All sounds are spelt with their IPA symbols except for the following: j =, ñ = and y =. 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 are phonetic variants or separate phonemes. There are two underlying tonemes, L and H ; phonetically, L, H, mid, HL and LH are all found. Metathesis is an extremely common and regulargrammaticalphenomenon 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 : aldí "story" → aldíŋá "stories", tóŋ " antelope" → pira "antelopes"; piraŋa "old" → 'tooy'báiná "old ". This suffix also gives the inanimate 3rd person plural of the verb: liíŋ "he bathes" → liíŋá "they bathe", káliŋa "they bathe". Vowel-final adjectives can take a plural in -lá, as well as -ŋa: lúllá "cold" → lúllála or lúlláŋa "cold ". A similar suffix is used for the plural of the verb in some tenses. A few CVV nouns take the plural suffix H-ta; roo "river" → roota'wala gal "rooŋa' "rivers"; ra̱yi' wala gal'"ra̱y" "field" → rǎ̱ytó'wala gal' "rǎ̱ytá"fields". At least two nouns take the suffix -i: kóór "spear" → kóórí "spears", dʉ́tʉ "mouse" → kʉ́ʉ́tɨ́ "mice". Nouns with the singular prefix d- take the plural k-; these are about 20% of all nouns. In some cases it is accompanied by L. E.g.: dɨ́ló "ear" → kɨ́ló "ears"; nʉ́ŋɨ́ "eye" → kʉ́ŋɨ́ "eyes"; dági "tooth" → kagi "teeth"; dormí "nose" → kormi "noses".
In some cases the singular also has a suffix -ŋ, not found in the plural: daulaŋ "shoe" → kaula "shoes", dɨróŋ "egg" → kɨro "eggs".
Sometimes a further plural suffix from those listed above is added: nʉ́nʉm "granary" → kʉ́nʉ́ma "granaries", nʉ́ʉ́m "snake" → kʉ́ʉ́mɨ́ "snakes", dɨwwô "new" → kɨwwóla'wala gal 'kɨwwóŋa "new "
Sometimes the suffix -ta, is added: dewer "porcupine" → kewértá "porcupines"; da̱wi "tail" → ka̱wíntó'wala gal '"ka̱wíntá" "tails".
One noun, as well as the demonstratives and the interrogative "which", take a plural by simply prefixing k-L: úú "cow" → kuu'cows'; á̱yɨ "which ?" → ká̱yɨ "which ?".
Several syntactic plurals with no singulars, mostly denoting liquids, have k-L-a; kewa "blood", koro "water", kona'' "name, song" koonà.
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 is expressed by the suffix -iŋ 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
ká'
we
kɨ́
you
jɨ́
you
bɨ́
he, she, it
yé
they
yɨeŋ + yeeŋ
The object pronouns are identical apart from being low tone and having -ŋó added to the plural forms. Prefixed subject pronouns:
Singular
Fur
Plural
Fur
I
-
we
k-
you
j-
you
b-
he, she, it
-
they
y-
they
Thus, for example, on the verb bʉo- "tire":
English
Fur
English
Fur
I'm tired
ká ʉmo
we tired
kɨ́ kʉmo
you tired
jɨ́ jʉmo
you tired
bɨ́ bʉmo
he/it/she tired
yé bʉo
they tired
yɨeŋ kʉme + yeeŋ bʉe
gi, described as the "participant object pronoun", represents first or second person objects in a dialogue, depending on context. Possessives :
Singular
Fur
Plural
Fur
my
dúíŋ
our
dáíŋ
your
dɨ́ɨ́ŋ
your
dɨ́eŋ
his, hers, its
dééŋ
their
dɨ́eŋ''
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 and gemination of the middle consonant plus -à/ò 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
- broadcastsdaily news in the Fur language and in other languages local to Darfur.
