Regular letter groups refer to letter groups which consist of a voiceless sound, a voiced sound, and a nasal sound, with the sounds closely related. We have already learnt the letter group "p, b, m". It is a regular letter group. Now, let's introduce 2 more regular letter groups "t, d ,n" and "k, g, ņ".
Let's take "tolo" /ˈtolo/ (to speak) as an example. "tolo" is in letter group "t, d, n", so the pronunciation of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person mutation are /ˈtolo/ , /ˈdolo/ and /ˈnolo/ , and the corresponding spelling are "tolo", "htolo" and "ntolo" respectively.
What about "nuke" /ˈnuke/ (to like)? It's also in the letter group "t, d, n" but it starts from "n". So, we have the pronunciation of its 1st, 2nd and 3rd person mutation to be /ˈnuke/ , /ˈtuke/ and /ˈduke/ , and the corresponding spelling are "nuke", "nhuke" and "hnuke" respectively.
The same thing happens for the letter group "k, g, ņ". Take "koko" /ˈkoko/ (to play) as an example. We have the pronunciation of its 1st, 2nd and 3rd person mutation to be /ˈkoko/ , /ˈgoko/ and /ˈŋoko/ , and the corresponding spelling are "koko", "hkoko" and "nkoko" respectively.
Before moving on to the next part, lets summarize the verbs we have learnt so far together with their PVIM.
| 1st Person | 2nd Person | 3rd Person | to be |
|---|---|---|---|
| pe /pe/ | hpe /be/ | npe /me/ | to eat |
| dip /dip/ | ndip /nip/ | dhip /tip/ | to go |
| mor /mor/ | mhor /por/ | hmor /bor/ | to have |
| sano /ˈsano/ | hsano /ˈzano/ | nsano /ˈrano/ | to like |
| nuke /ˈnuke/ | nhuke /ˈtuke/ | hnuke /ˈduke/ | to play |
| koko /ˈkoko/ | hkoko /ˈgoko/ | nkoko /ˈŋoko/ | to read |
| bal /bal/ | nbal /mal/ | bhal /pal/ | to see |
| bay /baj/ | nbay /maj/ | bhaj /paj/ | to sleep |
| masul /ˈmasul/ | mhasul /ˈpasul/ | hmasul /ˈbasul/ | to speak |
| tolo /ˈtolo/ | htolo /ˈdolo/ | ntolo /ˈnolo/ |
Note that "sano" belongs to the irregular letter group "s, z, r". We will talk about them in detail in the next part.
Let's learn a few more verbs and nouns so that we can construct more sentences.
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| basa | /ˈbasa/ | to find |
| dipxek | /ˈdipʁek/ | to drink |
| dor | /dor/ | to build |
| gex | /geʁ/ | to keep |
| koye | /ˈkoje/ | to enjoy |
| mas | /mas/ | to rest |
| masyo | /ˈmaɕo/ | to die |
| nusa | /ˈnusa/ | to want |
| nwas | /nʷas/ | to need |
| teptep | /ˈteptep/ | to run |
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dos | /dos/ | plant |
| dzirin | /ˈdzirin/ | nature |
| gale | /ˈgale/ | meat |
| geim | /gei̯m/ | game |
| maw | /maw/ | cat |
| pdipn | /pə̥ˈdipn̩/ | food |
| sewu | /ˈsewu/ | fish |
| xe | /ʁe/ | water |
| xedox | /ˈʁedoʁ/ | juice |
| yenmor | /ˈjenmor/ | car; vehical |
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ņra pdipn nwas. | I need food. |
| Ņris gale nuke. | We like meat. |
| Ntyu geim nbasa. | You find a game |
| Ntyus mhas. | You guys rest. |
| Má dos ghex. | My mum keeps a plant. |
| Pá dorn dhor. | My dad builds a house. |
| Maw sewu dhip. | The cat eats a fish. |
| Nrows skod hnusa. | They want a pen. |
1. Write down the 2nd person and the 3rd person mutations of the following words.
i. basa ii. dipxek iii. gex
iv. koye v. masyo vi. nwas
vii. ņiye viii. pila ix. teptep
i. nbasa bhasa
ii. ndipxek dhipxek
iii. ngex ghex
iv. hkoye nkoye
v. mhasyo hmasyo
vi. nhwas hnwas
vii. ņhiye hņiye
viii. hpila npila
ix. hteptep nteptep
2. Translate the following sentences into English.
i. Nrows xedox dhipxek.
ii. Ntyu dorn nbasa.
iii. Ņra geim koko.
iv. Nrow yenmor hnusa.
i. They drink juice.
ii. You find a house.
iii. I play a game.
iv. (S)He wants a car.
3. Translate the following sentences into Pwekish.
i. She needs food.
ii. You drink water.
iii. The cat runs.
iv. The plant dies.
v. We enjoy nature.
i. Nrow pdipn hnwas.
ii. Ntyu(s) xe ndipxek.
iii. Maw nteptep.
iv. Dos hmasyo.
v. Ņris/Ņos dzirin koye.