A Collection of Texts in Nokh

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.

[jaido ɲauputi wo biɡuti ɡyjyna kʷi ke t͡ʃonuna na bukʷuna wa na tepikʷuna]

jai
have
-do
PAST
ɲaup
human being
-uti
3.neut.POSS
wo
LOC
biɡ
earth
-uti
3.neut.POSS
ɡyj
whole
-yna
no.owner.POSS
kʷi
in_surface
ke
GEN
t͡ʃon
all
-una
no.owner.POSS
na
one
bukʷ
language
-una
no.owner.POSS
wa
and
na
one
tepikʷ
dialect
-una
no.owner.POSS

“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.

[ɲoxʷifido fu wo ɲakʷuna xau]

ɲoxʷifi
journey
-do
PAST
fu
3.fem
wo
LOC
ɲakʷ
east
-una
no.owner.POSS
xau
from_inside

“They journeyed from the east.”

(2)

[wa t͡ʃaudo fu keliruti by wo xiluna by by ke wobuna]

wa
and
t͡ʃau
find
-do
PAST
fu
3.fem
kelir
plain
-uti
3.neut.POSS
by
a
wo
LOC
xil
land
-una
no.owner.POSS
by
a
by
in_inside
ke
GEN
wob
wide
-una
no.owner.POSS

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

(3)

[maɲi baɡʷødadø fu ɲa]

maɲi
thus
baɡʷøda
dwell
-dø
PAST
fu
3.fem
ɲa
there

“Thus they dwelled there.”

(4)

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

[nudo fu kʷø hikipebi ki ri ŋʷiru wa kʷø ju hikipuna bø ki ri ŋʷiru hadau]

nu
say
-do
PAST
fu
3.fem
kʷø
1incl
hikip
brick
-ebi
make
ki
imperative
ri
1incl.SUBJ
ŋʷiru
COMP
wa
and
kʷø
1incl
ju
ACC
hikip
brick
-una
no.owner.POSS

burn
ki
imperative
ri
1incl.SUBJ
ŋʷiru
COMP
hadau
thoroughly

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

(5)

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

[jaido fu hikipuna wo ɲibuna ŋʷiɡʷo]

jai
have
-do
PAST
fu
3.fem
hikip
brick
-una
no.owner.POSS
wo
LOC
ɲib
stone
-una
no.owner.POSS
ŋʷiɡʷo
PURP

“They had bricks for stone.”

(6)

[wa jaido fu xʷalupuna wo fit͡ʃaufuna ŋʷiɡʷo]

wa
and
jai
have
-do
PAST
fu
3.fem
xʷalup
slime
-una
no.owner.POSS
wo
LOC
fit͡ʃauf
mortar
-una
no.owner.POSS
ŋʷiɡʷo
PURP

“And they had slime for mortar.”

(7)

A Creation Myth

We are not like other people.

[xʷa lojaukʷo kʷø ɲauputi ke noxʷuna]

xʷa
NEG
lojaukʷo
resemble
kʷø
1incl
ɲaup
human being
-uti
3.neut.POSS
ke
GEN
noxʷ
other
-una
no.owner.POSS

“We do not resemble other humans.”

(8)

Their languages were shaped by struggle and time.

[kyrøfidø xʷydyna wa taduna bukʷaka ke fu]

kyrøfi
shape
-dø
PAST
xʷyd
fight
-yna
no.owner.POSS
wa
and
tad
time
-una
no.owner.POSS
bukʷ
language
-aka
3.fem.POSS
ke
GEN
fu
3.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.

[met͡ʃylydø fu tytenø ke daɡʷiɡʷuna wa daduna]

met͡ʃyly
copy
-dø
PAST
fu
3.fem
tyt
sound
-enø
3.masc.POSS
ke
GEN
daɡʷiɡʷ
mammal
-una
no.owner.POSS
wa
and
dad
bird
-una
no.owner.POSS

“They copied the sounds of mammals and birds.”

(10)

But our language arose in a different way.

[ŋau nobexʷedo noxuna bukʷiɡi xʷai fu ŋʷiru wo ɲødyti by t͡ʃauŋuna by]

ŋau
but
nobexʷe
arise
-do
PAST
nox
langname
-una
no.owner.POSS
bukʷ
language
-iɡi
1incl.POSS
xʷai
be
fu
3.fem.SUBJ
ŋʷiru
COMP
wo
LOC
ɲød
manner
-yti
3.neut.POSS
by
a
t͡ʃauŋ
different
-una
no.owner.POSS
by
in_inside

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

(11)

It was born whole and perfect in a single breath.

[ɲikidedo fu ke ɡyjyna wa ke fepaut͡ʃuna wo dakʷaɡuti by ɡʷainuna by]

ɲikide
appear
-do
PAST
fu
3.fem
ke
GEN
ɡyj
whole
-yna
no.owner.POSS
wa
and
ke
GEN
fepaut͡ʃ
perfect
-una
no.owner.POSS
wo
LOC
dakʷaɡ
breath
-uti
3.neut.POSS
by
a
ɡʷain
single
-una
no.owner.POSS
by
in_inside

“It appeared whole and perfect in a single breath”

(12)

Our language did not evolve; it was created.

[xʷa xʷomaɡido bukʷiɡi]

xʷa
NEG
xʷomaɡi
evolve
-do
PAST
bukʷ
language
-iɡi
1incl.POSS

“Our language did not evolve.”

(13)

[bununado fu]

bununa
create
-do
PAST
fu
3.fem

“It was created.”

(14)

Language creation took 0.03 seconds; writing the texts 0.04 seconds.

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