Sukika

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Nouns	100%
Verbs	100%
Adjectives	100%
Syntax	53%
Words	1500 of 1500

Name: Sukika

Type: Agglutinating

Alignment: Nominative-Accusative

Head Direction: Final

Number of genders: 0

Declensions: Yes

Conjugations: Yes

Nouns declined according to
Case	Number
Definitiveness	Gender
Verbs conjugated according to
Voice	Mood
Person	Number
Tense	Aspect

	Gender	Cases	Numbers	Tenses	Persons	Moods	Voices	Aspects
Verb	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Nouns	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Adjectives	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Numbers	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Participles	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Adverb	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Pronouns	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Adpositions	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Article	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Particle	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No

Setting[]

Sukika, also called Tuggish, Tuggigga or Ravumi, is a language isolate, found in the mountainous regions of Drion's North continent. It is an agglutinant language, with some traces of polysynthesis.

It is spoken by small scattered communities concentrated in the Kerbahar mountains, but some groups are found in other regions of the Northern mountain chain as well.

There is a single written language, reflecting the stability and uniformity of the language: apart from differences in pronunciation (due mostly to the treatment of allophony), all varieties of the language share basically the same vocabulary, morphology and syntax.

Phonology[]

Pronunciation[]

The Sukika have a particular manner of speaking, with a harsh voice which generally sounds like if the speaker has got a cold or has burnt the tongue. Stress has no active role in the language, as all syllables receive similar stress. Tone is not distinctive, although in some dialects it is used to express general states of mind (agreement, resignation &c.)

Phonemes[]

Vowels[]

Sukika has simple five vowels:

a [a], [ɑ]
e [e], [ɛ]
i [i], [ɪ]
o [o], [ɔ]
u [u], [ʊ]

pronounced more or less like in Italian or Spanish. Each vowel corresponds to a syllable, even when they appear together. Double vowels (aa for example) are, actually, a sequence of two vowels, each in a separated syllable.

The pronunciations indicated for each vowel are in free variation. They are not phonologically significant.

Consonants[]

	Bilabial	Labiodental	Dental	Alveolar	Postalveolar	Palatal	Retroflex	Velar	Pharyngeal	Glottal
Nasal	m			n				ŋ
Trill					r
Plosive	p		t d				ʈ	k ɡ		ʔ
Fricative		f		s	ʃ	ɕ	ʂ	x	ħ	h ɦ
Approximant						j	ɻ	w
Flap / Tap				ɾ
Lateral				l			ɭ

From a phonological point of view, Sukika has only ten consonants:

p [p] (allophones: bb [b:] / mb [mb] / f [f] - see below)
t [t], [ʈ] (allophones: dd [d:] / nd [nd] / s [s] - see below)
k [k] (allophones: gg [g:] / ng [ŋ] / sh [ʃ], [ʂ], [ɕ] - see below)
l [l], [ɭ] (allophones: ll [l:], [ɭ:] / r [ɻ] - see below)
m [m]
n [n]
h [h], [ɦ], [ħ]
´ [ʔ]
y [j]
w [w]

The alternative pronunciations indicated for a single letter (h for instance) are all in free variation.

Allophony[]

Phonetically, one of the main characteristics of the language is the strong allophony involving the elementary stops p, t and k. In most dialects these stops occur only in the beginning of a syllable, but only when it is preceded by another consonant. At the end of a syllable these stops are realized as sibilants or fricatives (respectively f, s and sh), and between vowels they are realized as voiced doubled consonants (respectively bb, dd and gg). Together with a nasal (m or n) they are realized as mb, nd and ng. So, for instance, the number "three", which is originally yupkatuk, is, in most dialects, actually spoken as yufkaddush.

The sounds r and l are also allophonic variants.

So, considering "a" as a sample vowel, we get the following realizations for each of the archiphonemes: (click to listen)

Initial and final realizations may change according to the addition of prefixes or suffixes.

Stems and affixes are generally quoted using the protophonemes in both their beginning and ending. Alterations must be taken into account when applying a prefix or suffix to a word. Actual words, however, are always quoted with the proper allophones. So, if you see the form ilepap, using the archiphonemes l and p, you should consider this form as a stem, not as an actual word. If the word is meant, the altered form illebbaf should be used. Then, a form of indicating the addition of an affix would have the altered form of the word (as it is pronounced) together with the base form of the affix and, finally, the resulting word. E.g.: illebbaf + -ok = illebbabbosh.

Phonotactics[]

Syllables in Sukika have the structure: (C)V(C), that is, an obligatory vowel that may be preceded and/or followed by one consonant. No more than two consonants can come together in the middle of a word.

Stress is not meaningful. All syllables receive a medium stress, while some syllables may receive more or less stress depending on rhythm or emphasis. Stressed syllables have the tendency to be spoken in a high pitch, although it is not obligatory and has no meaning other than conveying some kind of emphasis. Ex.:

Irtoy numorkeaubbor iweddalluin iwposhpunoahmuk "We have learned today how to turn the computer on."
Irtoy numorkeaubbor iweddalluin iwposhpunoahmuk "Today was the day we have learned how to turn the computer on."
Irtoy numorkeaubbor iweddalluin iwposhpunoahmuk "What we have learned today is how to turn the computer on."
Irtoy numorkeaubbor iweddalluin iwposhpunoahmuk "Today we have indeed learned how to turn the computer on."

(irtoy = today; numosh = learn; iweddar= turn on (n. or v.); iwposhpunoam = computer)

Metathesis[]

The sound changes in Sukika go beyond simple allophony. Metathesis occurs as well, when one consonant of the mentioned group (p, t, k) comes together with a liquid (l), an aspirated (h) or with a nasal (m or n). In these cases, the liquid, aspirated or nasal must always come first, with l changing to r (semi-retroflex) and the nasals being realized as m with p and as n with the other two. The three consonants themselves are not changed with the liquid and the aspirated, but are realized as voiced consonants when joined to a nasal. So we get:

p + l or l + p -> rp
t + l or l + t -> rt
k + l or l + k -> rk
p + h or h + p -> hp
t + h or h + t -> ht
k + h or h + k -> hk
p + m or m + p -> mb
t + m or m + t -> nd
k + m or m + k -> ng
p + n or n + p -> mb
t + n or n + t -> nd
k + n or n + k -> ng

These changes occur always when a suffix or prefix is added to a word, or when two roots are joined to make a composite stem.

Morphology[]

Nouns[]

Nouns have a very complex declension system, considering the various sound changes that happen when adding affixes to a stem. Number, case, possession and definiteness are indicated by means of suffixes.

Number[]

	Suffix	Example
Singular	(not marked)	illebbaf "word"
Dual	-ok	illebbabbosh "two words"
Trial	-yup	illebbapyuf "three words"
Simple Plural	-nu (an indefinite, not very large, quantity)	illebbambu "(some) words"
Multitudinal	-it (inanimated), -il- (animated) (a very large quantity)	illebbabbis "(many) words"

Case[]

	Suffix	Example
Nominative	(not marked)	illebbaf
Accusative	-u-	illebbabbu
Dative	-yu-	illebbapyu
Genitive	-huk-	illebbahpush
Locative	-ku-	illebbafku
Instrumental	-tu-	illebbaftu
Ablative	-ik-	illebbabbish

Definiteness[]

	Suffix	Example
Indefinite	(not marked)	illebbaf
Definite	-in-	illebbabbin
Demonstrative "this"	-lu-	illebbarpu
Demonstrative "that"	-pu-	illebbabbu
Demonstrative "such"	-nuy-	illebbambuy

Possession[]

	Suffix	Example
Possessive "my"	-yu	illebbapyu
Possessive "thy", "your"	-ik	illebbabbik
Possessive "his", "her", "its"	-it	illebbabbis
Possessive "our"	-hul	illebbahpur
Possessive "your"	-wup	illebbapwuf
Possessive "their"	-um	illebbabbum

Declension[]

The suffixes come in the following order: [stem] [number] [case] [definiteness/possession]

The suffixes of definiteness and possession are mutually excluding, that is, you can not use suffixes of both classes together.

Examples[]

Word	Stem	Number	Case	Def./Poss	Meaning
tumbaiddiggin	tumbais	-	ik	in	"because of the high temperature"
iddewartullu	iddewar	-	tu	lu	"with this book"
iddewarnuddullu	iddewar	nu	tu	lu	"with these books"
iddeggayiggish	iddeggay	-	ik	ik	"from your house"
iddeggaykuyu	iddeggay	-	ku	yu	"in my house"
iheggafku iddeggayhuhlush	iheggafku iddeggay	-	hul	huk	"in front of our house"
puggoggiyuin	puggoggi	-	yu	in	"to her family"
illebbabbiddiggin	illebbaf	it	ik	in	"according to his words"
puhush iddewartullu	puhush iddewar	-	tu	lu	"with this book of mine"
iddowinnehtu	iddowinneh	-	tu	-	"by means of a good idea"
iddowirnendu	iddowirnen	-	tu	-	"by means of a bad idea"

Full Declension[]

Let's use the word iwenash "car" (base iwenak) to illustrate the use of nominal suffixes.

Full declension

Indefinite ("a ...")

	Singular	Dual	Trial	Paucal	Multitudinal
Nominative	iwenash	iwenaggosh	iwenakyuf	iwenangu	iwenaggir
Accusative	iwenaggu	iwenaggoggu	iwenakyubbu	iwenanguu	iwenaggillu
Dative	iwenakyu	iwenaggokyu	iwenakyupyu	iwenanguyu	iwenaggilyu
Genitive	iwenahkush	iwenaggohkush	iwenakyuhpush	iwenanguhush	iwenaggihlush
Locative	iwenaggu	iwenaggoggu	iwenakyufku	iwenanguggu	iwenaggirku
Instrumental	iwenashtu	iwenaggoshtu	iwenakyuftu	iwenanguddu	iwenaggirtu
Ablative	iwenaggish	iwenaggoggish	iwenakyubbish	iwenanguish	iwenaggillish

Definite ("the ...")

	Singular	Dual	Trial	Paucal	Multitudinal
Nominative	iwenaggin	iwenaggoggin	iwenakyubbin	iwenanguin	iwenaggillin
Accusative	iwenagguin	iwenaggogguin	iwenakyubbuin	iwenanguuin	iwenaggilluin
Dative	iwenakyuin	iwenaggokyuin	iwenakyupyuin	iwenanguyuin	iwenaggilyuin
Genitive	iwenahkuggin	iwenaggohkuggin	iwenakyuhpuggin	iwenanguhuggin	iwenaggihluggin
Locative	iwenagguin	iwenaggogguin	iwenakyufkuin	iwenangugguin	iwenaggirkuin
Instrumental	iwenashtuin	iwenaggoshtuin	iwenakyuftuin	iwenangudduin	iwenaggirtuin
Ablative	iwenaggiggin	iwenaggoggiggin	iwenakyubbiggin	iwenanguiggin	iwenaggilliggin

"this ..."

	Singular	Dual	Trial	Paucal	Multitudinal
Nominative	iwenarku	iwenaggorku	iwenakyurpu	iwenangullu	iwenaggillu
Accusative	iwenaggullu	iwenaggoggullu	iwenakyubbullu	iwenanguullu	iwenaggillullu
Dative	iwenakyullu	iwenaggokyullu	iwenakyupyullu	iwenanguyullu	iwenaggilyullu
Genitive	iwenahkurku	iwenaggohkurku	iwenakyuhpurku	iwenanguhurku	iwenaggihlurku
Locative	iwenaggullu	iwenaggoggullu	iwenakyufkullu	iwenanguggullu	iwenaggirkullu
Instrumental	iwenashtullu	iwenaggoshtullu	iwenakyuftullu	iwenanguddullu	iwenaggirtullu
Ablative	iwenaggirku	iwenaggoggirku	iwenakyubbirku	iwenanguirku	iwenaggillirku

"that ..."

	Singular	Dual	Trial	Paucal	Multitudinal
Nominative	iwenashppu	iwenaggoshpu	iwenakyubbu	iwenangubbu	iwenaggirpu
Accusative	iwenaggubbu	iwenaggoggubbu	iwenakyubbubbu	iwenanguubbu	iwenaggillubbu
Dative	iwenakyubbu	iwenaggokyubbu	iwenakyupyubbu	iwenanguyubbu	iwenaggilyubbu
Genitive	iwenahkushpu	iwenaggohkushpu	iwenakyuhpushpu	iwenanguhushpu	iwenaggihlushpu
Locative	iwenaggubbu	iwenaggoggubbu	iwenakyufkubbu	iwenanguggubbu	iwenaggirkubbu
Instrumental	iwenashtubbu	iwenaggoshtubbu	iwenakyuftubbu	iwenanguddubbu	iwenaggirtubbu
Ablative	iwenaggishpu	iwenaggoggishpu	iwenakyubbishpu	iwenanguishpu	iwenaggillishpu

"such ..."

	Singular	Dual	Trial	Paucal	Multitudinal
Nominative	iwenanguy	iwenaggonguy	iwenakyumbuy	iwenangunuy	iwenaggirnuy
Accusative	iwenaggunuy	iwenaggoggunuy	iwenakyubbunuy	iwenanguunuy	iwenaggillunuy
Dative	iwenakyunuy	iwenaggokyunuy	iwenakyupyunuy	iwenanguyunuy	iwenaggilyunuy
Genitive	iwenahkunguy	iwenaggohkunguy	iwenakyuhpunguy	iwenanguhunguy	iwenaggihlunguy
Locative	iwenaggunuy	iwenaggoggunuy	iwenakyufkunuy	iwenanguggunuy	iwenaggirkunuy
Instrumental	iwenashtunuy	iwenaggoshtunuy	iwenakyuftunuy	iwenanguddunuy	iwenaggirtunuy
Ablative	iwenagginguy	iwenaggogginguy	iwenakyubbinguy	iwenanguinguy	iwenaggillinguy

Possessive "my ..."

	Singular	Dual	Trial	Paucal	Multitudinal
Nominative	iwenakyu	iwenaggokyu	iwenakyupyu	iwenanguyu	iwenaggilyu
Accusative	iwenagguyu	iwenaggogguyu	iwenakyubbuyu	iwenanguuyu	iwenaggilluyu
Dative	iwenakyuyu	iwenaggokyuyu	iwenakyupyuyu	iwenanguyuyu	iwenaggilyuyu
Genitive	iwenahkukyu	iwenaggohkukyu	iwenakyuhpukyu	iwenanguhukyu	iwenaggihlukyu
Locative	iwenagguyu	iwenaggogguyu	iwenakyufkuyu	iwenangugguyu	iwenaggirkuyu
Instrumental	iwenashtuyu	iwenaggoshtuyu	iwenakyuftuyu	iwenangudduyu	iwenaggirtuyu
Ablative	iwenaggikyu	iwenaggoggikyu	iwenakyubbikyu	iwenanguikyu	iwenaggillikyu

Possessive "thy ..."

	Singular	Dual	Tllial	Paucal	Multitudinal
Nominative	iwenaggish	iwenaggoggish	iwenakyubbish	iwenanguish	iwenaggillish
Accusative	iwenagguish	iwenaggogguish	iwenakyubbuish	iwenanguuish	iwenaggilluish
Dative	iwenakyuish	iwenaggokyuish	iwenakyupyuish	iwenanguyuish	iwenaggilyuish
Genitive	iwenahkuggish	iwenaggohkuggish	iwenakyuhpuggish	iwenanguhuggish	iwenaggihluggish
Locative	iwenagguish	iwenaggogguish	iwenakyufkuish	iwenangugguish	iwenaggirkuish
Instrumental	iwenashtuish	iwenaggoshtuish	iwenakyuftuish	iwenangudduish	iwenaggirtuish
Ablative	iwenaggiggish	iwenaggoggiggish	iwenakyubbiggish	iwenanguiggish	iwenaggilliggish

Possessive "his/her ..."

	Singular	Dual	Tllial	Paucal	Multitudinal
Nominative	iwenaggis	iwenaggoggis	iwenakyubbis	iwenanguis	iwenaggillis
Accusative	iwenagguis	iwenaggogguis	iwenakyubbuis	iwenanguuis	iwenaggilluis
Dative	iwenakyuis	iwenaggokyuis	iwenakyupyuis	iwenanguyuis	iwenaggilyuis
Genitive	iwenahkuggis	iwenaggohkuggis	iwenakyuhpuggis	iwenanguhuggis	iwenaggihluggis
Locative	iwenagguis	iwenaggogguis	iwenakyufkuis	iwenangugguis	iwenaggirkuis
Instrumental	iwenashtuis	iwenaggoshtuis	iwenakyuftuis	iwenangudduis	iwenaggirtuis
Ablative	iwenaggiggis	iwenaggoggiggis	iwenakyubbiggis	iwenanguiggis	iwenaggilliggis

Possessive "our ..."

	Singular	Dual	Tllial	Paucal	Multitudinal
Nominative	iwenahkur	iwenaggohkur	iwenakyuhpur	iwenanguhur	iwenaggihlur
Accusative	iwenagguhur	iwenaggogguhur	iwenakyubbuhur	iwenanguuhur	iwenaggilluhur
Dative	iwenakyuhur	iwenaggokyuhur	iwenakyupyuhur	iwenanguyuhur	iwenaggilyuhur
Genitive	iwenahkuhkur	iwenaggohkuhkur	iwenakyuhpuhkur	iwenanguhuhkur	iwenaggihluhkur
Locative	iwenagguhur	iwenaggogguhur	iwenakyufkuhur	iwenangugguhur	iwenaggirkuhur
Instrumental	iwenashtuhur	iwenaggoshtuhur	iwenakyuftuhur	iwenangudduhur	iwenaggirtuhur
Ablative	iwenaggihkur	iwenaggoggihkur	iwenakyubbihkur	iwenanguihkur	iwenaggillihkur

Possessive "your ..."

	Singular	Dual	Tllial	Paucal	Multitudinal
Nominative	iwenakwuf	iwenaggokwuf	iwenakyupwuf	iwenanguwuf	iwenaggilwuf
Accusative	iwenagguwuf	iwenaggogguwuf	iwenakyubbuwuf	iwenanguuwuf	iwenaggilluwuf
Dative	iwenakyuwuf	iwenaggokyuwuf	iwenakyupyuwuf	iwenanguyuwuf	iwenaggilyuwuf
Genitive	iwenahkukwuf	iwenaggohkukwuf	iwenakyuhpukwuf	iwenanguhukwuf	iwenaggihlukwuf
Locative	iwenagguwuf	iwenaggogguwuf	iwenakyufkuwuf	iwenangugguwuf	iwenaggirkuwuf
Instrumental	iwenashtuwuf	iwenaggoshtuwuf	iwenakyuftuwuf	iwenangudduwuf	iwenaggirtuwuf
Ablative	iwenaggikwuf	iwenaggoggikwuf	iwenakyubbikwuf	iwenanguikwuf	iwenaggillikwuf

Possessive "their ..."

	Singular	Dual	Tllial	Paucal	Multitudinal
Nominative	iwenaggum	iwenaggoggum	iwenakyubbum	iwenanguum	iwenaggillum
Accusative	iwenagguum	iwenaggogguum	iwenakyubbuum	iwenanguuum	iwenaggilluum
Dative	iwenakyuum	iwenaggokyuum	iwenakyupyuum	iwenanguyuum	iwenaggilyuum
Genitive	iwenahkuggum	iwenaggohkuggum	iwenakyuhpuggum	iwenanguhuggum	iwenaggihluggum
Locative	iwenagguum	iwenaggogguum	iwenakyufkuum	iwenangugguum	iwenaggirkuum
Instllumental	iwenashtuum	iwenaggoshtuum	iwenakyuftuum	iwenangudduum	iwenaggirtuum
Ablative	iwenaggiggum	iwenaggoggiggum	iwenakyubbiggum	iwenanguiggum	iwenaggilliggum

Derivation[]

There are still some other suffixes that, not having any grammatical function, are used to express differences or modifications in the original meaning of the root.

Diminutive: -nun- (equivalent to the use of the attributive adjective "small" or "little")
Augmentative: -to- (equivalent to the use of the attributive adjective "big", "large" or "great")
Pejorative: -len- (equivalent to the use of the attributive adjective "bad" or "evil")
Meliorative: -neh- (equivalent to the use of the attributive adjective "beautiful" or "good")
Degradative: -kel- (equivalent to the use of the attributive adjective "ancient" or "old")

These suffixes are added directly to the word root, before any other suffixes, thus forming a new word with the normal nominal flexion.

E.g.:

iwenangun "small car"
iwenashto "large car"
iwenarken "bad car"
iwenangeh "good car"
iwenagger "old car"
iwenangurnu "this small car"
iwenangehyu "my good car"
iwenaggellish "your old car"

Examples[]

ihellaggush "friend"
ihellagguk-neh-nu-yu-yu -> ihellaggungehnuyuyu "to my good friends"
iddeggay-nun-ku-um -> iddeggaynunguum "in their (small) house"
kubboddim-neh-it-tu-ik -> kubboddimnehidduish "with your (many) good ideas"

Adjectives[]

Adjectives have no form of agreement with nouns. Attributive adjectives come before nouns, and in some dialects they actually form compound words with nouns. Some elementary attributes (see above) are expressed by means of derivational suffixes.

iweddawuf yuddongushpa "native tongue", in some dialects realized as iweddawup-yuddongushpa
ihellabbuf nuddaggeor "true love", in some dialects realized as ihellabbum-buddaggeor

Comparison[]

Degrees of comparison in adjectives are formed by means of suffixes:

Comparative of superiority ("more ... "): -mey
Comparative of inferiority ("less ... "): -ihno
Comparative of equality ("as ... "): -luh
Superlative of superiority ("the most ..."): -lap
Superlative of inferiority ("the least ..."): -mol
Intensive ("very/extremely ..."): -ot

Examples:

iyebbaw tukwan "a cheap (piece of) clothe"
iyebbawmey tukwan "a cheaper (piece of) clothe"
iyebbawihno tukwan "a not so cheap (piece of) clothe"
iyebbawluh tukwan (ish) "a (piece of) clothe as cheap (as)"
iyebbawlaf tukwan "the cheapest (piece of) clothe"
iyebbamwor tukwan "the least cheap (piece of) clothe"
iyebbawos tukwan "an extremely cheap (piece of) clothe"
iggellar iddewar "an expensive book"
iggellarmey iddewar "a more expensive book"
iggellallihno iddewar "a not so expensive book"
iggellalluh iddewar (ish) "a book as expensive (as)"
iggellallaf iddewar "the most expensive book"
iggellarmor iddewar "the lest expensive book"
iggellallos iddewar "a very expensive book"

Pronouns[]

Personal[]

person	Normal form	Special form	Short form
1st person sing.	iggellan	puhtash	pu
2nd person sing.	iyeddas		yuh
3rd person sing.	num´a	tumo	uf
1st person pl.	tubbo	hurmash	tu
2nd person pl.	wubbom	iddenar	wu
3rd person pl.	yuddo		yum

The short forms are used with case endings and when there is no emphasis. The longer forms are used without case endings and carry an emphatic meaning. The special forms are a kind of honorific, used only in very polite or religious language and expressing a high degree of respect.

Possessive[]

Possession is indicated by means of declensional possessive suffixes (see above). The genitive of the short form of the personal pronouns may be used for emphasis:

(puhush) ihellaggukyu "my friend"
(yuhhush) ihellagguggish "thy friend"
(uhpush) ihellagguggin "his/her friend"
(tuhush) ihellagguhkur "our friend"
(wuhush) ihellaggukwuf "your friend"
(yuhmush) ihellagguggum "their friend"

Relative[]

The only relative pronoun is ken, which is declined according to number and case.

Numerals[]

Cardinal[]

0: puddo; indo
1: ihenan
2: yuggo; ifko
3: yufkaddush; iggeski
4: puggoni
5: iggerwi
6: puesh
7: purkarte
8: iw´oyif
9: iwmosh
10: ineham

11: ihenanigges
12: yuggoigges; ifkoigges
13: yufkadduggigges; iggeskiigges
14: puggoniigges
15: iggerwiigges
16: pueggigges
17: purkarteigges
18: iw´oyibbigges
19: iwmoggigges

20: ibbeggash
30: iggeyaw
40: purwah
50: pubbos
60: nuehar
70: puddoshpun
80: iggehash
90: luddobbur

100: tumbaddur
200: ifkoddumbaddur
300: iggeskiddumbaddur
400: puggoniddumbaddur
500: iggerwiddumbaddur
600: pueshtumbaddur
700: purkarteddumbaddur
800: iw´oyiftumbaddur
900: iwmoshtumbaddur

1,000: ibbehas

2,000: ifkoibbehas

3,000: iggeskiibbehas &c.

You can listen to the numbers from 1 to 10, and from 11 to 20.

Counting[]

Numerals one, two and three are rarely used with nouns, as there are specific endings for expressing these numbers. Usually but not as a rule, the number "four" is expressed by the Paucal ending. Nonetheless, explicit numbers can always be used for emphasis or to avoid ambiguity. Generally, the paucal ending is used with numbers up to ten, while multitudinal is used with higher numbers, although there are not fixed boundaries for the use of these endings. E.g.:

iddewar "(one) book"
iddewallosh "two books"
iddewalyuf "three books"
iddewarnu "(four) books"
puggoni iddewarnu "four books"
iggerwi iddewarnu "five books"
puesh iddewarnu "six books"
purkarte iddewarnu "seven books"
iw´oyif iddewarnu "eight books"
iwmosh iddewarnu "nine books"
ineham iddewarnu "ten books"
ihenanigges iddewallis "eleven books"
ibbeggash iddewallis "twenty books"
pubbos iddewallis "fifty books"
tumbaddur iddewallis "a hundred books"

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Ordinal[]

Ordinal numbers are created by adding the suffix -kan to the cardinal numbers:

1st: ihenangan
2nd: yuggoggan; ifkoggan
3rd: yufkadduggan; iggeskiggan
4th: puggoniggan
5th: iggerwiggan &c.

Verbs[]

Verbs in Ravumi receive prefixes and suffixes indicating various grammatical categories as time, aspect, person, number and transitiveness.

Passive voice is obtained by using a transitive verb in intransitive form, i.e., without object affixes. Agent is put in ablative case. Compare:

Iykomiyleddenubba (iykomiy-le-ten-uf-a) "He has chosen (it)".
Iykomiyleddena (ubbish) (iykomiy-le-ten-a) "He has been chosen (by her)".

Aspect[]

Aspect is indicated by means of suffixes:

Stative: -ki-
Durative: -na-
Perfective: -le-
Aorist: -tut-
Frequentative: -hek-
Inchoative: -won-

Time[]

Time suffixes come after aspect suffixes:

Past: -ten-
Present: -a-
Future: -mu-

Object[]

Direct object is indicated by means of suffixes:

1st person sing. -el-
2nd person sing. -at-
3rd person sing. -uf-
1st person pl. -po-
2nd person pl. -ten-
3rd person pl. -um-

While indirect objects are indicated by means of the same forms, but used as prefixes:

1st person sing. el-
2nd person sing. at-
3rd person sing. uf-
1st person pl. po-
2nd person pl. ten-
3rd person pl. um-

These indirect object prefixes come before any other possible prefixes.

Subject[]

The subject suffixes are always the last element in a verb.

1st person sing. -uh
2nd person sing. -at
3rd person sing. -a
1st person pl. -ol
2nd person pl. -ow
3rd person pl. -to

Derivation[]

Some prefixes are added to change the base meaning of the root:

"again", "re-": to-
"many times": kel-
"for the first time": pon-
"unwillingly": lit-
"make" (causative): kot-
"can" (ability): map-
"try": yet-

Meaning of Aspects and Times[]

Here is an explanation about the meaning of each aspect+time combination of suffixes.

Present
- Stative Present Tense (-kia-): "I am sitting", "She looks good"
- Durative Present Tense (-naa-): "I am working", "She is waiting"
- Perfective Present Tense (-lea-): "I just ate", "He is dead"
- Aorist Present Tense (-tudda-): "I have already seen it once", "She has just called for her mom"
- Frequentative Present Tense (-hegga-): "I always eat there", "She keeps calling you"
- Inchoative Present Tense (-wona- ): "I get to work now", "It is starting to rain"
Past
- Stative Past Tense (-kidden-): "I was sitting", "She looked good"
- Durative Past Tense (-nadden-): "I was working", "She has been waiting"
- Perfective Past Tense (-ledden-): "I had just eaten", "He had died dead"
- Aorist Past Tense (-tudden-): "I had already seen it before", "She had called for her mom"
- Frequentative Past Tense (-heshten-): "I used to eat there", "She kept calling you"
- Inchoative Past Tense (-wonden- ): "I got to work then", "It was starting to rain"
Future
- Stative Present Tense (-kimu-): "I will be sitting", "She is going to look good"
- Durative Present Tense (-namu-): "I will be working", "She will wait for some time"
- Perfective Present Tense (-lemu-): "I will already have eaten", "He is going to be dead"
- Aorist Present Tense (-tundu-): "You will already have seen it once", "She will have put it somewhere"
- Frequentative Present Tense (-hengu-): "I will always love you", "She is going to call you lots of times"
- Inchoative Present Tense (-wonmu- ): "I will get to work in two hours", "It will start raining in a few minutes"

Sample Conjugation[]

Tense	Suffix Combination	Composition	Form	Translation
Stative Present Tense	-kia-	nuddoynuf-ki-a-uh	nuddoynufkiauh	"I see", "I am seeing"
Durative Present Tense	-naa-	nuddoynuf-na-a-uh	nuddoynumbaauh	"I am seeing", "I am looking at", "I keep looking"
Perfective Present Tense	-lea-	nuddoynuf-le-a-uh	nuddoynurpeauh	"I have just seen"
Aorist Present Tense	-tudda-	nuddoynuf-tut-a-uh	nuddoynuftuddauh	"I have already seen"
Frequentative Present Tense	-hegga-	nuddoynuf-hek-a-uh	nuddoynuhpeggauh	"I see many times", "I keep looking at"
Frequentative Present Tense	-wona-	nuddoynuf-won-a-uh	nuddoynupwonauh	"I get a look at", "I start seeing"
Stative Past Tense	-kidden-	nuddoynuf-ki-ten-uh	nuddoynufkiddenuh	"I was seeing", "I was able to see"
Durative Past Tense	-nadden-	nuddoynuf-na-ten-uh	nuddoynumbaddenauh	"I was seeing", "I was looking at", "I kept seeing"
Perfective Past Tense	-ledden-	nuddoynuf-le-ten-uh	nuddoynurpeddenuh	"I had just seen"
Aorist Past Tense	-tudden-	nuddoynuf-tut-ten-uh	nuddoynuftuddenuh	"I had already seen"
Frequentative Past Tense	-heshten-	nuddoynuf-hek-ten-uh	nuddoynuhpeshtenuh	"I saw many times", "I kept looking at"
Frequentative Past Tense	-wonden-	nuddoynuf-won-ten-uh	nuddoynupwondenuh	"I got a look at", "I started seeing"
Stative Future Tense	-kimu-	nuddoynuf-ki-mu-uh	nuddoynufkimuuh	"I will see", "I will am seeing", "I will be able to see"
Durative Future Tense	-namu-	nuddoynuf-na-mu-uh	nuddoynumbamuuh	"I will be seeing", "I will be looking at", "I am going to keep looking"
Perfective Future Tense	-lemu-	nuddoynuf-le-mu-uh	nuddoynurpemuuh	"I will have just seen"
Aorist Future Tense	-tundu-	nuddoynuf-tut-mu-uh	nuddoynuftunduuh	"I will have already seen"
Frequentative Future Tense	-hengu-	nuddoynuf-hek-mu-uh	nuddoynuhpenguuh	"I will see many times", "I will keep looking at"
Frequentative Future Tense	-wonmu-	nuddoynuf-won-mu-uh	nuddoynupwonmuuh	"I am goint to get a look at", "I will start seeing"

An example of the use of direct object suffixes (these come before the subject suffixes):

nuddoynumbaaelluh "I am seeing myself"
nuddoynumbaaadduh "I am seeing you (sg.)"
nuddoynumbaaubbuh "I am seeing him/her/it"
nuddoynumbaabbouh "I am seeing us"
nuddoynumbaaddenuh "I am seeing you (pl.)"
nuddoynumbaaumuh "I am seeing them"

Other examples:

Verb root: nuddoynuf (base: nutoynup)
- nutoynup-na-a-uh -> nuddoynumbaauh "I am seeing"
- nutoynup-ki-a-uh -> nuddoynfkiauh "I see (I am a living being with the ability to see)"
- nutoynup-le-a-uf-uh -> nuddoynurpeaubbuh "I have seen it" ("I have the experience of having seen it")
- nutoynup-tut-mu-el-at -> nuddoynuftunduellas "you shall see me (once, definitely)"
- at-kot-nutoynup-tut-mu-uf-uh -> askonduddoynuftunduubbuh "I will show it to you"
Verb root: nuddash (base: nuttak)
- nuttak-ki-a-at-uh -> nuddaggiaadduh "I love you"
Verb root: pubbomir (base: pupomil)
- to-pupomil-le-mu-uf-a -> tobbubbomillemuubba "he will bring it again"
Verb root: turnagguf (base: tunlakup)
- map-tunlakup-na-a-ten-uh -> mafturnaggumbaaddenuh "I can help you now"
- kel-tunlakup-hek-a-el-to -> kerturnagguhpeggaerto "they always help me"
- lit-tunlakup-ki-a-at-a -> liddurnaggufkiaadda "he is helping you against his will"
Verb root: imboh (base: impoh)
- impoh-le-a-uf-a -> imbohleaubba "he has broken it"

Sample Derivation[]

tonuddoynuf "see again"
kernuddoynuf "see many times"
ponnuddoynuf "see for the first time"
linduddoynuf "unwillingly see"
konduddoynuf "cause (someone) to see"
mambuddoynuf "can see"

Negation[]

Negation is done by means of the word luddo placed before or after the verb:

luddo impoh-tut-mu-uf-uh -> luddo imbohtunduubbuh "I won't break it."
luddo muggo-ki-a-uf-at -> luddo muggoggiaubbas "You don't know it."
nuddoynumbaaubbuh luddo "I am not seeing him/her/it."
mambunoggiynaaumow luddo "You cannot kill them."

Question[]

A sentence may be turned to a question simply by changing the intonation, mostly the same as in most Terran languages. However, there are two particles used to turn a sentence unmistakably into a question:

Ke, used right before the subject (almost always at the beginning of the sentence)
nas, placed at the end of the sentence.

The particle ke may only be used if the subject is explicit.

Examples:

Mambunoggiynaaumow (nas)? "Can you kill them?"
(Ke) iddowirnu inella uhpush (nas)? "Is this his idea?"

Syntax[]

Word Order[]

Sukika is basically a SVO language, but word order is somewhat flexible, due to the extensive use of suffixes establishing the relation of the words.

Pronoun suffixes[]

As a rule, subject and object pronouns must be used, even when subject and object are explicitly used. E.g., in Ihtobbiddin ubbimemadduddenubba nuemahu lumnadduhyuin, "The boy wrote a letter to his grandmother", we have the verb imemas "to write" in the Past Perfective form imemaddudden "wrote". It has the indirect object prefix uf- (referring to lumnadduhyuin "to his grandmother") as well as the direct object suffix -uf- (referring to nuemahu "a letter"), together with the subject suffix -a (referring to ihtobbiddin "the boy"). Anyway, in some dialects, the object affixes may be left out in spoken language, so it is also possible to say Ihtobbiddin imemadduddena nuemahu lumnadduhyuin with the same meaning.

It should be noted, however, that, in the standard language, all pronominal affixes are required, since the lack of a direct object affix in a transitive verb conveys the idea of a passive voice. E.g.: Nuemah ubbimemadduddena lumnadduhyuin "a letter was sritten to his grandmother".

Vocabulary[]

Sukika is known for its rich vocabulary. There are many cases in which a single English word can be translated by several Sukika words, according to slight nuances in meaning. Sometimes a word is used only in specific environments, while other words with basically the same meaning are used in others. It is related that, for some words, even native speakers themselves are unable to explain why they choose one word and not another one.

Here go some examples:

"star" may be:
- pumobbus (used specificly in astronomy, meaning "a sun", "the nucleus of a solar system")
- iyeddas (visible stars at night)
- puhkaske (reserved for large bright stars)
- nuhka (reserved for visibly blinking stars)
- puey (mythical and figurative sense, like in "destiny star" or also "rock star")

"uncle" may be:
- ibbeman, ibbemar "father's brother"
- puggosh "mother's brother"
- puyta (indefinite relationship, can be anything like "an older friend of the family", "an elder cousin")
- imboyim "father's or mother's brother-in-law"

"fear" may be:
- pueynih ("light fear")
- pu´ownu ("terror", "horror")
- in´ongu (undetermined specificity)
- pumof (undetermined specificity)
- puhka (undetermined specificity)

"document" may be:
- illeddaw (personal documents)
- mubboy (ownership documents for an object, e.g. a car)
- mues (documentation for a company)
- ´uyos (documentation for a process)
- iddebban (undetermined specificity, may also be used instead of illeddaw)
- muyoddir (generic, undefinite)

"medicine" may be:
- pukya (natural medicine, e.g. leaves or oils)
- yuwom´ur (pills)
- yuyo (solution, e.g., a powder dissoluted in water)
- puyohtu (creams, ointment, used on the skin)
- yukyante (injection &c.)
- yuef (undetermined specificity)

"sky" may be:
- eyoles "day sky"
- oggawush "nightly sky"
- ebbanes "sky (as a medium, for an airplane for example)"
- pehendif "nightly starry sky (astronomical term)"
- kuuf "cloudy sky (as the source of rain)"
- ineddon "heaven (the inverted ocean, used in a religious context)"

Derivation[]

Sukika employs several prefixes and suffixes to create new words from existing ones.

Adjectival[]

kum-: makes the opposite from an adjective. Ex.: turkahu "happy", kundurkahu "sad"
ak-: gives the idea of privation. Ex.: puerkis "money", ashpuerkis "deprived from money"
-nan: creates an adjective from a noun, with the idea of "relating to the notion of". Ex.: illerpi "community", illerpinan "communitary"; inebbaf "nation", inebbamban "national"

Nominal[]

-tut, creates an abstract noun from basic quality adjectives and from verbs. Ex.: weshta "red", weshtaddus "the colour red"; ewumish "rich", ewumishtus "wealth"; tuhwallu "align", tuhwalluddus "alignment"
-la, creates an agent noun from adjectives and verbs. Ex.: weshta "red", weshtalla "the one who turns red"; ewumish "rich", ewumirka "that who makes rich"; nendo "sell", nendolla "seller"
en-...-os, creates a passive participle from a verb, that may work as a noun or as an adjective. Ex.: aggedder "tire", "get tired", enaggeddellos "tired".
wal- indicates a tool. Ex.: imemas "write", wallimemas "writing tool, pen"; puhpaske "stab", warpuhpaske "dagger"

Verbal[]

on-, creates verbs from adjectives with the idea of "making", "turning". E.g.: weshta "red", onweshta "turn red"; ewumish "rich", onewumish "make rich", "turn rich"; ashpuerkis "deprived from money", onashpuerkis "deprive someone from money"
uyu- is a causative prefix, giving the idea of having someone do something. Ex.: nu´onyu "learn", uyunu´onyu "teach"

Lists[]

Swadesh List

Example texts[]

Text	Analysis	Translation
Tuhos tuggospuillin ispobbilleaddo iherwih, ´ueshpiiggum tuer iggeharnuiggum. Yuddo kuggoykiaufto inenamu tuer tumbaggu. Yuddo iggebbandaaddo luwon ihenan tuggorpuyu iddeddaddu imwoddihush. listen	tuhot tukotpu-il-in itpopi-le-a-to ihelwih, ´uekpi-ik-um tuel ikehal-nu-ik-um. Yuto kukoy-ki-a-up-to inenam-u tuel tupmak-u. Yuto ikepat-na-a-to luwon ihenan tukolpu-yu itetat-tu imwoti-huk.	"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."
Nupwallu huggom puendinduddena. Ku´oftuddena puendimyuin tuhmaiggin ´uhoshtuhuggin, tuhmaiggin iddebbahkuggin tuer tuhmaiggin inellaggihluggin pumorkuhnush. listen	Nupwa-lu hukom puemtim-tut-ten-a. Ku´of-tut-ten-a puemtim-yu-in tuhma-ik-in ´uhoktu-huk-in, tuhma-ik-in itepak-huk-in tuer tuhma-ik-in inelak-il-huk-in pumoklun-huk.	This language was once featured. Thanks to its level of quality, plausibility and usage capabilities, it has been voted as featured.

Sample Basic Sentences
The house is new.	Iddeggayin inella anoggas.
My house is large.	Iddeggayyu inella niddear.
Your house is beautiful.	Iddeggayish inella iytuskaf.
Their houses are far.	Iddeggaynuum inerto pebbaype;
This book is mine.	Iddewallu inella puhush.
Those books are yours.	Idewarnubbu inerto wuhush.
This is his idea.	Iddowirnu inella uhpush.
These are not my shoes.	Uyallondullu inerto luddo puhush.
The money is not in the bag.	Pairkaddin luddo inella in´oykuin.
His family is in this town.	Puggoggiis inella taindayaskuin.
The worker is tired.	Tabbabbertain inella enaggeddellos.
You are smart.	(Iyeddas) inellas nihker.
Are they friendly?	(Ke Yuddo) inerto ponillo nas?

Trivia[]

The first name of this language was Ravumi. It was chosen long before the language was designed. But, as it was a "foreign" reference (from an Efhang source), it was kept as an alternate name.
- The original name is Tukik or, with the suffix -a, Tukika. The form Sukika is an old dialect form.
  - The current native form of the name is either Tuggish or Tuggigga. The suffix -a is an old collective plural ending, not used anymore actively in the language. So, Tukik/Tuggish is the simple ethnic designation of the people, culture language &c., while the form Tukika/Tuggigga/Sukika originally meant "the Sukika people". There is no difference in the use of these forms in the current language.
From a phonological point of view, the language has only ten consonants (P, T, K, m, n, L, ´, h, y, w) and five vowels (a, e, i, o, u).
- From a phonetical point of view, with the addition of the allophones for P, T, K and L and the current free variations, the number of consonants rises to twenty six, and with the addition of vowel variants (open and closed e and o, nasality &c.), the quantity of vowels rises to twenty ([a], [ɑ], [e], [ɛ], [i], [ɪ], [o], [ɔ], [u], [ʊ], both oral and nasal). However, these variants are completely free, so they are not relevant either lexically or grammatically.
In the first design of the language, it was meant to resemble Finnish, both in morphology and in grammar. Later on, some similarities with Eskimo-Aleut languages were added, like a degree of polysynthesis and the small number of phonemes.
The roots for Sukika words are relatively long, partly as a compensation for the low number of phonemes, partly as the initial design principle of mirroring Finnish features.