Sallup

Sallup
Period	c. 0 YP
Spoken in
Total speakers	~2000
Writing system	unknown
Classification	unknown
Typology
Basic word order	SOV
Morphology	unknown
Alignment	unknown
Credits
Created by	User:Karch

Sallup (/səlˈlup/) is a language spoken by some people living near a river.

Phonology

Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
p b	t d	tɕ dʑ <c j>	k g	q	ʔ
m	n	ɲ <ñ>	ŋ
	r
	s z	ɕ ʑ <š ž>			h
w	l	j		ʕ

Front	Central	Back
i		u
e	ə	o
ɛ	a	ɔ

Stress is word-final (but some clitics are unstressed, see below). In unstressed syllables, only /i u e ə a/ can occur, and /e/ only before palatals or uvulars (in which case it can be analyzed as an allophone of /i/).

The maximal syllable structure is CVC2, where C2 = /p t c~k q ʔ m n ɲ~ŋ r w j ʕ/. /c ɲ/ occur only before front vowels, whereas /k ŋ/ occur before the rest. Word-internally, only two codas are permitted - Q and N, where Q triggers gemination of the following consonant and N surfaces as a homorganic nasal.

Nouns

Case

Sallup nouns distinguish four cases: nominative, accusative, locative and instrumental.

The nominative case, which is unmarked, is used for arguments of intransitive verbs and subjects of transitive clauses.

The accusative case, which is marked with the suffix -ŋ (which replaces the final consonant) in absolute state and with the unstressed clitic cat in the construct state, is used for direct objects of transitive clauses, and in prepositional phrases.

The locative, marked with the suffix -ʕ (which also replaces the final consonant) on nouns in the absolute state and with the unstressed clitic ca: in the construct state, is used to signify location within.

yuŋqɛ

yuŋqɛ

tomorrow

gicəʔət

gicəʔət

mockingbird

gəccuŋ

gəccuŋ

wake_up.PST

ca

ca

3SG

huyu

huyu

vomit

ʔukuwak

ʔukuwa-k

bird-CON

wijjea

wijjiy-ʕ

sky-LOC

səriñ

sir-ŋ

see-PST

The next day, the mockingbird woke up and saw in the sky a vomitous bird,

The instrumental, marked with the unstressed clitic caʔ, is used for instruments.

State

Sallup nouns distinguish between absolute state, which is unmarked, and construct state, marked with the suffix -k. The construct state signifies that a noun is governed by another noun.

Verbs

Definiteness

In Sallup, definiteness of the core argument closest to the verb is marked on said verb - i.e. there is a separate suffix for intransitive verbs (ci-), marking that the subject is definite, and for transitive verbs (ciC-), marking that the object is definite.

Sample text

How Lyqou the spider outsmarted the mockingbird

bitəyət

bitəyət

long_ago

gicəʔət

gicəʔət

mockingbird

ca

ca

3SG

žancic

žancic

forest

səyok

səyo-k

animal-CON

sayəcuk

sayəcur-k

king-CON

sa

sa

REL

səʔ

səʔ

say.PST

Once there was a mockingbird who declared himself king of the forest,

“bəʔ

bəʔ

2SG

kit

kit

any

wat

wat

1SG.ACC

gassɔŋ

gassɔŋ

disturb\FUT

wa

wa

1SG

ja:

jaʕ

2SG

ʔic-cat

ʔi-c꞊cat

head-CON꞊ACC.CON

wa

wa

1SG

ləʕʕəwəak

ləʕʕəwəʕ-k

hammer-CON

capəkək-caʔ

capəkər-k꞊caʔ

hammer-CON꞊INST

gat”

gat

split\FUT

səʔ

səʔ

say.PST

and said, “if any of you fuck with me I’ll split your head with my hammerous beak!”