Ngigu language

Ngigu
wuo nuri wuOnuri
Pronunciation	[wú.ɔ́ nú.ɾí]
Region	southern Awating
Ethnicity	Ngigu
Native speakers	268,000  (2020)
Language family	Ngerupic Umic Ngigu
Writing system	Letso-Terminian script Ngigu script
Official status
Official language in	None
Regulated by	contested between Awatese Society for the Preservation of Minority Languages Ngigu Advancement Front
CWS code	ngigu
The native Ngigu-speaking area in southern Awating.

Classification

Ngigu is a member of the Umic branch of the Ngerupic languages.

Phonology

Phonemes

Consonants

	Bilabial	Alveolar	Post-alveolar	Palatal	Labiovelar	Velar	Glottal
Nasal	m m:	n n:				ŋ ŋ:
Plosive	p	t				k	ʔ
Fricative			ʃ				h
Approximants/Flap		ɾ		j	w
Implosive	ɓ	ɗ				ɠ

Notes:

• /ʃ/ is frqeuently realized as [s] by younger speakers.
• The implosives /ɓ ɗ ɠ/ are frequently realized as the plain voiced stops [b d g] by younger speakers.

Vowels

	Front	Back
Close	í ì	ú ù
Close-mid	é è	ó ò
Open-mid	ɛ́ ɛ̀	ɔ́ ɔ̀
Open	á à

Notes:

• Vowel hiatus (see below) is often removed, with vowel sequences being treated as polyphthongs and and the tone of the first vowel assimilating into those of the following vowels.
• /i/ and /u/ are semivowels [j] and [w]

Phonotactics

Syllable structure is minimally V and maximally CVC. Gemination/length is contrastive in nasals only, and geminated nasals are considered single consonants, and thus can appear word-initially. Consonant clusters are not allowed word-initially or word-finally.

Vocabulary

A sample of words in Ngigu:

one	muì
two	nà
three	nẹ
four	ngè
five	hià
person	nggìgèw
man	ngìye
woman	ʔìw
ząm person	nìraxì
water	bao
fire	xaw
sun	nggùiyùo
moon	nnùirọm
star	mmèba
boat	nggùiya
house	hòòhong
village	ròò
breast	nìùmu
tooth	nnìẹ̀he
blood	nìo
bone	nnìrak
tongue	ùnìùiri
ear	nnìrùi
eye	nìùyu
nose	ùnìw
hair	kùaung
leaf	bùawài
tree	mmùabi
pig	buwùet
snake	nguyò
lizard	muwite
palm tree	ùaurot
name	nnììmma
hear	-ngo
hit	-ʔu
eat	-wom
go	-è
come	-nọ̀
sit	-ʔù
stand	-rùat
hot	nu
cold	gùù
good	mọng
bad	ù

Sample text

Ngigu script	Romanization	Translation
gu`dh``Oht3N6EpzIriro`9E``pzdu9O``U`repun`ro`a`dego`I`byuOmo muI`r`deh``guOmowudin3`kznmuI`r`deh``guOmowuAkzwu a`ruqzzmuI`9ro`a`deho`I`a`du9h`m3`gexu``qzzro`a`demo`6Ub a`xu``wonudu9h``h``wzniNzn`ro`a`dexo``AI xuPk0NzmuI`9ro`a`deho`I`A`noa`O``gu`Iyu be`toh``OqzzNi`gexiNzd9Nukh``hedoqzzh3nu6buNi`9bOxwzIriyu Ni`gexiNzr`deh``xwzhxiNzxi``Okz ro`a`deho`I`A`h``O``xoqzzNi6wzh``xwzhxiNzxi``Okzdu9h``Nu`Oyun0hi`O``9qzzro`9E``pzre`pz O``U`guOmowuE``wu`wu`ro`a`deOn0xo``UI	Gùdahàohatẹ nggaep iri ròòèp duu òùrepu nà ròàde gòìbayuomo. Muì ràdehàguomowu dinẹ̀k na muì ràdehàguomowu akwu. Àruʔ Muìì Ròàde Hòìà duu hàmẹ̀gexùʔ ròàde mmòuba. Àxùwonu duu hàhàw ning nà ròàde xòai. Xuọ kọng, Muìì Ròàde Hòìà noàògùiyu bèto hàoʔ ngìgexing daa ngukahàhedoʔ hẹnnubungìì bao xaw iri yu. Ngìgexing ràdehàxaw haxing xìok. Ròàde hòìà hàòxoʔ nggiw hàxaw haxing xìok duu hàngùoyunọ ùrù daa hàxaaunọ hìòòʔ ròòep rèp, òùguomowu è wùwù ròàde onọ xòui.	Once there was a small town with two tea vendors. One sold green tea and the other sold black tea. There was a Chief Tea Taster who ensured the quality of the tea. He was getting tired of drinking the same two types of tea every day. One day the Chief Tea Taster was walking in a field when he saw a stranger boiling water in a clay pot over a small fire. The stranger offered him some tea. The tea taster liked it so much he offered to help the stranger set up shop in the town, selling this new kind of extra-dark tea.