Spelling rules:
Pronunciation Spelling
c chj
j y
ð dh
ŋ ng
ɑ â
ɓ b
ɔ aw
ɗ d̀
ɛ ê
ɟ j̈
ɣ x
ɪ î
ɲ ñ
ɹ r
s sh
ʊ û
ʌ ú
ʒ j̀
ʤ j
ʧ=ch
θ th
á=ah
t=ch
Natively known as: Kpɜ /kpɜː/
...and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind...
sɘ zhe shattezh gua kpaa kʼushsoo sɘ riini kpaa yaazh tooryee gas undefined
Pronunciation: /sɘː ʒe ˈʃatteʒ ɣua kpaː ˈkʼuʃsoː sɘː ˈɾiːni kpaː jaːʒ ˈtoːɾjeː ɣas ˈundeˌfined/
Kpɜian word order: and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind
Spelling & Phonology
Consonant inventory: /b d f gb h j k kʼ kp m n s t tʼ x z ŋ ɣ ɾ ʃ ʒ ʔ/
| ↓Manner/Place→ |
Bilabial |
Labiodental |
Alveolar |
Palato-alveolar |
Palatal |
Velar |
Glottal |
| Nasal |
m |
|
n |
|
|
ŋ |
|
| Stop |
b |
|
t d |
|
|
k |
ʔ |
| Ejective stop |
|
|
tʼ |
|
|
kʼ |
|
| Fricative |
|
f |
s z |
ʃ ʒ |
|
x ɣ |
h |
| Approximant |
|
|
|
|
j |
|
|
| Tap |
|
|
ɾ |
|
|
|
|
Co-articulated phonemes
| ↓Manner/Place→ |
Labial–velar |
| Stop |
kp gb |
Vowel inventory: /a aː e eː i ia iː o oː u ua uː ɔː ɘː ɛː ɜː ɨa ɨː/
Diphthongs: ia, ua, ɨa ?
|
Front |
Central |
Back |
| High |
i iː |
ɨː |
uː u |
| High-mid |
e eː |
ɘː |
o oː |
| Low-mid |
ɛː |
ɜː |
ɔː |
| Low |
a aː |
|
|
Syllable structure: (C)V(C) ?
Stress pattern: Initial — stress is on the first syllable ?
Word initial consonants: d, gb, j, kʼ, kp, s, t, tʼ, x, z, ɣ, ɾ, ʃ, ʒ
Mid-word consonants: b, bb, bj, bz, d, dm, ds, dʃ, f, fm, fn, fʃ, gb, h, hk, hm, ht, j, jd, jj, jm, jn, js, jɾ, jʃ, jʔ, k, kb, kf, kh, kk, km, kn, ks, kɾ, kʃ, kʼ, kp, m, mb, mj, mk, ms, mt, mɾ, mʃ, mʒ, mʔ, n, nd, nf, nm, nn, ns, nt, nx, nz, nɣ, nʔ, s, sf, sh, sn, ss, sx, sɾ, t, tb, tf, th, tk, tm, tn, ts, tt, tz, tɾ, tʃ, tʼ, x, xn, xs, xz, z, zm, zn, zt, ŋ, ŋf, ŋh, ŋk, ŋs, ŋx, ŋz, ɣ, ɣj, ɾ, ɾf, ɾh, ɾj, ɾt, ɾx, ɾɣ, ɾʃ, ʃ, ʃh, ʃj, ʃk, ʃm, ʃn, ʃs, ʃt, ʃɣ, ʒ, ʒb, ʒn, ʔ
Word final consonants: b, d, gb, k, kʼ, kp, m, n, s, t, tʼ, x, z, ɣ, ɾ, ʒ
Phonological changes (in order of application): ?
- k → g / n_
- b → Ø / _s{t,k}
- m → n / _#
- j → d / #_
- oː → u / _#
- f → p / _t
- i → o / _m
- ʔ → Ø / V_V
- ɣ → g / _{E,j}
- n → Ø / _s
- b → Ø / m_s
- d → t / n_#
Spelling rules:
| Pronunciation |
Spelling |
| ([aeiou])(?=ᴅ*ː) |
$1$1 |
| j |
y |
| x |
kh |
| ŋ |
ng |
| ɣ |
g |
| ɾ |
r |
| ʃ |
sh |
| ʒ |
zh |
| ʔ |
ʻ |
| ː |
|
|
|
Grammar
Main word order: Subject-Verb-Object-Oblique. "Mary opened the door with a key" turns into
Mary opened the door with a key.
Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned before the noun.
Adposition: prepositions ?
Nouns
| Singular |
No affix
yɘd /jɘːd/
dog |
| Plural |
If starts with vowel: Prefix j-
Else: Prefix jaː-
yaayɘd /ˈjaːjɘːd/
dogs |
Articles
| Definite |
tee /teː/
the |
| Indefinite |
ua /ua/
a, some |
Pronouns
| 1st singular |
zan /zan/
I, me, mine |
| 2nd singular |
kʼɛ /kʼɛː/
you, yours |
| 3rd singular masc |
zhe /ʒe/
he, him, his |
| 3rd singular fem |
guu /ɣuː/
she, her, hers |
| 1st plural inclusive |
uu /uː/
we, us, ours (including you) |
| 1st plural exclusive |
tɘg /tɘːɣ/
we, us, ours (excluding you) |
| 2nd plural |
zhee /ʒeː/
you (all), yours |
| 3rd plural |
sua /sua/
they, them, theirs |
Possessive determiners
| 1st singular |
zhɨ /ʒɨː/
my |
| 2nd singular |
kʼɜ /kʼɜː/
your |
| 3rd singular masc |
kpaa /kpaː/
his |
| 3rd singular fem |
kʼuzh /kʼuʒ/
her |
| 1st plural inclusive |
tɘ /tɘː/
our (including you) |
| 1st plural exclusive |
yua /jua/
our (excluding you) |
| 2nd plural |
iir /iːɾ/
your |
| 3rd plural |
yee /jeː/
their |
Verbs
|
Present |
Past |
| 1st person |
No affix
shartuu /ˈʃaɾtuː/ |
If starts with vowel: Prefix egb-
Else: Prefix egba-
egbashartuu /ˈegbaˌʃaɾtuː/ |
| 2nd person |
No affix
shartuu /ˈʃaɾtuː/ |
Prefix ɣuː-
guushartuu /ˈɣuːʃaɾtuː/ |
| 3rd person |
No affix
shartuu /ˈʃaɾtuː/ |
Prefix aː-
aashartuu /ˈaːʃaɾtuː/ |
Kpɜian uses a standalone particle word for future tense:
Imperfective aspect
The ‘imperfective’ aspect refers to ongoing actions, such as
I am studying and habitual actions, such as
I study (every night).
Kpɜian uses an affix for imperfective:
| Imperfective |
If starts with vowel: Prefix j-
Else: Prefix jua-
yuashartuu /ˈjuaʃaɾtuː/
is studying |
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.
Kpɜian uses the word for ‘finish’ zhɘd for the perfect aspect.
Numbers
Kpɜian has a base-10 number system:
1 - tee
2 - kʼɘs
3 - tɛ
4 - khɘ
5 - khɔ
6 - tɘ
7 - tʼanfuu
8 - dɛgb
9 - zee
10 - ruu
11 - ruutee “ten-one”
100 - tee yɨanguu “one hundred”
101 - tee yɨanguu tee “one hundred one”
200 - kʼɘs yɨanguu
1000 - tee zet “one thousand”
Derivational morphology
Adjective → adverb = Prefix ɜː-
Adjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = Prefix sɨː-
Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = Prefix toː-
Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = Prefix ʃo-
Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = Prefix ʃi-
Noun → verb (to create [noun]) = Prefix oː-
Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = If starts with vowel: Prefix uːs-
Else: Prefix uːsu-
Verb → adjective (likely to do [verb]) = Prefix jɨː-
Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = Prefix ɾi-
Verb → noun that verb physically produces (e.g. build → building) = Prefix dua-
One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = Prefix a-
Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = Prefix iː-
Diminutive = If starts with vowel: Prefix utz-
Else: Prefix utziː-
Augmentative = If starts with vowel: Prefix kʼ-
Else: Prefix kʼɜː-
Key: spelling /pronunciation/ part of speech. definition(s)
adj: adjective | adv: adverb | art: article | conj: conjunction | det: determiner | interj: interjection | n: noun | prep: preposition | pron: pronoun | v: verb
Dictionary
a /a/ adj. even
adse am /ˈadse am/ n. thumb
agbiiksi /ˈagbiːksi/ n. painter
aii /ˈaiː/ v. kill, murder
akp /akp/ v. raise
akʼɘ /ˈakʼɘː/ n. lover
amtɛ /ˈamtɛː/ adj. yellow
anmiim /ˈanmiːm/ n. arm, wing, hand, branch
arakhɘt /ˈaɾaxɘːt/ n. poet
aruun /ˈaɾuːn/ n. dealer
assuu /ˈassuː/ n. garden
atsee /ˈatseː/ n. cheese
ayni /ˈajni/ v. marry
azhezh /ˈaʒeʒ/ n. teacher
da akkee /da ˈakkeː/ n. shark
daas /daːs/ v. behave (well)
dɛ yɨabuam /dɛː ˈjɨabuam/ n. gossip
dɛt /dɛːt/ v. turn [sth.] on
dɜm /dɜːm/ v. swallow
diad /diad/ n. conquest
dɨagya /ˈdɨaɣja/ n. beer
dɨambee /ˈdɨambeː/ interj. hello
dɨazhnɨg /ˈdɨaʒnɨːɣ/ v. enjoy
duakh /duax/ n. roof
duatʼ /duatʼ/ v. mark
er /eɾ/ v. refer
ɜkpɛz /ˈɜːkpɛːz/ adv. quickly
gab /ɣab/ v. shift
gag /ɣaɣ/ adv. already
gakfɔ /ˈɣakfɔː/ v. play (have fun), compete
gamʻuk /ˈɣamʔuk/ interj. welcome
gargag /ˈɣaɾɣaɣ/ n. dungeon
gattood /ˈɣattoːd/ n. lake
gbed /gbed/ adj. firm
gbet /gbet/ n. police
gbiifmees /ˈgbiːfmeːs/ adj. straight
gbiir /gbiːɾ/ v. shock, startle, stun
gbik /gbik/ nn. male
gbit /gbit/ n. lock
gbokʼ /gbokʼ/ n. mind, soul
gbuum /gbuːm/ n. sugar
gem /ɣem/ n. location
giibuak /ˈɣiːbuak/ n. flavor
giikʼ /ɣiːkʼ/ n. weather, climate
giirya /ˈɣiːɾja/ n. jewel, gem
giiyniakfii /ˈɣiːjniakfiː/ n. soup, broth
gis /ɣis/ adv. however
gok /ɣok/ v. visit, attend, show up
got /ɣot/ adv. away
guam /ɣuam/ v. display, expose
guum /ɣuːm/ v. damage
i /i/ n. year
iid /iːd/ n. lunch
iikfɨasni /ˈiːkfɨasni/ n. ceiling, canopy, umbrella
iikʼe /ˈiːkʼe/ v. sail, cruise, navigate
iinzuu /ˈiːnzuː/ n. rank (military), rank (position)
iisakp /ˈiːsakp/ n. stick
iitshoo /ˈiːtʃoː/ v. sink
iiz /iːz/ v. warn, alert
in /in/ v. starve
khee /xeː/ n. day
kheen /xeːn/ n. skirt
khet /xet/ n. corpse, carcass
khɘd iim /xɘːd iːm/ n. louse
khɨd /xɨːd/ n. sex
khɨzh /xɨːʒ/ v. fire
khoone /ˈxoːne/ n. nose, nostril
khɔb /xɔːb/ n. iron
khɔmta /ˈxɔːmta/ adj. sudden, abrupt
khɔysua /ˈxɔːjsua/ n. wave (ocean)
kpɛ /kpɛː/ n. child, kid
kpɘd /kpɘːd/ pron. anything
kpɜkp /kpɜːkp/ n. end
kpiag /kpiaɣ/ n. art
kpɨagiim /ˈkpɨaɣiːm/ n. shirt
kpɨaznee /ˈkpɨazneː/ n. psychology
kpug /kpuɣ/ adj. light blue
kpukʼi /ˈkpukʼi/ v. sleep
kpusso /ˈkpusso/ v. train, coach
kʼɛ /kʼɛː/ v. want, desire, crave, wish
kʼɘr /kʼɘːɾ/ adj. right (direction)
kʼɜkp /kʼɜːkp/ n. box, crate
kʼɜz /kʼɜːz/ adj. cheap
kʼɨabuus /ˈkʼɨabuːs/ v. execute
kʼufmer /ˈkʼufmeɾ/ v. roast
kʼukʼa /ˈkʼukʼa/ n. system
kʼunzɘ /ˈkʼunzɘː/ n. park
kʼutshee /ˈkʼutʃeː/ v. smile, smirk
ob /ob/ n. spell (of magic)
ookhɘs /ˈoːxɘːs/ v. know (a fact)
otʼ /otʼ/ n. muscle
rakfe /ˈɾakfe/ n. course
rangɨ /ˈɾaŋɨː/ adv. once
raru /ˈɾaɾu/ v. approach
re /ɾe/ v. own
reekh /ɾeːx/ det. whatever
rekp /ɾekp/ adv. very, really
retʼ /ɾetʼ/ n. bath, pool
ridɜn /ˈɾidɜːn/ n. analysis
riifmis /ˈɾiːfmis/ v. show, demonstrate, present
riimo /ˈɾiːmo/ n. text
riit /ɾiːt/ n. river, stream, creek
rikhoosfee /ˈɾixoːsfeː/ n. flight
rikʼukshuu /ˈɾikʼukʃuː/ n. existence
rishik /ˈɾiʃik/ n. thought
ritɔyra /ˈɾitɔːjɾa/ n. choice
riuuk /ˈɾiuːk/ n. appearance (act of appearing)
rizheb /ˈɾiʒeb/ n. development
ro /ɾo/ conj. than
ron /ɾon/ adj. neat
roomsii /ˈɾoːmsiː/ v. share, divide, split
roosho /ˈɾoːʃo/ n. storm
ros /ɾos/ n. pillow
rɔkh /ɾɔːx/ n. hill
rɔzh /ɾɔːʒ/ adj. thin, slim, narrow
ruukʼ /ɾuːkʼ/ adj. clean
saa /saː/ adv. as
saaz /saːz/ v. kiss
seetʼ /seːtʼ/ n. father
sɛkp /sɛːkp/ n. religion
sɘ /sɘː/ conj. and
sɘs /sɘːs/ v. bite
sɜkʼ /sɜːkʼ/ n. effort
shab /ʃab/ n. alcohol
shakh kʼunzɘ /ʃax ˈkʼunzɘː/ n. zoo
shamshizh /ˈʃamʃiʒ/ n. moss
shartuu /ˈʃaɾtuː/ v. look, study
shatshɘ /ˈʃatʃɘː/ n. cart
shi /ʃi/ prep. from
shiib /ʃiːb/ n. boy
shiik /ʃiːk/ n. direction
shiimzhig /ˈʃiːmʒiɣ/ n. future, destiny, fate
shiishto /ˈʃiːʃto/ n. spoon
shik /ʃik/ v. think, ponder
shis /ʃis/ n. light
shiuag /ˈʃiuaɣ/ adj. technological
shogbiiyse /ˈʃogbiːjse/ adj. urban
shokhɨd /ˈʃoxɨːd/ adj. sexual
shor /ʃoɾ/ adv. somewhere
shotoosɛgb /ˈʃotoːsɛːgb/ adj. dirty
shuud /ʃuːd/ v. run
shuus /ʃuːs/ n. student
siagb /siagb/ v. struggle
sɨahkɨ /ˈsɨahkɨː/ v. respect
sɨartu /ˈsɨaɾtu/ adj. black
sɨdaan /ˈsɨːdaːn/ n. interior
sɨkpuksɔ /ˈsɨːkpuksɔː/ n. anger
sɨt /sɨːt/ n. region
sɨyɨashnii /ˈsɨːjɨaʃniː/ n. length
suakh /suax/ v. date, go out
sufmim /ˈsufmim/ n. reward, award, medal
sumyɨs /ˈsumjɨːs/ adj. serious
sunnik /ˈsunnik/ n. hag (old woman)
sutsɘ /ˈsutsɘː/ adj. technical
teed /teːd/ adj. sure
tees /teːs/ prep. including
tekʼ /tekʼ/ n. trousers, pants
tɘd /tɘːd/ n. wine
tɘn /tɘːn/ pron. anyone
tɨgb /tɨːgb/ adj. smooth
tɨs /tɨːs/ n. house
tookʼee /ˈtoːkʼeː/ n. window
toozhiikp /ˈtoːʒiːkp/ adj. violent
tɔkh /tɔːx/ n. empire
tɔyra /ˈtɔːjɾa/ v. choose, select
tufeekʼ /ˈtufeːkʼ/ v. appreciate
tuhuu /ˈtuhuː/ adv. anyway
tukhsɘm /ˈtuxsɘːm/ v. remember, recognize
tunga /ˈtuŋa/ v. shake, rattle
tushme /ˈtuʃme/ n. grandmother
tuyna /ˈtujna/ v. sneeze
tʼag /tʼaɣ/ n. drug, medicine
tʼakfɨashkir /ˈtʼakfɨaʃkiɾ/ v. occur
tʼanfuu /ˈtʼanfuː/ num. seven
tʼas /tʼas/ v. avoid, escape
tʼaua /ˈtʼaua/ v. must
tʼɨarfee /ˈtʼɨaɾfeː/ v. explain, describe
tʼuagb /tʼuagb/ adj. worth
tʼuukʼ /tʼuːkʼ/ n. lesson, lecture
uam /uam/ conj. though
uu /uː/ pron. we, us, ours (including you)
uun /uːn/ n. pipe, valve
ya /ja/ adv. just
yaas /jaːs/ n. worm
yam /jam/ v. reveal, disclose
yeed /jeːd/ v. change, modify
yɛ /jɛː/ v. could
yɛz /jɛːz/ n. hell
yɘm /jɘːm/ n. state, condition
yɜkh /jɜːx/ v. giggle
yiakp /jiakp/ adj. deep
yɨanfu /ˈjɨanfu/ v. act
yɨb /jɨːb/ v. search, look up, seek
yɨkp /jɨːkp/ n. nut
yua /jua/ prep. with (using)
yuar /juaɾ/ v. listen
yuɛ /ˈjuɛː/ n. attention
yumʻik /ˈjumʔik/ v. dance
yurhee /ˈjuɾheː/ adj. complicated, complex
yuttɨt /ˈjuttɨːt/ adj. empty
zabaas /ˈzabaːs/ n. baby, infant, toddler
zaguun /ˈzaɣuːn/ n. secret, mystery
zakʼ /zakʼ/ n. style
zankho /ˈzanxo/ n. aunt
zashtɛ /ˈzaʃtɛː/ n. vehicle
ze /ze/ prep. at
zekʼ /zekʼ/ n. distance
zhe /ʒe/ pron. he, him, his
zheeg /ʒeːɣ/ n. oil, grease
zhees /ʒeːs/ adj. new
zhem /ʒem/ adv. forward
zhɘd /ʒɘːd/ v. finish, complete
zhɨg /ʒɨːɣ/ v. hope
zhɨz /ʒɨːz/ v. fill
zhoogor /ˈʒoːɣoɾ/ v. freeze
zhoonfo /ˈʒoːnfo/ v. accompany
zhooydaashtua /ˈʒoːjdaːʃtua/ n. level
zhɔksi /ˈʒɔːksi/ n. bean
zhɔz /ʒɔːz/ n. ground
ziia /ˈziːa/ n. parent
ziikhzɔr /ˈziːxzɔːɾ/ n. stitch
ziingfa /ˈziːŋfa/ adv. again
zikh /zix/ n. rifle
ziz /ziz/ n. belt
zoomoo /ˈzoːmoː/ v. influence
zot /zot/ n. phone
zɔhti /ˈzɔːhti/ v. jump, bounce
zɔt /zɔːt/ n. university
zuad /zuad/ n. jaw
zuan /zuan/ v. suck
zuukp /zuːkp/ n. prison, jail
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