A Collection of Texts in Fuma

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.

Wasqa’iiqa ʡangiʡa tu spiiwiña tunufu ʡu’imi tu ha lii’imi tu fi ngii naa ɴiiskiiwi ngii.

[ʋasqaʔiːqa ʡaŋiʡa tu spiːʋiɲa tunufu ʡuʔimi tu ha liːʔimi tu fi ŋiː naː ɴiːskiːʋi ŋiː]

ʋasqa
have
-ʔiːqa
PAST
ʡa
human being
-ŋiʡa
plur
tu
the
spiː
earth
-ʋiɲa
LOC
tu
the
-nifi
fem
ʡu
whole
-ʔimi
GEN
tu
the
ha
in_surface
liː
all
-ʔimi
GEN
tu
the
fi
language
ŋiː
one
naː
and
ɴiːskiːʋi
dialect
ŋiː
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.

Ngaamiiwa’iiqa ’ikakii haawiña tu jaa.

[ŋaːmiːʋaʔiːqa ʔikakiː haːʋiɲa tu jaː]

ŋaːmiːʋa
journey
-ʔiːqa
PAST
ʔi
3.plur.masc
-kakiː
plur
haː
east
-ʋiɲa
LOC
tu
the
jaː
from_inside

“They journeyed from the east.”

(2)
Naa nuuku’uuqa ’ikakii witiiwaa wiwiña pu ñi’ii’imi tu.

[naː nuːkuʔuːqa ʔikakiː ʋitiːʋaː ʋiʋiɲa pu ɲiʔiːʔimi tu]

naː
and
niːku
find
-ʔiːqa
PAST
ʔi
3.plur.masc
-kakiː
plur
ʋitiːʋaː
plain
ʋi
land
-ʋiɲa
LOC
pu
in_inside
ɲiʔiː
wide
-ʔimi
GEN
tu
the

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

(3)
Ciinga lakija’iiqa ’ikakii ma.

[ᵏǀiːŋa lakijaʔiːqa ʔikakiː ma]

ᵏǀiːŋa
thus
lakija
dwell
-ʔiːqa
PAST
ʔi
3.plur.masc
-kakiː
plur
ma
there

“Thus they dwelled there.”

(4)

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

Wiwi’iiqa ’ikakii cuʡuma’aɴaħħispingaa ʡikakii naa cuʡuma’uɴaħħispingaa ʡikakii capa.

[ʋiʋiʔiːqa ʔikakiː ᵏǀuʡumaʔaɴaʜispiŋaː ʡikakiː naː ᵏǀuʡumaʔuɴaʜispiŋaː ʡikakiː ᵏǀapa]

ʋiʋi
say
-ʔiːqa
PAST
ʔi
3.plur.masc
-kakiː
plur
ᵏǀiʡuma
brick
-ʔa
make
-ɴaʜi
imperative
-spiŋaː
COMP
ʡi
1incl.plur
-kakiː
plur
naː
and
ᵏǀiʡuma
brick
-ʔi
burn
-ɴaʜi
imperative
-spiŋaː
COMP
ʡi
1incl.plur
-kakiː
plur
ᵏǀapa
thoroughly

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

(5)

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

Wasqa’iiqa ’ikakii cuʡuma skiiwiña suluu.

[ʋasqaʔiːqa ʔikakiː ᵏǀuʡuma skiːʋiɲa suluː]

ʋasqa
have
-ʔiːqa
PAST
ʔi
3.plur.masc
-kakiː
plur
ᵏǀiʡuma
brick
skiː
stone
-ʋiɲa
LOC
siluː
PURP

“They had bricks for stone.”

(6)
Naa wasqa’iiqa ’ikakii ɴaniħħa ncasqikiwiña suluu.

[naː ʋasqaʔiːqa ʔikakiː ɴaniʜa ᵑǀasqikiʋiɲa suluː]

naː
and
ʋasqa
have
-ʔiːqa
PAST
ʔi
3.plur.masc
-kakiː
plur
ɴaniʜa
slime
ᵑǀasqiki
mortar
-ʋiɲa
LOC
siluː
PURP

“And they had slime for mortar.”

(7)

A Creation Myth

We are not like other people.

Jaaniħħiiwaɴi ʡikakii ʡangiʡa ’aa’imi tu.

[jaːniʜiːʋaɴi ʡikakiː ʡaŋiʡa ʔaːʔimi tu]

jaːniʜiː
resemble
-ʋaɴi
NEG
ʡi
1incl.plur
-kakiː
plur
ʡa
human being
-ŋiʡa
plur
ʔaː
other
-ʔimi
GEN
tu
the

“We do not resemble other humans.”

(8)

Their languages were shaped by struggle and time.

’aanuuñuu’uuqa sta naa ska fingiʡa tu ’ikakii.

[ʔaːnuːɲuːʔuːqa sta naː ska fiŋiʡa tu ʔikakiː]

ʔaːnuːɲiː
shape
-ʔiːqa
PAST
sta
fight
naː
and
ska
time
fi
language
-ŋiʡa
plur
tu
the
ʔi
3.plur.masc
-kakiː
plur

“Their languages were shaped by fight and time.”

(9)

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

Nihalii’iiqa ’ikakii tangiʡa tu ʡamaa’ingiʡa’imi naa jangiʡa’imi.

[nihaliːʔiːqa ʔikakiː taŋiʡa tu ʡamaːʔiŋiʡaʔimi naː jaŋiʡaʔimi]

nihaliː
copy
-ʔiːqa
PAST
ʔi
3.plur.masc
-kakiː
plur
ta
sound
-ŋiʡa
plur
tu
the
ʡamaːʔi
mammal
-ŋiʡa
plur
-ʔimi
GEN
naː
and
ja
bird
-ŋiʡa
plur
-ʔimi
GEN

“They copied the sounds of mammals and birds.”

(10)

But our language arose in a different way.

Cuu muusuulu’uuqa ciispingaa fi tu ʡikakii fumaa tunufu lalawiña spafii’imi tu pu.

[ᵏǀuː muːsuːluʔuːqa ᵏǀiːspiŋaː fi tu ʡikakiː fumaː tunufu lalaʋiɲa spafiːʔimi tu pu]

ᵏǀuː
but
miːsuːli
arise
-ʔiːqa
PAST
ᵏǀiː
be
-spiŋaː
COMP
fi
language
tu
the
ʡi
1incl.plur
-kakiː
plur
fumaː
langname
tu
the
-nifi
fem
lala
manner
-ʋiɲa
LOC
spafiː
different
-ʔimi
GEN
tu
the
pu
in_inside

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

(11)

It was born whole and perfect in a single breath.

Jas’ipaa’iiqa la ʡu’imi tu naa nciimiisi’imi tu maʡasawiña liifaa’imi tu pu

[jasʔipaːʔiːqa la ʡuʔimi tu naː ᵑǀiːmiːsiʔimi tu maʡasaʋiɲa liːfaːʔimi tu pu]

jasʔipaː
appear
-ʔiːqa
PAST
la
3.sing.masc
ʡu
whole
-ʔimi
GEN
tu
the
naː
and
ᵑǀiːmiːsi
perfect
-ʔimi
GEN
tu
the
maʡasa
breath
-ʋiɲa
LOC
liːfaː
single
-ʔimi
GEN
tu
the
pu
in_inside

“It appeared whole and perfect in a single breath”

(12)

Our language did not evolve; it was created.

Kaqajaa’iiqawaɴi fi tu ʡikakii.

[kaqajaːʔiːqaʋaɴi fi tu ʡikakiː]

kaqajaː
evolve
-ʔiːqa
PAST
-ʋaɴi
NEG
fi
language
tu
the
ʡi
1incl.plur
-kakiː
plur

“Our language did not evolve.”

(13)
’anapii’iiqa la.

[ʔanapiːʔiːqa la]

ʔanapiː
create
-ʔiːqa
PAST
la
3.sing.masc

“It was created.”

(14)

Language creation took 0.07 seconds; writing the texts 0.03 seconds.

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