Fur language
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Fur | |
---|---|
bèle fòòr فوراوي | |
Native to | Sudan, Chad |
Region | Darfur |
Ethnicity | 900,000 Fur people (2014)[1] |
Native speakers | 745,000 (2004)[1] |
Nilo-Saharan?
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | fvr |
Glottolog | furr1244 |
Linguasphere | 05-CAA-aa |
![]() Geographic distribution of Fur | |
The Fur language (Fur: bèle fòòr or fòòraŋ bèle; Arabic: فوراوي Fûrâwî; sometimes called Konjara by linguists, after a former ruling clan) is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken by the Fur of Darfur in western Sudan. It is one of the Fur languages.
Phonology
The consonantal phonemes are:
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labiovelar | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | p[1] b | t d | ɟ | k ɡ | ||
Fricative | f[1] | s (z)[2] | h[3] | |||
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ||
Medial approximant | j | w | ||||
Lateral approximant | l | |||||
Trill | r |
All sounds are spelt with their IPA symbols except for the following: j = [ɟ], ñ = [ɲ] and y = [j]. Arabic consonants are sometimes used in loanwords.
The vowels are as in Latin: a e i o u. There is dispute as to whether the –ATR vowels [ɛ], [ɔ], [ɪ], [ʊ] are phonetic variants or separate phonemes.
There are two underlying tonemes, L (low) and H (high); phonetically, L, H, mid, HL and LH are all found.
Metathesis is an extremely common and regular grammatical phenomenon in Fur: when a consonant pronoun prefix is prefixed to a verb that begins with a consonant, either the verb's first consonant is deleted or it changes places with the following vowel. E.g.: lem- "lick" → -elm-; ba- "drink" → -ab-; tuum- "build" → -utum-. There are also various assimilation rules.
Morphology
Plurals
Noun, and optionally adjective, plurals can be formed with -a (-ŋa after vowels): àldi "story" → àldiŋa "stories", tòŋ "(a certain species of) antelope" → tòŋà "antelopes"; bàin "old" → bàinà "old (pl.)". This suffix also gives the inanimate 3rd person plural of the verb: lìiŋ "he bathes" → lìiŋa "they (inanimate) bathe", kaliŋa "they (animate) bathe".
Vowel-final adjectives can take a plural in -là, as well as -ŋa: lulla "cold" → lullalà or lullaŋà "cold (pl.)". A similar suffix (metathesized and assimilated to become -òl/-ùl/-àl) is used for the plural of the verb in some tenses.
A few CVV nouns take the plural suffix H-ta; ròò "river" → ròota "rivers"; rèi "field" → rèito "fields".
At least two nouns take the suffix -i: koor "spear" → koori "spears", dote "mouse" → kuuti "mice".
Nouns with the singular prefix d- (> n- before a nasal) take the plural k-; these are about 20% of all nouns. In some cases (mostly body parts) it is accompanied by L. E.g.: dilo "ear" → kilo "ears"; nuŋi "eye" → kuŋi "eyes"; dagi "tooth" → kàgi "teeth"; dòrmi "nose" → kòrmì "noses".
- In some cases the singular also has a suffix -ŋ, not found in the plural: daulaŋ "shoe" → kaula "shoes", dìroŋ "egg" → kìrò "eggs".
- Sometimes a further plural suffix from those listed above is added: nunùm "granary" → kunùmà "granaries", nuum "snake" → kuumi "snakes", dìwwo "new" → kìwwolà "new (pl.)"
- Sometimes the suffix -(n)ta, is added: dèwèr "porcupine" → kèwèrtà "porcupines"; dàwì "tail" → kàwìntò "tails".
- One noun, as well as the demonstratives and the interrogative "which", take a plural by simply prefixing k-L: uu "cow" → kùù; ei "which (one)?" → kèì "which (ones)?".
- Several syntactic plurals with no singulars, mostly denoting liquids, have k-L-a; kèwà "blood", kòrò "water", kònà "name, song".
Nouns
The locative can be expressed by the suffix -le or by reversing the noun's final tone, e.g.: tòŋ "house" → toŋ "at the house"; loo "place", kàrrà "far" → loo kàrrà-le "at a far place".
The genitive (English 's) is expressed by the suffix -iŋ (the i is deleted after a vowel.) If the relationship is possessive, the possessor comes first; otherwise, it comes last. E.g.: nuum "snake" → nuumiŋ tàbù "snake's head"; jùtà "forest" → kàrabà jùtăŋ "animals of the forest".
Pronouns
Independent subject:
Singular | Fur | Plural | Fur |
---|---|---|---|
I | ka | we | k |
you (sg.) | ji | you (pl.) | bi |
he, she, it | ie | they | ìè-èŋ |
The object pronouns are identical apart from being low tone and having -ŋò added to the plural forms.
Prefixed subject pronouns:
Singular | Fur | Plural | Fur |
---|---|---|---|
I | - (triggers metathesis) | we | k- |
you (sg.) | j- | you (pl.) | b- |
he, she, it | - (causes vowel raising; *i-) | they (animate) | k- (+pl. suffix) |
they (inanimate) | (*i-) (+pl. suffix) |
Thus, for example, on the verb bu- "tire":
English | Fur | English | Fur |
---|---|---|---|
I tired | ùmô | we tired | kùmô |
you (sg.) tired | jùmô | you (pl.) tired | bùmô |
he/she tired | buô | they tired | kùmul |
gi, described as the "participant object pronoun", represents first or second person objects in a dialogue, depending on context.
Possessives (singular; take k- with plural nouns):
Singular | Fur | Plural | Fur |
---|---|---|---|
my | duiŋ | our | daìŋ |
your (sg.) | diiŋ | your (pl.) | dièŋ |
his, hers, its | deeŋ | their | dièŋ |
Verbs
The Fur verbal system is quite complicated; verbs fall into a variety of conjugations. There are three tenses: present, perfect, and future. Subjunctive is also marked. Aspect is distinguished in the past tense.
Derivational suffixes include -iŋ (intransitive/reflexive; e.g. lii "he washes" → liiŋ "he washes himself) and gemination of the middle consonant plus -à/ò (intensive; e.g. jabi "drop" → jappiò/jabbiò "throw down".)
Negation is done with the marker a-...-bà surrounding the verb; a-bai-bà "he does not drink".
Adjectives
Most adjectives have two syllables, and a geminate middle consonant: e.g. àppa "big", fùkka "red", lecka "sweet". Some have three syllables: dàkkure "solid".
Adverbs can be derived from adjectives by addition of the suffix -ndì or L-n, e.g.: kùlle "fast" → kùllendì or kùllèn "quickly".
Abstract nouns can be derived from adjectives by adding -iŋ and lowering all tones, deleting any final vowel of the adjective, e.g.: dìrro "heavy" → dìrrìŋ "heaviness".
Media in Fur language
Radio Dabanga - broadcasts daily news in the Fur language and in other languages local to Darfur.
References
- ^ a b Fur at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Sources
- A. C. Beaton. A Grammar of the Fur Language. Linguistic Monograph Series, No. 1. Khartoum: Sudan Research Unit, Faculty of Arts, University of Khartoum 1968 (1937).
- Angelika Jakobi, A Fur Grammar. Buske Verlag: Hamburg 1989.
- Constance Kutsch-Lojenga & Christine Waag, "The Sounds and Tones of Fur", in Occasional Papers in the Study of Sudanese Languages No. 9. Entebbe: SIL-Sudan 2004.
- Georgianna Noel, An Examination of the Tone System of Fur and its Function in Grammar, University of Texas at Arlington, 2008.