̋
Syllable structure: Custom defined
Stress pattern: Initial — stress is on the first syllable
Word initial consonants: h, k, l, m, n, p, ʋ, ʔ
Mid-word consonants: b, bl, bʁ, d, f, fg, fh, fn, fp, ft, ftʁ, fʁ, g, gn, h, j, k, kl, ks, kt, kv, kz, kʦ, l, lb, ld, lf, lft, lg, lk, lt, ltz, lz, lç, lʃ, m, mb, mbʁ, ml, mn, mp, mpf, mpj, n, nbl, nd, nf, ng, ngl, ngʁ, nh, nl, nm, nst, nt, ntk, ntl, ntv, ntʔ, nv, nz, nçm, nʁ, nʃ, nʦ, nʧ, p, pf, pl, pv, pz, s, sf, sh, sl, st, stk, sv, sz, sç, sʔ, t, tbʁ, tk, tn, tv, tz, tç, tʔ, v, x, xd, xt, xʁ, z, ç, çk, çl, çst, çt, çtl, ŋ, ŋk, ŋkʦj, ŋn, ŋz, ʁ, ʁb, ʁd, ʁdn, ʁf, ʁg, ʁh, ʁk, ʁkl, ʁl, ʁm, ʁn, ʁnz, ʁp, ʁt, ʁtl, ʁv, ʁz, ʁç, ʁçtb, ʁʃl, ʃ, ʃp, ʃpʁ, ʃt, ʃv, ʔ, ʦ, ʦd, ʦj, χ
Word final consonants: b, bz, d, f, ft, g, h, hr, j, jr, k, l, m, mr, mʔ, n, nd, ng, p, q, qt, r, rb, rd, rg, rk, rm, rn, rs, s, sr, st, t, tr, tʃ, v, vr, vʔ, x, xt, z, zv, ɣ, ʃ, ʃm, ʃq, ʃt, ʔ, ʔd, ʔr, ʤ Phonological changes (in order of application):
"Mary opened the door with a key" turns into Mary the door with a key opened.
Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned before the noun.
Adposition: postpositions
Progressive aspect
The ‘progressive’ aspect refers to actions that are happening at the time of speaking, such as I am learning.
Cunacayahup uses a standalone particle word for progressive:
Habitual aspect
The ‘habitual’ aspect refers to actions that happen habitually, such as I learn (something new every day), as opposed to actions that happen once (I learned something).
Cunacayahup uses an affix for habitual:
Perfect aspect
The perfect aspect in English is exemplified in ‘I have read this book’, which expresses an event that took place before the time spoken but which has an effect on or is in some way still relevant to the present.
Cunacayahup uses an affix for the perfect aspect:
2 - pȕhr
3 - ni̋
4 - ȍvr
5 - hȍ
6 - ne̋y
7 - kőm
8 - pe̋
9 - mā̏k
10 - mȍb
11 - pipe̋n
12 - kā̏z
13 - pāpe̋n
14 - ʾitāye̋
15 - he̋h
16 - nőpȅg
17 - nȅve̋
18 - mȍʁtlőy
19 - pȉsr
20 - mȍyāe̋ 21 - mȍyāe̋ mől mő “twenty and one”
400 - mő kȅm “one fourhundred”
401 - mő kȅm mő “one fourhundred one”
800 - pȕhr kȅm “two fourhundred”
8000 - mő kuye̋ “one eightthousand”
Adjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = Prefix iː̋-
Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = If starts with vowel: Prefix n- Else: Prefix nȍ-
Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -j Else: Suffix -őj
Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = Suffix -æ̏p
Noun to verb = If ends with vowel: Suffix -k Else: Suffix -æ̋k
Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = Suffix -æ̏j
Tending to = If starts with vowel: Prefix m- Else: Prefix mȍ-
Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -j Else: Suffix -ȍj
Verb → noun that verb produces (e.g. know → knowledge) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -n Else: Suffix -ȍn
One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -g Else: Suffix -őg
Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -rg Else: Suffix -uː̋rg
Diminutive = Prefix ő-
Augmentative = If starts with vowel: Prefix ʔ- Else: Prefix ʔiː̏-
"...and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind..." Translation: mől ʾűy pā̋nd hȍl nőm mȕv mől pā̋nd ʾinȅn ʾe̋ kȍkű kȉm mőrs Pronunciation: mől ʔuː̋j pɒː̋nd hȍl nőm muː̏v mől pɒː̋nd ˈʔiːnȅn ʔe̋ ˈkȍkuː̋ kiː̏m mőrs Cunacayahup word order: and he his hat holding stood and his wet face the wind to turned
Spelling & Phonology
Consonant inventory: /b d f g h j k l m n p q r s t v x z ç ŋ ɣ ʁ ʃ ʋ ʔ ʤ ʦ ʧ χ/| ↓Manner/Place→ | Bilabial | Labiodental | Alveolar | Palato-alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||||
| Stop | p b | t d | k g | q | ʔ | |||
| Affricate | ʦ | ʧ ʤ | ||||||
| Fricative | f v | s z | ʃ | ç | x ɣ | χ ʁ | h | |
| Approximant | ʋ | j | ||||||
| Trill | r | |||||||
| Lateral approximant | l |
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| High | iː | uː |
| High-mid | e | o |
| Near-low | æ | |
| Low | ɒː |
Stress pattern: Initial — stress is on the first syllable
Word initial consonants: h, k, l, m, n, p, ʋ, ʔ
Mid-word consonants: b, bl, bʁ, d, f, fg, fh, fn, fp, ft, ftʁ, fʁ, g, gn, h, j, k, kl, ks, kt, kv, kz, kʦ, l, lb, ld, lf, lft, lg, lk, lt, ltz, lz, lç, lʃ, m, mb, mbʁ, ml, mn, mp, mpf, mpj, n, nbl, nd, nf, ng, ngl, ngʁ, nh, nl, nm, nst, nt, ntk, ntl, ntv, ntʔ, nv, nz, nçm, nʁ, nʃ, nʦ, nʧ, p, pf, pl, pv, pz, s, sf, sh, sl, st, stk, sv, sz, sç, sʔ, t, tbʁ, tk, tn, tv, tz, tç, tʔ, v, x, xd, xt, xʁ, z, ç, çk, çl, çst, çt, çtl, ŋ, ŋk, ŋkʦj, ŋn, ŋz, ʁ, ʁb, ʁd, ʁdn, ʁf, ʁg, ʁh, ʁk, ʁkl, ʁl, ʁm, ʁn, ʁnz, ʁp, ʁt, ʁtl, ʁv, ʁz, ʁç, ʁçtb, ʁʃl, ʃ, ʃp, ʃpʁ, ʃt, ʃv, ʔ, ʦ, ʦd, ʦj, χ
Word final consonants: b, bz, d, f, ft, g, h, hr, j, jr, k, l, m, mr, mʔ, n, nd, ng, p, q, qt, r, rb, rd, rg, rk, rm, rn, rs, s, sr, st, t, tr, tʃ, v, vr, vʔ, x, xt, z, zv, ɣ, ʃ, ʃm, ʃq, ʃt, ʔ, ʔd, ʔr, ʤ Phonological changes (in order of application):
- {k,ʦ} → [+voice] / n_
- f → m / _n
- f → v / #_
- l → ɬ / _t
| Pronunciation | Spelling |
|---|---|
| ʔ | ʾ |
| ʤ | j |
| ʧ | č |
| ʒ | ž |
| ʃ | š |
| ɣ | q |
| æ | a |
| ɒː | ā |
| uː | u |
| iː | i |
| j | y |
Grammar
Main word order: Subject Object (Prepositional phrase) Verb."Mary opened the door with a key" turns into Mary the door with a key opened.
Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned before the noun.
Adposition: postpositions
Nouns
Nouns have four cases:- Nominative is the doer of a verb: dog bites man.
- Accusative is the done-to of a verb: man bites dog.
- Genitive is the possessor of something: dog’s tail hits man.
- Dative is the recipeint of something: man gives ball to dog.
| Nominative | No affix ȍs /ȍs/ dog (doing the verb) |
| Accusative | Suffix -e̋d ȍse̋d /ˈȍse̋d/ (verb done to) dog |
| Genitive | If starts with vowel: Prefix m- Else: Prefix mȍ- mȍs /mȍs/ dogʼs |
| Dative | If ends with vowel: Suffix -t Else: Suffix -e̋t ȍse̋t /ˈȍse̋t/ to (the/a) dog |
| Singular | No affix ȍs /ȍs/ dog |
| Plural | Suffix -æ̋ ȍsa̋ /ˈȍsæ̋/ dogs |
Articles
Cunacayahup has no definite article ‘the’, or indefinite article ‘a’.Pronouns
| Nominative | Accusative | Genitive | Dative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | pā̏y /pɒː̏j/ I | nȍ /nȍ/ me | kȕd /kuː̏d/ mine | kő /kő/ to me |
| 2nd singular | mő /mő/ you (masc) | me̋ /me̋/ you | hȅb /hȅb/ yours | lűk /luː̋k/ to you |
| 3rd singular masc | ʾűy /ʔuː̋j/ he, it | pȉ /piː̏/ him, it | pā̋nd /pɒː̋nd/ his, its | mȍp /mȍp/ to him, at it |
| 3rd singular fem | hȍ /hȍ/ she, it | pi̋s /piː̋s/ her, it | hȅ /hȅ/ hers, its | mā̏g /mɒː̏g/ to her, at it |
| 1st plural inclusive | ki̋n /kiː̋n/ we (including you) | kȉp /kiː̏p/ us (including you) | mȍ /mȍ/ ours (including you) | ne̋y /ne̋j/ to us (including you) |
| 1st plural exclusive | kȁ /kæ̏/ we (excluding you) | pȍk /pȍk/ us (excluding you) | hő /hő/ ours (excluding you) | nȅ /nȅ/ to us (excluding you) |
| 2nd plural | ma̋ /mæ̋/ you all | ʾi̋n /ʔiː̋n/ you all | kőh /kőh/ yours (pl) | la̋ /læ̋/ to you all |
| 3rd plural | ki̋ /kiː̋/ they | mȍy /mȍj/ them | őy /őj/ theirs | he̋mr /he̋mr/ to them |
Possessive determiners
| 1st singular | kȕd /kuː̏d/ my |
| 2nd singular | hȅb /hȅb/ your |
| 3rd singular masc | pā̋nd /pɒː̋nd/ his |
| 3rd singular fem | hȅ /hȅ/ her |
| 1st plural inclusive | mȍ /mȍ/ our (including you) |
| 1st plural exclusive | hő /hő/ our (excluding you) |
| 2nd plural | kőh /kőh/ your (pl) |
| 3rd plural | őy /őj/ their |
Verbs
| Present | No affix kȉp /kiː̏p/ learn |
| Past | If ends with vowel: Suffix -m Else: Suffix -uː̏m kȉpȕm /ˈkiːpuː̏m/ learned |
| Future | Suffix -æ̋ kȉpa̋ /ˈkiːpæ̋/ will learn |
| Progressive | Particle before the verb: piː̏ - pȉ kȉp /piː̏ kiː̏p/ is learning |
| Habitual | Suffix -őj kȉpőy /ˈkiːpőj/ learns |
| Perfect | Suffix -őp kȉpőp /ˈkiːpőp/ have learned |
Numbers
Cunacayahup has a base-20 number system: 1 - mő2 - pȕhr
3 - ni̋
4 - ȍvr
5 - hȍ
6 - ne̋y
7 - kőm
8 - pe̋
9 - mā̏k
10 - mȍb
11 - pipe̋n
12 - kā̏z
13 - pāpe̋n
14 - ʾitāye̋
15 - he̋h
16 - nőpȅg
17 - nȅve̋
18 - mȍʁtlőy
19 - pȉsr
20 - mȍyāe̋ 21 - mȍyāe̋ mől mő “twenty and one”
400 - mő kȅm “one fourhundred”
401 - mő kȅm mő “one fourhundred one”
800 - pȕhr kȅm “two fourhundred”
8000 - mő kuye̋ “one eightthousand”
Derivational morphology
Adjective → adverb = If ends with vowel: Suffix -m Else: Suffix -ȍmAdjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = Prefix iː̋-
Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = If starts with vowel: Prefix n- Else: Prefix nȍ-
Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -j Else: Suffix -őj
Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = Suffix -æ̏p
Noun to verb = If ends with vowel: Suffix -k Else: Suffix -æ̋k
Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = Suffix -æ̏j
Tending to = If starts with vowel: Prefix m- Else: Prefix mȍ-
Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -j Else: Suffix -ȍj
Verb → noun that verb produces (e.g. know → knowledge) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -n Else: Suffix -ȍn
One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -g Else: Suffix -őg
Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -rg Else: Suffix -uː̋rg
Diminutive = Prefix ő-
Augmentative = If starts with vowel: Prefix ʔ- Else: Prefix ʔiː̏-
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