Tehian ~ New and Improved!
Contents:
Phonology
Orthography & Pronunciation
Sound Changes
Foreign Letters
Stress
Word Order
Basic Word Order
Incorporating Other Phrases
Nouns
Introduction
Pronouns, Forms of Address, and Kinship Terms
Plurals
Possessives
Verbs
Introduction
Tense
Negation
Forming Questions
Evidentiality
Other Parts of Speech
Adjectives & Adverbs
Prepositions
Conjunctions
Other Useful Things
Using Reduplication
Numbers
Lessons in Tehian
Lexicon
Links
Phonology
Orthography & Pronunciation
If you speak Linguistic Jargon/read IPA, go here for a concise phonology of Tehian.
The Tehian sound system is written with an alphabet of 22 letters, which are pronounced mostly consistently.
A C B D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V Z
The letters B, D, F, H, K, L, M, N, O, P, S, T, V, and Z are pronounced similarly to their English equivilents.
C is only ever written before an H, and CH is always pronounced like an English CH, as in "cheese."
G is always pronounced as in "get," never as in "gel."
J is pronounced like an English Y, as in "yes."
R is pronounced like a Spanish or Japanese r, about like the English tt in "butter" (said quickly).
A is pronounced similarly to the a in "mama."
E is pronounced like the ea in "head."
I is pronounced like the ee in "seed."
O is pronounced similarly to the oe in "toe."
U is pronounced like the u in "rude."
Some combinations of letters make other sounds.
GJ is pronounced like the j in "just."
SH is pronounced like the English sh, as in "shut."
TH is always pronounced like the th in "think," never as in "the" or "this."
AI is pronounced like "eye" in English.
EI is pronounced like the ey in "hey."
OU is pronounced as a slightly longer version of the o in "toe."
OI is pronounced like the oy in "boy."
AU is pronounced like the ow in "cow."
All other vowel pairs -- including double vowels -- are pronounced as two separate syllables.
Sound Changes
Some letters and combinations make different sounds based on where they appear in the word.
When D and T appear at the beginning of a word, they are pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the back of the upper teeth.
When the combination UI appears at the beginning of a word, it is pronounced like "we."
When the combination EU appears at the beginning of a word, it is pronounced somewhere in-between "yo" and "yuh."
When N appears before a G or K, it is pronounced like the ng in "sing."
When a B or D comes after an M or N, whether in the same word or across word boundaries, the B and D take on a more nasal quality -- pronounce them like a cross between B and M or D and N.
Foreign Letters
Sometimes letters not native to the Tehian alphabet (Q, W, X, Y) appear in Tehian words. This just means that the words are borrowed. It's akin to seeing accent marks on English words such as café. Here's how to pronounce foreign letters:
Q -> K
W -> V
Y -> J (Tehian J, not English J!)
X -> either Z (beginning of a word) or -KS- (in the middle/at the end of a word)
Double consonants are also not native to Tehian, and are pronounced like the single consonant.
This is also good to keep in mind for when a word ends with the same consonant that the following word begins with -- they merge into one sound. For example, hop Papa ("to know Father") is pronounced like "hopapa." Pay special attention to this with nasals (n and m), which assimilate together. nen mi ("whose") -> "nem mi" -> "nemi."
Stress
In general, stress all words on the first syllable. Occasional exceptions to this rule occur in the case of some borrowed words, such as "Amerikia" (America), which has stress on the second syllable.
Word Order
Basic Word Order
Tehian's basic word order is SVO, or subject-verb-object. This is the same as English word order. So, if you want to say that Touru eats soup, you say,
Touru ai supu.
Touru eats soup.
Simple as that!
Incorporating Other Phrases
Of course, not every sentence you say is as simple as a subject, a verb, and an object. How do you, for example, say that Touru made soup for somebody?
The word order is still pretty much the same as English.
Touru laai ni supu poi Shigure.
touru cook-past soup for shigure
Touru cooked soup for Shigure.
Note that what was used above is a prepositional object, not a true indirect object. (More on using prepositions later.) There are no indirect objects in Tehian.
*Touru laai ni Shigure supu.
touru cook-past shigure soup
Touru cooked Shigure soup. -- INCORRECT! This sentence in effect means "Touru made Shigure-flavored soup." (Well, I guess this could be correct.)
Sometimes you really have to fight your English instincts over this. (Translations below are word-for-word.)
INCORRECT:
*Ki do sol!
Give me that!
CORRECT:
Ki sol ka do!
Give that to me!
Nouns
Introduction
Nouns are one of five phrasal categories (parts of speech) recognized by native Tehian speakers: nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositions, and conjunctions.
Nouns can be single words, such as kiki (cat); proper names, such as John and Tehia; pronouns (see below); and phrases such as relative and genetive clauses (see below).
Pronouns, Forms of Address, and Kinship Terms
Tehian uses eight pronouns which correspond closely to English pronouns.
Do: first person singular, I/me
To: second person singular, you
Lo: third person singular, he/him or she/her
No/u*: first person plural, we/us
Vo: second person plural, you/you guys/y'all, "vous" in French
So: third person plural, they/them
Li: third person exanimate, it/they
*There are two forms of this pronoun. No is an inclusive "we": when you use it, you are in effect saying "you and I." Nou is an exclusive "we," it doesn't include the person you're addressing. It means something like "he and I" or "they and I." The phonetic distinction can be subtle or even nonexistent to non-Tehian speakers, but don't worry too much, because a Tehian can probably figure out which you mean by context.
Tehian pronouns always have the same form. That's why do can be translated as both "I" and "me." For example:
Do lau to. - I love you.
To lau do. - You love me.
Kinship terms are used frequently in place of names. Unlike in many languages that do this to show respect, Tehian kinship terms are used solely to show affection and friendship.
mama - mother
papa - father
nito - older brother
neto - older sister
touto - younger brother
mouto - younger sister
nana - grandmother
dada - grandfather
anto - aunt
ankul - uncle
ti+sibling term - cousin (i.e., timouto means younger female cousin)
nes - literally "friend," used as a suffix on names (i.e., John-nes)
There is one form of address used to show respect. San comes before names and can be translated as Mr. or Mrs./Miss.
Plurals
Plurals are formed very simply. Add an -e to the end of the noun.
kiki/kikie - cat/cats
ankul/ankule - uncle/uncles
Although it's an optional distinction, you can also add -e to the end of the pronoun li to make it plural. For example:
Ki li ka do can mean either "Give it to me" OR "Give them to me."
Ki lie ka do means "Give them to me."
Possessives
Possessives are formed by adding the particle mi after the noun that's doing the possessing. This goes for common nouns as well as proper nouns and pronouns.
do mi kiki - my cat
Lina mi touto - Lina's younger brother
kiki mi rika - cat's food
Verbs
Introduction
Unlike in many languages, Tehian verbs never change form. They don't conjugate; in other words, "I eat" and "He eats" would both be rendered as just "eat" -- no s. There is one exception to this rule, and it's for the verb ast, which means "to be."
Do em.
To ast.
Lo ast.
No aste.
Vo aste.
So aste.
Fortunately, that's the only irregularity. By and large, Tehian verbs are very simple!
ai - "to eat"
Do ai.
To ai.
Lo ai.
No ai.
Vo ai.
So ai.
Tense
Since Tehian verbs never change form, tense is expressed with the addition of extra words. There are three particles that can be used to change tense. Use of no particles means the verb is simple present tense.
ni - completed
ne - ongoing
ko - projected/future
The particles can be combined in just about any way you want.
Lina ai. Lina eats.
Lina ai ni. Lina ate.
Lina ai ne. Lina is eating.
Lina ai ko. Lina will eat.
Lina ai ni ne. Lina was eating.
Lina ai ko ne. Lina will be eating.
Lina ai ni ko. Lina was going to eat.
Lina ai ko ni. Lina will have eaten.
Lina ai ko ni ne. Lina will have been eating.
Negation
Negation is very simple -- put the word pas in front of the verb you want to negate.
Lina pas ai ni. Lina didn't eat.
Lo pas ast do mi mouto. She isn't my sister.
Sometimes, pas can modify nouns, too.
Sol ast en kora, pas en kiki! That's a dog, not a cat!
Evidentiality
In English, if we say "Lina went home to visit her older brother," it's not clear if Lina was actually successful and visited her older brother or not. In Tehian, this distinction is made grammatically.
Lina fe ni ka veu poi toka nito.
lina go-past to home for visit brother
Lina went home to visit her older brother -- either she was unsuccessful or I don't know if she was successful.
Lina fe ni ka veu toka ni nito.
lina go-past to home visit-past brother
Lina went home to visit her older brother -- she was successful.
Other Parts of Speech
Adjectives and Adverbs
Tehian does not distinguish between adjectives and adverbs. For example, the word alim means both quick and quickly. The word's role is made clear based on the other words in the sentence.
Touru alim ai. - Touru eats quickly.
Touru thei en alim kiki. - Touru has a quick cat.
Adjectives and adverbs should always appear immediately before the noun or verb they modify, except in the cases of the verb aste:
Touru ast alim. - Touru is quick.
Tehian has two articles, which are considered adjectives by native speakers. They are teh and en, and they correspond to the English "the" and "a/an." Teh is disappearing from spoken Tehian. In colloquial language, especially among younger generations, it is usually left out.
Prepositions
Prepositions always come immediately before the noun phrase they modify. (By "noun phrase" I mean that if a noun is several words or already has adjectives modifying it, the preposition comes before all of those.)
ka - "to"
Do fe ne ka veu.
I'm going to my house.
poi - "for"
Kol ast poi to.
This is for you.
de - "from"
Li ast de do.
It's from me.
to - "at" (or "in" when referring to countries/cities)
Do nes ast to do mi veu.
My friend is at my house.
na - "on"
Teh chi ast na teh rugou.
The book is on the table.
kei - "under"
Teh kiki ast kei teh rugou.
The cat is under the table.
vaji - "over"
Teh lio su ni vaji do.
The bird flew over me.
nui - "in"
So aste nui teh veu.
They are in the house.
rutu - "out" (or "outside")
Fm to fe ne rutu?
Are you going outside?
pithi - "away"
Fe pithi!
Go away!
Conjunctions
Tehian conjunctions follow the order X [conjunction] Y, just like in English. Here are the most common examples.
un - "and"
touto un mouto
"brother and sister"
la - "of"
ai la Tehia
queen of Tehia
(Note: The distinction between the true possessive and the conjunction "of" is similar to the distinction in English. "of" is used as a possessive for inanimate objects, and to indicate substance.)
ma - "but"
Do em Tehian, ma do ve to Amerikia.
I am Tehian, but I live in America.
ethei - "because"
Do jake Tehiant ethei do ve to Tehia.
I speak Tehian because I live in Tehia.
Other Useful Things
Using Reduplication
Reduplication, or the doubling of a word, is used in three ways in Tehian.
To increase the value of an adjective:
Sol kiki ast chibi-chibi.
That cat is very small.
To indicate that a verb is a repetitive action:
Touru ai-ai ni supu.
Touru ate soup again.
Touru ai ne ai ne.
Touru keeps eating and eating.
To show emphasis:
a. Fm Touru ai ni sunda? b. Nai, lo ai ni supu-supu.
a. Did Touru eat bread? b. No, she ate _soup_.
a. Fm to feu choko? b. Do feu-feu li!
a. Do you like chocolate? b. I love it!
Forming Questions
Yes-no questions are formed by adding the particle fm to the beginning of a declarative sentence.
Fm to ast John? Are you John?
Fm to sev ne? Are you leaving?
Fm lo ast to mi mouto? Is she your sister?
For wh-questions, add the question word to the beginning of a declarative sentence.
Nen to ast? Who are you?
Nan kol ast? What is this?
Me no fe ne? Where are we going?
Moi no sev ne? When are we leaving?
Mau to fe? How are you doing?
M to jake Tehiant? Why do you speak Tehian?
Numbers
Coming soon!
Lessons in Tehian
Coming soon!
Lexicon
Coming soon!
Links