Gapauti
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Gapauti is the native language of the Tsapeteg, a Kettek culture who live along the shores of the Tekingu Dattunga. Due to the easy trade relations the Tsapeteg have historically enjoyed with other cultures, both local and foreign, Gapauti has been used, and is still used today, as a major language in every country that borders the Tekingu Dattunga, as well as a good number of the cities that line the Kipesheye River.
Orthography
Phonology
Consonants
Consonant inventory: /b d dz g h j k kʰ l m n p pʰ r s t tsʰ tʰ ts x z ŋ ɾ ʃ/
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palato-alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | pʰ p b | tʰ t d | kʰ k g | ||||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | ||||
| Affricative | tsʰ ts dz | ||||||
| Fricative | s z | ʃ | x | h | |||
| Approximant | l | j | |||||
| Tap | ɾ | ||||||
| Trill | r | ||||||
Vowels
Vowel inventory: /a e i u/
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Close-mid | e | ||
| Open | a |
Diphthongs: None
Phonotactics
Syllable structure for is (C)V(C), with no fixed stress pattern.
- /l/ turns into /s/ if before /k/
- /a/ becomes silent if before /i/
- /ŋ/ becomes /n/ before /i/
- /s/ becomes /h/ if between two vowels
- /n/ becomes /ɲ/ if before (consonant)
- /l/ becomes /ʎ/ if before (consonant)
Grammar
Word order is Subject-Object-Verb-Oblique, with adjectives placed before their nouns and postpositions used as adpositions.
- "Mary opened the red door with a key" = "Mary the red door opened with a key"
Nouns
Noun Morphology
| Singular | Plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Animate | child | xirig /xi'rig/ | children | Suffix: - /-/ xirig /xi'rig/ |
| Inanimate | stone | ngeki /'ŋeki/ | stones | Suffix: -(a)sh /-(a)ʃ/ ngekish /'ŋekiʃ/ | |
| Accusative | Animate | child | Suffix: -(u)ki /-(u)kʰi/ xiriguki /xi'rigukʰi/ |
chidren | Suffix: -u /-u/ xirigu /xi'rigu/ |
| Inanimate | stone | Suffix: -(a)g /-(a)g/ ngekig /'ŋekig/ |
stones | Suffix: -u /-u/ ngekiu /'ŋekiu/ | |
| Genitive | Animate | child's | Suffix: -i /-i/ xirigi /xi'rigi/ |
children's | Suffix: -(a)sh /-(a)ʃ/ xirigash /xi'rigaʃ/ |
| Inanimate | stone's | Suffix: -(e)sh /-(e)ʃ/ ngekish /'ŋekiʃ/ | stones' | Suffix: -(e)r /-(e)ɾ/ ngekish /'ŋekiɾ/ | |
Definitive Article
| Singular | Plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Animate | the [child] | tat /tat/ | the [children] | tsap /tsap/ |
| Inanimate | the [stone] | peg /pʰeg/ | the [stones] | peg /pʰeg/ | |
| Accusative | Animate | the [child] | tsa /tsa/ | the [children] | ngeg /ŋeg/ |
| Inanimate | the [stone] | xesh /xeʃ/ | the [stones] | shug /ʃug/ | |
| Genitive | Animate | the [child] | tsi /tsi/ | the [children] | ngem /ŋem/ |
| Inanimate | the [stone] | tsush /tsuʃ/ | the [stones] | tus /tʰus/ | |
Uses of definite article that differ from English:
- Definite article can be omitted: example, ‘I am going to jacuzzi’
- Not used for mass (uncountable) nouns: English's ‘Walking in the mud’ would always translate to ‘Walking in mud’
Indefinite Article
Gapauti does not use an indefinite article.
Personal Pronouns
| Nominative | Accusative | Genitive | Dative | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st. Singular | I | tse /tse/ |
me | tsang /tsaŋ/ |
mine | tse gas /tse gas/ |
to me | tse tat /tse tat/ |
| 2nd. Singular | you | ti /ti/ |
you | tet /tet/ |
yours | ti gas /ti gas/ |
to you | ti tat /ti tat/ |
| 3rd. Singular | he/she/it | tsi /tsi/ |
him/her/it | tsu /tsu/ |
his/hers/its | tsi gas /tsi gas/ |
to him/her/it | tsi tat /tsi tat/ |
| 1st. Plural | we | par /pʰaɾ/ |
us | ped /pʰed/ |
ours | par gas /pʰaɾ gas/ |
to us | par tat /pʰaɾ tat/ |
| 2nd. Plural | you | ngesh /ŋeʃ/ |
you | ngesh /ŋeʃ/ |
yours | ngesh gas /ŋeʃ gas/ |
to you | ngesh tat /ŋeʃ tat/ |
| 3rd. Plural | they | pig /pig/ |
them | pir /piɾ/ |
theirs | 'pig gas /pig gas/ |
to them | pig tat /pig tat/ |
Verbs
| Past | Present | Future | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfective | talked | talk | will talk | |
| 1st. Sg | Suffix: -(a)sh /-(a)ʃ/ xash /xaʃ/ |
Suffix: -(a) /-(a)/ xa /xa/ |
Suffix: -u /-u/ xau /xa'u/ | |
| 2nd. Sg | Suffix: -(e)d /-(e)d/ xad /xad/ |
Suffix: -e /-e/ xae /xa'e/ |
Suffix: -i /-i/ xai /xa'i/ | |
| 3rd. Sg | Suffix: -u /-u/ xau /xa'u/ |
Suffix: -(a)xe /-(a)xe/ xaxe /xa'xe/ |
Suffix: -(a)d /-(a)d/ xad /xad/ | |
| 1st. Pl | Suffix: -(a)ng /-(a)ŋ/ xang /xaŋ/ |
Suffix: -i /-i/ xai /xa'i/ |
Suffix: -(e)s /-(e)s/ xas /xas/ | |
| 2nd. Pl | Suffix: -(e)n /-(e)n/ xan /xan/ |
Suffix: -(e)ngu /-(e)ngu/ xangu /xa'ŋu/ |
Suffix: -i /-i/ xai /xa'i/ | |
| 3rd. Pl | Suffix: -i /-i/ xai /xa'i/ |
Suffix: -(e)di /-(e)di/ xadi /xa'di/ |
Suffix: -i /-i/ xai /xa'i/ | |
- Perfect aspect -- uses the word shiple after the main verb -- "have talked" or xash shiple ("talked finish")
- Progressive aspect -- uses the word dzi after the main verb -- "am talking" or xa dzi ("talk be")
- Imperative -- uses the same conjugation as 2nd-person present-tense -- "talk!" (as a command) or xae
- Negation -- adds the suffix -u /-u/ to the verb -- "do not talk" or xaeu
- Tense affixes come between the root verb and the negative affix
Common Usage
Numbers
The numeral system used is Duodecimal (base 12). When using Arabic numerals, please note the following:
- Numbers 0 - 9 are shown as normal
- Number ten is shown as 'A'
- Number eleven is shown as 'B'
- Number twelve is shown as '10' (meaning 1 dozen and 0 units)
- Continuing in this pattern, fourteen is shown as '12' (meaning 1 dozen and 2 units)
Useful phrases
| English | Gapauti | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome | Meyit | /'mejit/ |
| Hello (General greeting) | Xeze | /'xeze/ |
| How are you? | Ti lue puyi | /ti 'lue pu'ji/ |
| Reply to "how are you?" | Tsuash, pukna | /tsu'aʃ 'pʰukna/ |
| What's your name? | Shid ming ti gas ruknexe? | /ʃid miŋ ti gas ɾukˈnexe/ |
| My name is ... | ... tse gas ming rukne | /tse gas miŋ ɾukˈne/ |
| Where are you from? | Ti din dzer tue? | /ti din dzeɾ 'tʰue/ |
| I'm from ... | Tse din ... tu | /tse din ... tʰu/ |
| Pleased to meet you | Rupe tugem | /ɾu'pe 'tʰugem/ |
| Good morning (Morning greeting) | Rupe tat xinsag | /ɾu'pe tat xin'sag/ |
| Good afternoon (Afternoon greeting) | Rupe tat kas | /ɾu'pe tat kas/ |
| Good evening (Evening greeting) | Rupe tat kilash | /ɾu'pe tat 'kilaʃ/ |
| Goodbye (Parting phrase) | Tsuash tatsuti | /tsuˈaʃ tat'sʰuti/ |
| Good night | Rupe tat kuke | /ɾu'pe tat 'kukʰe/ |
| Good luck! | ||
| Cheers! (Toasts used when drinking) | ||
| Bon appetit/ Have a nice meal | ||
| I understand | ||
| I don't understand | ||
| Yes | Yud | /jud/ |
| No | Ru | /ɾu/ |
| Maybe | Nu | /nu/ |
| I don't know | ||
| Please speak more slowly | ||
| Please write it down | ||
| Do you speak English? | ||
| Do you speak Kukʉp? | ||
| Yes, a little (reply to "Do you speak...?") | ||
| Speak to me in *** | ||
| How do you say ... in ***? | ||
| Excuse me | ||
| How much is this? | ||
| Sorry | ||
| Please | ||
| Thank you | ||
| Reply to thank you | ||
| Where's the toilet? | ||
| I love you | ||
| Get well soon | ||
| Help! | Dinge! | /'diŋe/ |
| Fire! | Yaa! | /ja'a/ |
| Stop! | Kukese! | /'kʰukʰese/ |
| Christmas and New Year greetings | ||
| Easter greetings | ||
| Birthday greetings | ||
| One language is never enough | ||
| My hovercraft is full of eels |
Swear Words
| Gapauti | Pronunciation | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| tie | /ti'e/ | you | pronoun, conveys annoyance, may be used with affection |
| die | /di'e/ | you | pronoun, vulgar, commonly used by younger folk |
| tedzii | /tedzi'i/ | you | pronoun, conveys hatred and/or disgust |
| ada kuris | /a'da 'kʰuris/ | crap, damn | exclamation, "hot sand" |
| renghunsadulap | /reŋhunsa'dulap/ | a foolish, awkward, or clumsy person | noun, "a cracked shell" |
| kilat | /kʰi'lat/ | gross, cool (fashionable) | adjective, mild, versatile, difficult to translate |
| kues mitash | /kʰu'es 'mitaʃ/ | fucking fantastic | exclamation, a vulgar way to express happiness, "rotten eyeballs" |
| renghunsagad tsulengaki | /reŋ'hunsagad tsʰu'leŋakʰi/ | idiot, asshole | noun, "a cracked egg" |
| tsulengaki tsalere seyyush ripeta | /tsʰu'leŋakʰi tsa'leɾe 'sejjuʃ ri'petʰa/ | fuck off | verb, "lay an egg in a fish", often shorted to 'tsulengaki tsalere' |
| tsulenga renghunsagin | /tsʰu'leŋa reŋ'hunsagin/ | --- | noun, vulgar, offensive, "an egg cracker" |
| tsulenga taten | /tsʰu'leŋa 'taten/ | --- | noun, vulgar, very offensive, frequently used to start a fight, "an egg eater" |
Common names
| Name | Pronunciation | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beyigi | /'bejigi/ | little sound | "sound" + diminutive suffix |
| Dexiting | /de'xitiŋ/ | sea-sky | |
| Dureng | /'dureŋ/ | ocean | |
| Durengzash | /du'reŋzaʃ/ | ocean-power | |
| Kuyi | /'kuji/ | beautiful | |
| Kurisashpele | /kurisaʃ'pele/ | sandy shore | "sand" + (N > Adj) suffix + "shore" |
| Luku | /'luku/ | current | |
| Milee | /mi'lee/ | treasure | "precious" + (Adj > N) suffix |
| Mukeiyaad | /mukei'jaad/ | brightest star | "bright" + augmentative suffix + "star" |
| Nuyen | /nu'jen/ | warrior | |
| Palad | /pa'lad/ | joy | |
| Payegapa | /Pajega'pa/ | cool breeze | |
| Pege | /'pege/ | young one | "young" + (Adj > N) suffix |
| Pidag | /'pidag/ | gift | |
| Puda | /'puda/ | pearl | |
| Tettee | /tet'tee/ | clever one | "clever" + (Adj > N) suffix |
| Ting | /tiŋ/ | sky | |
| Xukee | /'xuhee/ | calm one | "calm" + (Adj > N) suffix |
| Xulang | /'xulaŋ/ | song | |
| Yaa | /ja'a/ | fire | |
| Zae | /'zae/ | good one | "good" + (Adj > N) suffix |
| Zitsakesh | /zitsa'keʃ/ | sweetheart | |
| Nge | /ŋe/ | friend | |
| Ngeki | /'ŋeki/ | stone | |
| Ngelerin | /'ŋeleɾin/ | trickster | "trick" + (one who Xs) suffix |
| Ngeyish | /ŋe'jiʃ/ | home | |
| Shatyakabus | /ʃatjaka'bus/ | storm winds | |
| Shiy | /ʃij/ | strong | |
| Atad | /a'tad/ | famous one | "well" + "know" + (V > Adj) suffix |
| Ebu | /e'bu/ | flower |