Qut

Introduction

Qut (Qut nã'anĩ) is a native South American language spoken on the North of the Amazonian forest, at the borders of Rio Negro.

Phonology

Consonants

	Bilabial	Alveolar	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
Nasal	m	n	ŋ
Plosive	p, b	t ~ t͡ʃ, d	k, g	q	ʔ
Fricative		s
Flap		ɾ

Vowels

	Frontal		Central		Back
	plain	nasal	plain	nasal	plain	nasal
Close	i	ĩ	ɨ	ɨ̃	u	ũ
Mid close					o	õ
Mid open	ɛ	ɛ̃
Open			a	ã

Nasal harmony

As many languages from South america, Qut has nasal harmony. When there is a nasal consonant or vowel in a word, it triggers the nasalization of other consonants and vowels.

The nasalization occurs from the beginning to the end of the. So sounds before the nasal trigger (consonant or vowel) aren't affected. It triggers all vowels and consonants, until the words end or when there is a p, t, k, q, ', s or r ; so all sounds after one of these consonants are note affected. when nasalization occurs, the vowels simply became their nasal equivalent, and b, d, g, became m, n, ñ:

• mikekeni > mĩkekenĩ (three)
• ñoaba > ñõãmã (house of)
• makua > mãkua (father)
• na'aniba > nã'anĩmã (to speak)

Morphology

Nouns

Qut nouns are separated between two classes, named I (non-pluriform) and II (pluriform), which are separated between IIa and IIb. Their difference is in genitive and possession constructions based on three forms

Absolute form - The basic form of a noun; a noun which is not possessed.

N1 - The form of the possessed noun, when associated with the possessive prefixes for the 1st person singular, 2nd person singular or plural, and 3rd person singular or plural

N2 - The form of the possessed noun, when associated with the possessive prefixes for the 1st person plural exclusive or inclusive or the form of the nomen regens in a genitive clause : Pedro mãkua, "Pedro's father"

	I	IIa	IIb
Absolute form	sa	goaba	mãkua
	arrow	house	father
1SG	pasa	pagoaba	pabakua
	mine arrow	my house	my father
2SG	rosa	rogoaba	robakua
	thine arrow	thy house	thy father
3	usa	ugoaba	ubakua
	his/their arrow	his/their house	his/their father
1PL EXCL	tysa	tyñõãmã	tymãkua
	our arrow	our house	our father
1PL INCL	rysa	ryñõãmã	rymãkua
	our arrow	our house	our father
2PL	ru'sa	ru'goaba	ru'bakua
	your arrow	your house	your father
Genitive construction	NP sa	NP ñõãmã	NP mãkua
	NP's arrow / arrow of NP	NP's house / house of NP	NP's father / father of NP

Syntax