Tlu

Tlu (Tlu: niʔ məchə̄tvaʔ guṇmaʔ 'the Tlu sound' or 'the Tlu language') is an ancient Mustlup language inspired by my oldest draft of Proto-Talmic. It evolves into Məkhə́thə.

todo

• zoug (m) = "person"
• ṭunie (f) = "tree"
• ďəsmū (m) < ḱʼəsmū "woman"
• ʔəḷ < ʔəḷ "no, not"
• tī < tiwī "yes"
• sufnə (f) < suxʷnə "rain"
• seib (m) < səyb "snow"
• kuoṇḍaiḍ (m) < kʷuyṇḍayṭʼ "net"
• gai (f) < gay "east"
• chƛətum (f) < x̌ƛətum "west"
• pəsə (f) < pəṣə "south"
• ʔauʔāp (f) < ʔawʔākʷ "north"
• guṇma (m) < guṇma "sound, language"
• nīmə (m) < nīmə "water"
• sλəp (f) < sƛʼəp "land"
• chnousaṭ (f) < xnəwsaṭ "cloud"
• hi 'and'
• tāňi (m) < tāňi "house"
• sud (m) < sutʼ "man"
• σai (adj) < łaj "good"
• bugu (adj) < bukʼu "bad"
• vəjāz (adj) < wəjhāḍẓ "small"
• ʔaimu (v) < ʔaymu "eat"
• zə̄ŋauz (f) < tsʼə̄ŋawtsʼ "lightning"
• buoƛūf (intj) < buyƛūxʷ "hello! greetings!"
• qintais (m) < "film, screen"
• nuchsi (m) < nuxci 'hand'
• hei (intj) < qʼəy "Oh! Ah!"

• xʷɬaːləj > flālei
• kəːtsʼaː > kə̄zā
• χɳəːxʷnawpʼ > chṇə̄fnaub
• qʼəj > hei
• χiːɭaj > chīḷai
• ŋqʼəjuː > əŋŋəjū
• χpʼiw > chbie
• ɭɖiw > əḷḍie
• pɭəχɬig > pḷəchlig
• tʂajhawp > saihaup
• ʈajqʼiʂ > ṭaihis
• dzxʷaj > sfai
• gəːgaj > qə­̄qai
• tɬʼɲawŋip > λňauŋip
• tsuj > suo
• tsʼpʼipdzajɬ > zbibzaił
• tɬuːxʷtʼuː > ƛūfdū
• tɬʼu > λu
• gəw > gou
• ɟiː > ďī
• xʷaːtsʼɲəː > fāzňə̄

qsamňuo ďə̄ sai fie hū schau sadijə̄ muo vī pchai bou ṭa ḷou buchou ťchə̄ṭāb zṇiepsai łaisəṭ łuchṭi panāch zoudū ʔidieb sie pouňuob ḷu būďīz əŋʔī za ƛauchkīb sgi hichsaim huŋei fŋieŋŋuo tuo fsīzie bīpchou zmaiṭcha chṇə ba ŋou ňī ḍuofďəƛ luťi suojau łei sə̄ zou ƛeizbouď əňchāƛmāḍ kə̄ buoḷə̄ łūknu kḍaďə̄ schā chuopḍei slī vaiṭṇə̄ snuo dbou souṇəz vəbeib gouchuḷ ňu pūntū tchai əṇsausied stabaiλ jāffīṭ əlsou pgaiheiʔ sachna tfə nałchuos ʔī əlsie sībī ňūdies guo ūtti zə̄sň­ə̄ň hu ʔei zuku huchduod bouhaun gemcheib tā hi miƛū mou hə̄ smie ňai ʔauppəʔ zai qṭaumeiʔ baiqī qəʔeib souhies ďū chiʔou ṇū əltaifsous ʔeitbā ʔuoʔə̄ʔ ʔə fuoffouṭ ki buo bou ʔūmə qū ʔie mau ʔə̄chpāb ṇā łai pṇīhə̄ zə̄ chlai łgouzīp dou λāsūs ḍou baimpai lə̄ ƛəňňu ťu łou beiλə ḍīzuoʔ zīʔuo bi ṭa sū ṇī klə̄ʔouḷ chie zi simie ʔai zu chougə̄ hīsau əlgə̄ chə̄suʔ qāvei paibīʔ pḍū fsuosiez ʔīfdə̄ λə̄chsī ʔachauf ḍubbai mā əlʔəqīʔ λḍeichḍāz łqeiḍaḷ ʔeibə̄ dachbaup chzū zu sbə bā sniefŋi

tsʼəːhəj ɬuː wiwmiwd xtʼahdzaw dʐiː gʷujʔuːk ɬulqaːm ʔaw kaj dɮaw ɭaː huːwaw xawgʷu ɟibəː liwkʷʼaːɲ tlaj cʼuχdzawɖ pʼuɖaː kʷəːŋkʷiwgʷ tsəw qʼaːmjiː xəj ɬəwkʷʼuj təʔuː ʔaɬax kʷəxʷəj xʷa ʔəj ltəw tsuː tsʼna haː sə jujpəg ŋmək'ts'əjx ʔujɳʈʼuːw tɬətsʼiʈʼ lə kʷəwgʷxʷiː cʼaw ŋə sa tʼəjxtʂəwɟ ʔuxiwj sχiːʔəwdʐ kɬədzaj jaːpnəŋ gujwəː xɭiːɬuk suː ɬaːhgaːd gujnaː hliw baːbuːx kʼiː ʔəwcə dɮɳəj dziː cʼaːwuː ta tsʼmi tɬətkʷuːts nməj xi ʈʼiw kʷu liwhəjx tsʼu kʼihsaj tɬʼutɬuj skʼəw tɬʼəkʷlaj hiwtɲəj piw xʈʼəː gʷə pʈuj tɬaː səj ŋəjpu tɬʼuː tsujsuːts xʷə xəwŋkawxʷ xʷəj ɲcʼaːɲɲuːqʼ gʷiwpaw dʐaːtʂaj nʔəːʔuʔ dzuːkaː na tɬuːŋɢajq qaː ʔiw dʐəwɭɭujl pʼiː ɲʔa myusi tɬəwɳɳəw pikiw saːɳɳəj dəjcʼujj qʼaxaːʔ ɲʔiw nnujmuj ʔawɟaːkʷ tsʼiw ʈuŋməwl guɲma dʐaːʔi qʼaːŋqʼa ʈu ʔə bu kʷəw ʔəwʔəj kʼəː ʔətsʼə ʔiːɭəːtʂ tɬʼəː χu mitʂuʔ xəw ʂajŋnəː səː ʔaw ŋə ŋmujʂəj ɬuː gaw tɬu kʼiː ŋkʼaːɭiːgʷ ʔiː gʷajɳu hinmuːw ɢaː ʈuːkʷʼə pəːʈʼəjg lnəjntsatsʼ miːkʼə ʈəj ʔəlŋiw qʼi ʈujkʼuːtɬʼ ŋnə xʷiw dɮiː dʐiw qʼəʂəjh ɭɳintsʼiː wəjhaːdʐ dɮəw wəw bəlŋiːχ nəw ŋgʷəː dzəːɟaw kəjxiw tiwpʼiwɟ lulmawʈ mləqəʔ tɬʼu lnujtʂʼəw ndzaʔaː ɲəw najəːʔ mi ŋgʷajlʔəːkʷ ɳʈʂʼə ʔawʔaːkʷ cʼi gaj ntɬiʈuj ɬəw ŋa kʷumbawd ʔaʈiːdɮ ɖu kʷʼiw pʼəw ɖaj ʔa ʔiːkʼaː lŋəj tʼəw xʷaːʔuː mlilɲiw ɖuj ɳʈə tsʼəw wuɭu kʷujɳɖajʈʼ hiː kʼaː mni kʷʼə ʈa ʔəʔib tsutɬʼəw kəː tʼaːtsʼiw ʈə ɭɭiw ʈʼuːŋɢatʼ kʷʼa mu ʔuː qintsajs ʔawntsajχ ʔaː tʂʼajdʐa tsʼəːŋawtsʼ suː ŋgʷaw ʔajluɲ ʔajmmu dʐaw xʷəw ʔaj ɲcəj gʷəːkəwʂ tsuj ɳɳawʔu jəjhaːʔ ʂə hə ɳɖaw tɬʼiː ɢiw xə jə ɲɲuː tɬʼitəwɬ paw cuj ɬiʔiw tɬʼaj ɲaː hiːɲɟətʼ wuː piwɬac tsətʼuɭ dɮəjmiːxʷ jaj jiːʔəːtɬ ti ŋaj tʂajnəːχ lnəj dʐiː xʷəːʔəʔ ʔəw dəw ɳɳə xəːŋkʷəʔ tʼəʈʼaː ɢəjguj nuːʈəːʔ ŋəj tʼi ʔəːllub ɳaː tʼiw qəj lʔu ntiwwuj qu lʔaː jajɟəʔ ŋajɳajʔ tsʼiː ndzəʔajp ʈuj dʐaːŋkucʼ jəjʈawɖ xʷəjɲɲuːtʼ ɳʈʂuj tɬʼujŋgʷiːkʷʼ wu mŋiːdʐaːkʷ mɳuːʂiʔ

Phonology

Consonants

/m n ɳ ɲ ŋ p t tɬ ʈ c k q ʔ b d dɮ ɖ ɟ g f s̠ ɬ x h z̠ ɮ ʋ l ɭ j/ ⟨m n ṇ ñ ŋ p t ƛ ṭ ť k q ʔ b d λ ḍ ď g f s σ ch h z ʒ v l ḷ j⟩

Vowels

/i iː u uː ə əː a aː ai au ei ou ie uo/ ⟨i ī u ū ə ə̄ a ā ai au ei ou ie uo⟩

Prosody

Stress

Stress falls on the first heavy (CV̄, CVV or CVC) syllable, if it is not the final syllable. If no syllables are long, the first syllable is stressed.

Morphology

Pronouns

• 1sg, 2sg, 3sg, 1pl, 2pl, 3pl: sƛī, ŋə̄, bəʔ, bau, zad, chau, bəbuo, bəbəv

Nouns

Nouns are reduplicated for plural, and take possessive prefixes. They do not decline for case, unlike adjectives and determiners. When nouns are preceded by a determiner or an adjective, they (even if plural) do not take a plural form.

chnousaṭ - 'cloud'
Number→ State↓	Singular	Plural
Indefinite	chnousaṭ	chəchnousaṭ
1sg possessor	łichnousaṭ	łichəchnousaṭ
2sg possessor	ŋəchnousaṭ	ŋəchəchnousaṭ
3sg.m possessor	səchnousaṭ	səchnousaṭ
3sg.f possessor	sūchnousaṭ	sūchəchnousaṭ
1pl possessor	zdəchnousaṭ	zdəchəchnousaṭ
2pl possessor	hauchnousaṭ	hauchəchnousaṭ
3pl.m possessor	səŋchnousaṭ	səŋchəchnousaṭ
3pl.f possessor	səstchnousaṭ	səstchəchnousaṭ

mich sud sə·tətāňi

DEF-ACC man 3SG-PL-house

the man's houses

Adjectives

Adjectives precede nouns and inflect for gender, number and case. Demonstratives and determiners also inflect as adjectives.

zviṭəʔ 'big' (masculine)
State	Singular	Plural
Nominative	zviṭəʔ	zviṭuo
Oblique	zviṭuch	zviṭəŋ

zviṭəʔ 'big' (feminine)
State	Singular	Plural
Nominative	zviṭou	zviṭə̄f
Oblique	zviṭə̄ʔ	zviṭə̄st

The definite article inflects as follows:

niʔ 'definite article' (masculine)
State	Singular	Plural
Nominative	niʔ	nuo
Oblique	nich	niŋ

niʔ 'definite article' (feminine)
State	Singular	Plural
Nominative	nie	nə̄f
Oblique	nə̄ʔ	nə̄st

Verbs

• vimaḷch = I sit
• ŋəmaḷch = you sit
• ʔəmaḷch = he sits
• ʔūmaḷch = she sits
• zamaḷch = we sit
• chamaḷch = you people sit
• ʔəmmaḷch = they sit

• -au = past tense?

• sva- = negative

Numerals

Tlu uses a base-12 numeral system. Numerals are indeclinable.

• 1: seiďu /ˈseiɟu/
• 2: bli /bli/
• 3: sqā /sqaː/
• 4: māvi /ˈmaːʋi/
• 5: paiku /ˈpaiku/
• 6: ə̄ƛich /ˈəːtɬix/
• 7: zətə̄ /ˈzətəː/
• 8: baŋud /ˈbaŋud/
• 9: ďavuň /ˈɟaʋuɲ/
• 10: fqāchṭī /ˈfqaːxʈiː/
• 11: bə̄zie /ˈbəːzie/
• 12: zie /zie/
• 144: ʔənƛə̄ḷ
• 1728: chapkit

The ordinal numbers are adjectives:

• 1: nəʔtmu
• 2: nəʔbli
• 3: nəʔsqā

etc.