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SHU

LANGUAGE FAMILY: SHU   # SPEAKERS / WORLD RANKING: 100K / #63   SPOKEN IN: Dokeen - 100K   PERIOD OF USE:   SCRIPT USED:   PARENT LANGUAGE:  
  "...and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind..."   Translation: nü mʌyø̃büü døi ügbüü døi cʰüllyb nü pɛ̈büü døi kokt güe te ʔɛ̈b   Pronunciation: /nu ˈmʌjø̃ˌbuu ˈtøi ˈugbuu ˈtøi ˈcʰuɮɮyb nu ˈpɛ̈buu ˈtøi kokʰtʰ ˈgue tʰe ʔɛ̈w     Shu word order: and stood he holding hat his and turned his face wet to the wind  

Spelling & Phonology

  Consonant inventory: /b c cʰ f g h j k kʰ l l̥ m n p pʰ r s sʰ t tʰ w wʲ x xʲ ɕ ɕʰ ɟ ɥ ɮ ɮʲ ɲ ɹ ɹ̥ ʂ ʂʰ ʃ ʈ ʈʰ ʎ ʔ ʦ ʦʰ ʧ ʧʰ/  
↓Manner/Place→BilabialLabiodentalAlveolarPalato-alveolarRetroflexAlveolo-palatalPalatalVelarGlottal
Nasalmnɲ
Stoppʰ p btʰ tʈʰ ʈcʰ c ɟkʰ k gʔ
Affricateʦ ʦʰʧ ʧʰ
Fricativefsʰ sʃʂʰ ʂɕʰ ɕx xʲh
Approximantɹ̥ ɹj
Trillr
Lateral fricativeɮ ɮʲ
Lateral approximantl̥ lʎ
  Co-articulated phonemes  
↓Manner/Place→Labial-palatalLabial-velar
Approximantɥw wʲ
  Vowel inventory: /e ẽ ĩ o u y ỹ øi ø̃ ɑ ɛ ɛ̈ ʌ/   Diphthongs: øi  
FrontBack
Highĩ y ỹu
High-mide ẽ ø̃o
Low-midɛ̈ ɛʌ
Lowɑ
  Syllable structure: Custom defined
Stress pattern: Initial — stress is on the first syllable
Word initial consonants: c, cʰ, g, h, j, k, kʰ, l, l̥, m, n, p, pʰ, s, t, ts, tsʰ, tɕ, tɕʰ, tʰ, w, ɕ, ɟ, ɥ, ɲ, ɹ, ɹ̥, ʂ, ʈ, ʈʂ, ʈʂʰ, ʈʰ, ʎ, ʔ
Mid-word consonants: ff, g, gs, gt, gts, gtʰ, gɮ, gʃ, gʧ, j, m, mg, mn, ms, mt, mʧ, mʧɮ, n, ng, ns, nt, nts, nx, nʦʰ, r, rg, rs, rsg, rt, rtɮ, rtʰ, rw, rx, rɮ, rʃ, rʦʰ, rʧʰ, s, sg, sn, sr, ss, stʰ, sɮ, t, tg, tn, tr, tw, tɮ, tʰ, tʰg, tʰɮ, w, ws, wtʰ, wx, wɮ, wʃ, wʦʰ, wʧʰɮ, x, xg, xn, xt, xɮ, ɮ, ɮb, ɮg, ɮs, ɮt, ɮtw, ɮtʰ, ɮtʰg, ɮtʰtʰ, ɮx, ɮɮ, ɮʦʰ, ɮʧ, ɮʧʰɮ, ʃ, ʦ, ʦr, ʦʰ, ʦʰs, ʧ, ʧʰ, ʧʰs
Word final consonants: N/A   Phonological changes (in order of application):  
  • p → k / u_#
  • l → ɫ / V_V
  • p → b / m_
  • h → ʔ / #_
  Spelling rules:  
PronunciationSpelling
wb
td / !_ʰ
t
ʧʰch
ʧch
ʦʰc
ʦc
k
ɮl
ʃsh
ɔo
ɵö
p
uü
ʊu
jy
ʲ
 

Grammar

  Main word order: Verb Subject Object (Prepositional phrase).
"Mary opened the door with a key" turns into Opened Mary the door with a key.
Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned after the noun.
Adposition: prepositions  

Nouns

  Nouns have two cases:
  • Nominative is the doer of a verb: dog bites man.
  • Accusative is the done-to of a verb: man bites dog.
NominativeNo affix dyr /tyr/ dog (doing the verb)
AccusativeIf starts with vowel: Prefix g- Else: Prefix gu- güdyr /ˈgutyr/ (verb done to) dog
   
AnimateInanimate
SingularIf ends with vowel: Suffix -mʧ Else: Suffix -ɛ̈mʧ nümchøimɛ̈mch /ˈnumʧøˌimɛ̈mʧ/ If ends with vowel: Suffix -g Else: Suffix -øig øinbüüg /ˈøinˌbuug/
PluralSuffix -em nümchøimem /ˈnumʧøˌimem/ Suffix -e øinbüüe /ˈøinˌbuue/
 

Articles

 
Definitepøis /pʰøis/ the
Indefiniteʂø̃ /ʂø̃/ a, some
 

Pronouns

 
NominativeAccusative
1st singularte /tʰe/ I mĩ /mĩ/ me
2nd singularmøi /møi/ you (masc) møich /møiʧ/ you
3rd singular mascdøi /tøi/ he, it dse /tse/ him, it
3rd singular femüm /um/ she, it me /me/ her, it
1st plurallɑb /lɑw/ we ẽd /ẽt/ us
2nd pluralmüg /mug/ you all døid /tøit/ you all
3rd pluraldɕɛ̈ /tɕɛ̈/ they ɲỹ /ɲỹ/ them
 

Possessive determiners

 
1st singularte /tʰe/ my
2nd singularmøich /ˈmøiʧ/ your
3rd singular mascdøi /ˈtøi/ his
3rd singular femüm /um/ her
1st plurallɑb /lɑw/ our
2nd pluraldøid /ˈtøit/ your (pl)
3rd pluraldɕɛ̈ /tɕɛ̈/ their
 

Verbs

 
PresentPastRemote past
1st singularPrefix e- epymbüü /ˈepʰymˌbuu/ (I) learn Prefix øi- øipymbüü /ˈøipʰymˌbuu/ (I) learned If starts with vowel: Prefix ʂ- Else: Prefix ʂẽ- ʂẽpymbüü /ˈʂẽpʰymˌbuu/ (I) learned (long ago)
2nd singularSuffix -øi pymbüüøi /ˈpʰymbuˌuøi/ (you) learn If ends with vowel: Suffix -w Else: Suffix -ĩw pymbüüb /ˈpʰymbuuw/ (you) learned If ends with vowel: Suffix -m Else: Suffix -um pymbüüm /ˈpʰymbuum/ (you) learned (long ago)
3rd singularSuffix -ẽx pymbüüẽx /ˈpʰymbuˌuẽx/ (he/she/it) learns If starts with vowel: Prefix p- Else: Prefix pø̃- pø̃pymbüü /ˈpø̃pʰymˌbuu/ (he/she/it) learned Suffix -o pymbüüo /ˈpʰymbuˌuo/ (he/she/it) learned (long ago)
1st pluralIf ends with vowel: Suffix -m Else: Suffix -ĩm pymbüüm /ˈpʰymbuum/ (we) learn If ends with vowel: Suffix -n Else: Suffix -ø̃n pymbüün /ˈpʰymbuun/ (we) learned If ends with vowel: Suffix -kʰ Else: Suffix -ekʰ pymbüük /ˈpʰymbuukʰ/ (we) learned (long ago)
2nd pluralIf ends with vowel: Suffix -ʦʰ Else: Suffix -øiʦʰ pymbüüc /ˈpʰymbuuʦʰ/ (you all) learn If starts with vowel: Prefix p- Else: Prefix pɛ- pɛpymbüü /ˈpɛpʰymˌbuu/ (you all) learned Suffix -ur pymbüüür /ˈpʰymbuˌuur/ (you all) learned (long ago)
3rd pluralIf ends with vowel: Suffix -m Else: Suffix -em pymbüüm /ˈpʰymbuum/ (they) learn Suffix -øib pymbüüøib /ˈpʰymbuˌuøib/ (they) learned Suffix -ĩm pymbüüĩm /ˈpʰymbuˌuĩm/ (they) learned (long ago)
  Shu uses a standalone particle word for future tense:
FutureParticle before the verb: øi - øi pymbüü /øi ˈpʰymbuu/ will learn
  Progressive aspect   The ‘progressive’ aspect refers to actions that are happening at the time of speaking, such as I am learning.   Shu uses a standalone particle word for progressive:  
ProgressiveParticle before the verb: ɲe - ɲe pymbüü /ɲe ˈpʰymbuu/ is learning
  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).   Shu uses an affix for habitual:
HabitualIf ends with vowel: Suffix -s Else: Suffix -ys pymbüüs /ˈpʰymbuus/ learns
  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.   Shu uses an affix for the perfect aspect:  
PerfectIf ends with vowel: Suffix -m Else: Suffix -ẽm pymbüüm /ˈpʰymbuum/ have learned
 

Numbers

  Shu has a base-20 number system:   1 - bo
2 - püm
3 - o
4 - nẽl
5 - mem
6 - mɛn
7 - pø̃m
8 - e
9 - yx
10 - y
11 - telgy
12 - lɑbøi
13 - sẽle
14 - memĩ
15 - kĩc 16 - kẽdøi
17 - ɹɛgch
18 - ʎʌbɛ̈sh
19 - negch
20 - mümøib
21 - mümøib nü bo “twenty and one”
400 - tec “fourhundred”
401 - tec bo “fourhundred one”
800 - püm tec “two fourhundred”
8000 - eb “eightthousand”  

Derivational morphology

  Adjective → adverb = If ends with vowel: Suffix -m Else: Suffix -ʌm
Adjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ɮʲ Else: Suffix -uɮʲ
Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = Suffix -e
Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = If starts with vowel: Prefix ts- Else: Prefix tse-
Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -xʲ Else: Suffix -ĩxʲ
Noun to verb = Prefix pʰøi-
Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = Suffix -u
Tending to = Suffix -e
Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = Prefix kʰẽ-
Verb → noun that verb produces (e.g. know → knowledge) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -n Else: Suffix -en
One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = Prefix o-
Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -gʃ Else: Suffix -ɑgʃ
Diminutive = If ends with vowel: Suffix -s Else: Suffix -ĩs
Augmentative = Prefix e-

Dictionary

4438 Words.

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