Tuuma

Consonants
Allophones listed in parentheses.
 * 1) /m/ is realized as [ɱ] before /f/.
 * 2) /n/ is realized as [ɲ] before /j/.

Vowels

 * 1) /a/ is velarized to [ä] and uvularized to [ɑ].
 * 2) /i/ is velarized to [ɪ] and uvularized to [ɛ].
 * 3) /u/ is velarized to [ʊ] and uvularized to [ɔ].

Phonotactics
Syllable structure is (C)V(C), where:
 * Vowels can be long but consonants cannot be geminated.
 * A syllable must contain any single long or short vowel.
 * A syllable can begin with any single consonant.
 * A syllable can end with any single consonant except for /j/ or /w/.

Stress
Stress is always on the first syllable.

Nouns
Tuuma nouns decline by using suffixes according to number and case. They can also change to take the form of an noun adjunct.

Number
Nouns can be either singular or plural. Singular nouns in the nominative case take no suffixes, but a plural noun will generally take the -nc suffix if the stem ends in a vowel, and -inc if it ends in a consonant.


 * The mother s  asked for one plate, not two.
 * Mother - PL  request- PST - 3PL one- ADJ plate- ACC, NEG -request- PST - 3PL two- ACC.
 * Iipi nc  kuhtaruh piksit jaallitlat', ngukuhtaruh kikit'.

The plural suffix is considered the most important when it comes to declension, as it always comes first after the stem. Any other case suffix will come afterwards.


 * Dogs cannot read book s .
 * Dog- PL NEG -read- 3PL book - PL - ACC .
 * Qanjarinc nguhiistumah latlanu nc at'.

Nominative Case
The first and simplest case in Tuuma is expressed without the use of any case suffixes. The nominative case portrays a noun as the subject of a sentence. A nominative noun is expressed using only the word stem, plus a plural suffix if applicable.


 * The child sings.
 * Child sing- 3SG
 * Nawam uusa.

Accusative Case
The accusative case is used to portay a noun as the direct object of a sentence. It uses the suffix -t' after a vowel and -at' after a consonant.


 * The child sings a song.
 * Child sing- 3SG song - ACC .
 * Nawam uusa uuski t' .

Genitive Case
The genitive case functions to portray a noun modifying another noun, ownership, or the preposition "of". It uses the suffix -in. The only genitive words that go before the noun that they modify are pronouns. All others follow the noun in question.


 * The child sings a love song.
 * Child sing- 3SG song - ACC love - GEN .
 * Nawam uusa uuskit' ui in .

Dative Case
The dative case is used to portray an indirect object, or the prepositios "to", "towards" and "for". It uses the suffix -hta after a vowel or -ahta after a consonant.


 * The child sings a love song  to the audience.
 * Child sing- 3SG song- ACC love- GEN audience - DAT .
 * Nawam uusa uuskit' uiin ihamtalat ahta .

Prepositional Case
The presositional case is the final case that is used to portray any other relationship a noun has to the sentence, usually accompanied by a preposition in front. It uses the suffix -sa.


 * The child sings a love song to the audience without a microphone.
 * Child sing- 3SG song- ACC love- GEN audience- DAT  NEG -with microphone - PREP .
 * Nawam uusa uuskit' uiin ihamtalatahta  ngumi mikrufuun sa .

Modifiers
Modifiers in Tuuma include both adjectives and adverbs, but are classified in the same group due to the fact that they behave identically. For the most part, all modifiers follow the word that they modify unless the modifier is a number. While genitive nouns and pronouns are often treated as modifiers as well, they don't have the freedom that modifiers have as they can only modify other nouns. Modifiers are also unique in that they do not follow nouns in declesion and will never change their form. Every modifying word in Tuuma takes the ending -it.


 * I walked quickly to the small house.
 * I walk- PST - 1SG fast- ADV  house- DAT small- ADJ .
 * Mu hasuum iskutit tl'ikahta llisit.

Noun Adjunct
While most nouns usually take on the genitive form in order to modify another noun, it is just as correct for certain nouns to take the suffix turning it into a noun adjunct instead. This is done in regular nouns simply by taking the -it suffix rather than the genitive -in.


 * Blue is Alice's favorite color. She has a blue bag.
 * Blue be- 3SG color- ACC  soul- ADJ Alice- GEN . Alice have- 3SG bag- ACC blue - ADJ .
 * Silum ulla warat' hiwalit Aalisin. Aalis inha uusak'at' silum it .

Noun adjuncts can also behave similarly to an adverb, acting like the phrase "like a _____" or "as a _____".


 * She is fast  like a fox and runs  like the wind.
 * She be- 3SG fast- ADJ fox - ADV  and run- 3SG wind - ADV .
 * W'ulla iskutit ruupam it  wa qaaira fuusnguu it .

Verbs
All infinitive verbs end in -a. All verbs conjugate with suffixes, but the ending -a is also changed according to tense. The following suffixes are listen below in the order that they come after a word. Verbs conjugate according to person, number, tense, voice, mood, and aspect.

Present Tense

 * I eat, you drink, and she sleeps.
 * I eat- 1SG , you drink- 2SG , and it sleep- 3SG .
 * Mu tsaham, su pistas, wa w'islat'a.

Past Tense

 * I ate, you drank, and she slept.
 * I eat- PST - 1SG , you drink- PST - 2SG , and it sleep- PST - 3SG .
 * Mu tsahum, su pistus, wa w'islat'u.

Future Tense

 * I will eat, you will drink, and she will sleep.
 * I eat- FUT - 1SG , you drink- FUT - 2SG , and it sleep- FUT - 3SG .
 * Mu tsahim, su pistis, wa w'islat'i.

Other Verb Suffixes

 * The bread is eaten.
 * Bread eat- 3SG - PASS .
 * Lliiang tsahatsa.


 * I am eating the bread.
 * I eat- 1SG - PROG  bread- ACC.
 * Mu tsahamla lliiangat'


 * I have eaten the bread.
 * I eat- 1SG - PERF  bread- ACC.
 * Mu tsahamkah lliiangat'.


 * I would eat the bread.
 * I eat- 1SG - COND  bread- ACC.
 * Mu tsahamumas lliiangat'.


 * The bread would have been being eaten.
 * Bread eat- 3SG - PASS - PROG - PERF - COND .
 * Lliiang tsahatsalakahumas.

Negation
Negation of a verb involves the only prefix that exists in Tuuma, ngu-.


 * I like to eat cherries, but my family  doesn't like them.
 * I like- 1SG eat cherry- PL, but I- GEN family  NEG - like- 3SG  they- ACC.
 * Mu kistam tsaha qarsaanc, jai min kusahiminc  ngu kista hut'.

Contractions
It is quite common for a subject pronoun (personal or singular demonstratives) to be contracted to the following verb if said verb begins in a vowel sound. This is considered grammatically correct, but most stay away from using contractions in formal speech or writing. The following chart shows examples of contractions with the word ulla "to be".

Syntax
Sentence structure is SVO in most cases, although it it very common for writers or public speakers to play with word order, often using VSO.

Vocabulary

 * Numbers
 * Colors

Sayings

 * Greetings

The Bible
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."

― Genesis 1:1-2

"Ni ncallasa, Jamall hitpu tiiwancat' wa karat'. Ihta kar ullu ngumi q'uqusa wa ngullit, uutl ullu jat'i nciiwangasa hajaq'in, wa rur Jamallin jahnulu jat'i wisincsa."

― Jinisis 1:1-2

[nɛ ɴɑɬasa, jamaɬ hitpu tiːwɑɴɑtʼ wa kɑʁɑtʼ. ihtä kɑʁ ɔɬʊ ŋʊmɛ qʼɔqɔsa wä ŋʊɬit, uːtɬ uɬu jatʼɛ ɴɛːwäŋäsa hajɑqʼɛn, wɑ ʁɔʁ jamaɬin jahnulu jatʼi wisɛɴsa.]

[― jinisis pui : pui - käkɪ]

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Ihaminc jalitit p'utsahtsa inmanit wa sahkarit ni kallisatsa wa wanimansanc. Hu ts'inminahtsa mi atliqsa wa miillimusa, wa titahmas saa ihunruhta ni rursa q'iquutin.

[ihamɛɴ jalitit pʼutsahtsa inmanit wa sahkɑʁɛt nɪ käɬisatsa wa wanimansɑɴ. hu tsʼinminahtsa mi atɬɛqsa wa miːɬimusa, wa titahmas saː ihɔɴʁɔhta nɛ ʁɔʁsɑ qʼɛqɔːtin.]