A Collection of Texts in Tet

What follows is a collection of texts intended to illustrate the language in more natural and extended use than the glossed examples found in the grammar.

The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1–9)

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

بوڭ قۡب ڭوڭپ ڃسك نك ح كشف رݐك نت دويف سك شي فروف سك۔

[ˈboːŋ ᵏǀib ˈŋauŋop ˈɲesik ˈnik ˈho ˈkuʃuf ˈɾiɓik ˈnit ˈdoːjuf ˈsuk ˈʃuj fiˈɾiʋif ˈsuk]

ˈboː
have

not.Q
ᵏǀib
PAST
ˈŋauŋ
human being
-ep
plur
ˈɲes
all
-ik
NOM
ˈni
the
-k
fem
ˈho
in_surface
ˈkuʃ
earth
-if
sing
ˈɾiɓ
whole
-ik
NOM
ˈni
the
-t
masc
ˈdoːj
language
-if
sing
ˈsuk
one
ˈʃuj
and
fiˈɾiʋ
dialect
-if
sing
ˈsuk
one

“All humans in the whole earth had one language and one dialect.”

(1)

And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

حووڭ قۡب ڃش ووو چودف نر۔

[haˈʋoːŋ ᵏǀib ˈɲiʃ ˈʋauʋ ˈt͡ʃɔːduf ˈniɾ]

haˈʋoː
journey

not.Q
ᵏǀib
PAST
ˈɲiʃ
3.plur.fem
ˈʋauʋ
from_inside
ˈt͡ʃɔːd
east
-if
sing
ˈni
the

neut

“They journeyed from the east.”

(2)
شي حيڭ قۡب ڃش قۡوڃف قۡينك فك قۡيرف۔

[ˈʃuj ˈhɛːŋ ᵏǀib ˈɲiʃ ᵏǀaˈʋɔɲuf ˈᵏǀainik ˈfak ˈᵏǀaiɾif]

ˈʃuj
and
ˈhɛː
find

not.Q
ᵏǀib
PAST
ˈɲiʃ
3.plur.fem
ᵏǀaˈʋɔɲ
plain
-if
sing
ˈᵏǀain
wide
-ik
NOM
ˈfak
in_inside
ˈᵏǀaiɾ
land
-if
sing

“And they found a wide plain in the a land.”

(3)
وپا قۡشيڭ قۡب ڃش حام۔

[ʋeˈpaː ᵏǀeˈʃeːŋ ᵏǀib ˈɲiʃ ˈhaːm]

ʋeˈpaː
thus
ᵏǀeˈʃeː
dwell

not.Q
ᵏǀib
PAST
ˈɲiʃ
3.plur.fem
ˈhaːm
there

“Thus they dwelled there.”

(4)

And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.

ݐڭ قۡب ڃش نقۡت سڭ شپ قۡڃتپ چتم شي نقۡت نقۡوڭ شپ قۡڃتپ چتم پكيو۔

[ˈɓiŋ ᵏǀib ˈɲiʃ ˈᵑǀɔt ˈsɔŋ ʃap ᵏǀiˈɲetep t͡ʃiˈtem ˈʃuj ˈᵑǀɔt ˈᵑǀauŋ ʃap ᵏǀiˈɲetep t͡ʃiˈtem piˈkiːʋ]

ˈɓi
say

not.Q
ᵏǀib
PAST
ˈɲiʃ
3.plur.fem
ˈᵑǀɔt
1incl.plur
ˈsɔ
make

not.Q
ʃap
imperative
ᵏǀiˈɲet
brick
-ep
plur
t͡ʃiˈtem
COMP
ˈʃuj
and
ˈᵑǀɔt
1incl.plur
ˈᵑǀau
burn

not.Q
ʃap
imperative
ᵏǀiˈɲet
brick
-ep
plur
t͡ʃiˈtem
COMP
piˈkiːʋ
thoroughly

“They said: Let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.”

(5)

And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

بوڭ قۡب ڃش قۡڃتف ݐݐس موگف۔

[ˈboːŋ ᵏǀib ˈɲiʃ ᵏǀiˈɲetif ɓaˈɓus ˈmuːɡuf]

ˈboː
have

not.Q
ᵏǀib
PAST
ˈɲiʃ
3.plur.fem
ᵏǀiˈɲet
brick
-if
sing
ɓaˈɓus
PURP
ˈmuːɡ
stone
-if
sing

“They had bricks for stone.”

(6)
شي بوڭ قۡب ڃش نقۡيڭف ݐݐس نقۡشوكف۔

[ˈʃuj ˈboːŋ ᵏǀib ˈɲiʃ ᵑǀiˈjaŋif ɓaˈɓus ᵑǀoˈʃɔːkuf]

ˈʃuj
and
ˈboː
have

not.Q
ᵏǀib
PAST
ˈɲiʃ
3.plur.fem
ᵑǀiˈjaŋ
slime
-if
sing
ɓaˈɓus
PURP
ᵑǀeˈʃɔːk
mortar
-if
sing

“And they had slime for mortar.”

(7)

A Creation Myth

We are not like other people.

دڃيڭ نر نقۡت ڭوڭپ گپك۔

[daˈɲaiŋ naɾ ˈᵑǀɔt ˈŋauŋop ˈɡɔpuk]

daˈɲai
resemble

not.Q
naɾ
NEG
ˈᵑǀɔt
1incl.plur
ˈŋauŋ
human being
-ep
plur
ˈɡɔp
other
-ik
NOM

“We do not resemble other humans.”

(8)

Their languages were shaped by struggle and time.

نقۡگوڭ قۡب مݐف شي بنف دويپ نر ڃش۔

[ᵑǀaˈɡauŋ ᵏǀib ˈmoɓuf ˈʃuj ˈbenif ˈdoːjop ˈniɾ ˈɲiʃ]

ᵑǀaˈɡau
shape

not.Q
ᵏǀib
PAST
ˈmoɓ
fight
-if
sing
ˈʃuj
and
ˈben
time
-if
sing
ˈdoːj
language
-ep
plur
ˈni
the

neut
ˈɲiʃ
3.plur.fem

“Their languages were shaped by fight and time.”

(9)

They copied the sounds of beasts and birds, and they learned to speak like that.

ورڭ قۡب ڃش رڭپ نر ترڃپ شي بمپ۔

[ʋoˈɾoŋ ᵏǀib ˈɲiʃ ˈɾaŋep ˈniɾ taˈɾaɲep ˈʃuj ˈbemep]

ʋeˈɾo
copy

not.Q
ᵏǀib
PAST
ˈɲiʃ
3.plur.fem
ˈɾaŋ
sound
-ep
plur
ˈni
the

neut
taˈɾaɲ
mammal
-ep
plur
ˈʃuj
and
ˈbem
bird
-ep
plur

“They copied the sounds of mammals and birds.”

(10)

But our language arose in a different way.

نڭ چگڭ قۡب نقۡوڭ دويف نر نقۡت چتم تتف نت فك تادف يورك۔

[ˈnɔŋ t͡ʃuˈɡuŋ ᵏǀib ˈᵑǀoːŋ ˈdoːjuf ˈniɾ ˈᵑǀɔt t͡ʃiˈtem ˈtetif ˈnit ˈfak ˈtaːdif ˈjauɾuk]

ˈnɔŋ
but
t͡ʃiˈɡu
arise

not.Q
ᵏǀib
PAST
ˈᵑǀoː
be

not.Q
ˈdoːj
language
-if
sing
ˈni
the

neut
ˈᵑǀɔt
1incl.plur
t͡ʃiˈtem
COMP
ˈtet
langname
-if
sing
ˈni
the
-t
masc
ˈfak
in_inside
ˈtaːd
manner
-if
sing
ˈjauɾ
different
-ik
NOM

“But Tet, which is our language, arose in a different way.”

(11)

It was born whole and perfect in a single breath.

پڃڭ قۡب نݐ رݐك شي تگيمك فك دگپف دارك

[piˈɲaŋ ᵏǀib ˈnoɓ ˈɾiɓik ˈʃuj taˈɡiːmik ˈfak daˈɡɔpuf ˈdaːɾik]

piˈɲa
appear

not.Q
ᵏǀib
PAST
ˈnoɓ
3.sing.neut
ˈɾiɓ
whole
-ik
NOM
ˈʃuj
and
taˈɡiːm
perfect
-ik
NOM
ˈfak
in_inside
daˈɡɔp
breath
-if
sing
ˈdaːɾ
single
-ik
NOM

“It appeared whole and perfect in a single breath”

(12)

Our language did not evolve; it was created.

تچڭ قۡب نر دويف نر نقۡت۔

[tuˈt͡ʃɔŋ ᵏǀib naɾ ˈdoːjuf ˈniɾ ˈᵑǀɔt]

tiˈt͡ʃɔ
evolve

not.Q
ᵏǀib
PAST
naɾ
NEG
ˈdoːj
language
-if
sing
ˈni
the

neut
ˈᵑǀɔt
1incl.plur

“Our language did not evolve.”

(13)
يڭڭ قۡب نݐ۔

[jaˈŋoŋ ᵏǀib ˈnoɓ]

jaˈŋo
create

not.Q
ᵏǀib
PAST
ˈnoɓ
3.sing.neut

“It was created.”

(14)

Language creation took 0.02 seconds; writing the texts 0.03 seconds.

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