Nuosu phrasebook

Nuosu (Nuo Su Hxop ꆈꌠꉙ) is a regional language in the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces of China.

Pronunciation guide

Vowels

There are six regular vowels and four syllabic consonants, which act as vowels. All vowels are paired in loose throat-tight throat pairings. Tight throat vowels can best be compared to creaky vowels, where the throat is constricted resulting in vocal fry.

However, this tight-loose contrast is only important when it comes to syllabic consonants, as all other vowels also have differences in quality.

The regular vowels are :

		Front	Non-front
			unrounded	rounded
Close	loose	⟨i⟩ /e̝/	⟨e⟩ /ɤ̝/	⟨o⟩ /o̝/
Open-mid	tight	⟨ie⟩ /ɛ/		⟨uo⟩ /ɔ/
Open	tight		⟨a⟩ /a/

A is pronounced fairly similarly to an English /æ/ as in cat.

E is the same as e in Chinese Pinyin, but is fairly dissimilar from any English sound. Think of it as a stronger schwa, like /ə/ as in comma.

Ie is the same as /ɛ/ in most British English varieties, like the e in bed or a shorter version of the sound in air.

I is similar to /ɪ/ in English, such as in kit.

Uo is a shorter version of the British English /ɔː/ as in north.

O is similar to an English /ʊ/ as in foot, however it is said more back in the mouth.

The syllabic consonants are ː

		unrounded	rounded
Syllabic consonant	loose	⟨y⟩ /z̩/	⟨u⟩ /v̩ʷ/
	tight	⟨yr⟩ /z̠̩/	⟨ur⟩ /v̠̩ʷ/

Y and Yr are the same as si, zi, and ci in Chinese

U and Ur are pronounced like v in English, but with more rounded lips.

In both cases the final -r denotes tight throat.

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar		Retroflex	(Alveolo-) Palatal	Velar	Glottal
			plain	sibilant
Nasal	voiced	⟨m⟩ /m/	⟨n⟩ /n/			⟨ny⟩ /ɲ/	⟨ng⟩ /ŋ/
	unvoiced	⟨hm⟩ /m̥/	⟨hn⟩ /n̥/
Stop/ Affricate	prenasalized	⟨nb⟩ /ᵐb/	⟨nd⟩ /ⁿd/	⟨nz⟩ /ⁿdz/	⟨nr⟩ /ᶯɖʐ/	⟨nj⟩ /ᶮdʑ/	⟨mg⟩ /ᵑɡ/
	voiced	⟨bb⟩ /b/	⟨dd⟩ /d/	⟨zz⟩ /dz/	⟨rr⟩ /ɖʐ/	⟨jj⟩ /dʑ/	⟨gg⟩ /ɡ/
	unvoiced	⟨b⟩ /p/	⟨d⟩ /t/	⟨z⟩ /ts/	⟨zh⟩ /ʈʂ/	⟨j⟩ /tɕ/	⟨g⟩ /k/
	aspirated	⟨p⟩ /pʰ/	⟨t⟩ /tʰ/	⟨c⟩ /tsʰ/	⟨ch⟩ /ʈʂʰ/	⟨q⟩ /tɕʰ/	⟨k⟩ /kʰ/
Continuant	unvoiced	⟨f⟩ /f/	⟨hl⟩ /l̥/	⟨s⟩ /s/	⟨sh⟩ /ʂ/	⟨x⟩ /ɕ/	⟨h⟩ /x/	⟨hx⟩ /h/
	voiced	⟨v⟩ /v/	⟨l⟩ /l/	⟨ss⟩ /z/	⟨r⟩ /ʐ/	⟨y⟩ /ʑ/	⟨w⟩ /ɣ/

Doubled consonants are the same as their single versions in English (in most cases), while unvoiced consonants (p, t, k) are also pronounced the same as they would be in English - with a degree of aspiration.

The most difficult consonants are the single-letter voiced ones (b, d, g) which are pronounced without voicing or aspiration. To say them, attempt to say their unvoiced counterpart but do not allow any extra air to come out of your mouth - do not aspirate them.

Consonants with nasals (n/m) before them are prenasalised. Prenasalised /g/ is depicted as mg as ng is already used for the /ŋ/ sound.

The rest of the orthography follows Chinese pinyin quite closely. R is used for /ʐ/ and the voiced version of ʈʂ (zh) is RR. Y represents a voiced X (ɕ) and due to z's use as /ts/ ss is used to represent /z/.

The distinction between h and hx may be hard for English speakers. H is pronounced further forwards in the throat, in the same place as k and g, while hx is pronounced like a normal English H.

The unvoiced sonorants - hm, hn, hl - are especially difficult. Pronounce them without vibrating your throat.

W used with a vowel represents a voiced h (ɣ). However, when by itself in the romanisation system it can sometimes represent a reduplication of the prior syllable.

Tones

There are four tones in Nuosu.

• high [˥] / [V̋] – written ⟨-t⟩
• high-mid [˦] / [V́] or mid falling [˧˨] / [V᷆] – written ⟨-x⟩ (written with diacritic ̑ over symbol in the syllabary)
• mid [˧] / [V̄] – unmarked
• low falling [˨˩] / [V̂] – written ⟨-p⟩

These should be relatively easy for any speaker of Chinese, however sandhi rules are somewhat more complex. When two mid-tone syllables occur together, the first one becomes -x tone.

With this information, you will be able to pronounce any Nuosu syllable with relative ease. There are no diphthongs or consonant clusters, and there is only the occasional zero initial.

Writing System

The Nuosu language is written in a syllabary of around 800 unique characters. It is particularly large because -t and -p tones of syllables are depicted with their own unique characters (but the -x tone is depicted with a diacritic).

Most signage will be written alongside Chinese, so good knowledge of the system is not essential by any means.

The romanisation system, YYPY (Yi yu pin yin) is not frequently used, unlike in neighbouring languages where Latin is used as their main writing system.

t

Basics

Common signs OPEN CLOSED ENTRANCE EXIT PUSH PULL TOILET MEN WOMEN FORBIDDEN

Hello.

ꋬꂻꈨꅪ / zzyr muo gge hni. (I wish peace upon you)

Hello. (informal)

. ()

How are you?

ꆏꋙꋠꀕꀐ / ne zzax ze w ox? (Have you eaten?)

Fine, thank you.

ꋠꀐ / zze ox. (I have eaten)

What is your name?

ꆏꑞꂓ / ne xix hmi?

My name is ______ .

ꉢ______ꂓ / nga ___ hmi . ( I am called

_____ .)

Nice to meet you.

. ()

Please.

ꑴꌠ / yip su.

Thank you.

ꈀꎭꀕ / kax sha w.

ꒇꇨꀕ / yyt guo w.

ꎭꏿꀐ / sha qip ox. (sorry to have troubled you)

You're welcome.

ꈀꎭꀋꎭ / kax sha ap sha.

ꒇꇨꀋꇨ / yyt guo ap guo.

ꎭꀋꏿ / sha ap qip. (no problem)

Yes.

ꉬꑴꇆ / nge yip luop.

No.

ꀋ / ap (negative, like 不 in Chinese)

Excuse me. (getting attention)

. ()

Excuse me. (begging pardon)

. ()

I'm sorry.

. ()

Goodbye

ꆏꀅꌳꁧꂸ / ne iex ssa bbo map. (lit: take care, go slowly)

Goodbye (informal)

. ()

I can't speak name of language [well].

ꉢꆈꌠꉘꀊ[ꋒ]ꈜꐚꄏ / nga nuo su hxop ap [zzi] gga jji do.

Do you speak English?

ꆏꀃꉙꈜꐚꄏꅀ / ne yip hxop gga jji do ddap?

Is there someone here who speaks English?

 ? ( ?)

Help!

 ! ( !)

Look out!

 ! ( !)

Good morning.

. ()

Good evening.

. ()

Good night.

. ()

Good night (to sleep)

. ()

I don't understand.

. ()

Where is the toilet?

 ? ( ?)

Problems

Leave me alone.

. ( .)

Don't touch me!

 ! ( !)

I'll call the police.

. ( .)

Police!

 ! ( !)

Stop! Thief!

 ! ! ( ! !)

I need your help.

. ( .)

It's an emergency.

. ( .)

I'm lost.

. ( .)

I lost my bag.

. ( .)

I lost my wallet.

. ( .)

I'm sick.

. ( .)

I've been injured.

. ( .)

I need a doctor.

. ( .)

Can I use your phone?

 ? ( ?)

Numbers

1

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2

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3

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4

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5

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6

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7

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8

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9

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10

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11

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12

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13

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14

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15

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16

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17

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18

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19

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20

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21

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22

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23

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30

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40

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50

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60

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70

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80

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90

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100

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200

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300

()

1,000

()

2,000

()

1,000,000

()

1,000,000,000

()

1,000,000,000,000

()

number _____ (train, bus, etc.)

()

half

()

less

()

more

()

Time

now

()

later

()

before

()

morning

()

afternoon

()

evening

()

night

()

Clock time

one o'clock AM

()

two o'clock AM

()

noon

()

one o'clock PM

()

two o'clock PM

()

midnight

()

Duration

_____ minute(s)

()

_____ hour(s)

()

_____ day(s)

()

_____ week(s)

()

_____ month(s)

()

_____ year(s)

()

Days

today

()

yesterday

()

tomorrow

()

this week

()

last week

()

next week

()

Sunday

()

Monday

()

Tuesday

()

Wednesday

()

Thursday

()

Friday

()

Saturday

()

Months

January

()

February

()

March

()

April

()

May

()

June

()

July

()

August

()

September

()

October

()

November

()

December

()

Colors

black

()

white

()

grey/gray

()

red

()

blue

()

yellow

()

green

()

orange

()

purple

()

brown

()

Transportation

Bus and train

How much is a ticket to _____?

()

One ticket to _____, please.

()

Where does this train/bus go?

()

Where is the train/bus to _____?

()

Does this train/bus stop in _____?

()

When does the train/bus for _____ leave?

()

When will this train/bus arrive in _____?

()

Directions

How do I get to _____ ?

()

...the train station?

()

...the bus station?

()

...the airport?

()

...downtown?

()

...the youth hostel?

()

...the _____ hotel?

()

...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate?

()

Where are there a lot of...

()

...hotels?

()

...restaurants?

()

...bars?

()

...sites to see?

()

Can you show me on the map?

()

street

()

Turn left.

()

Turn right.

()

left

()

right

()

straight ahead

()

towards the _____

()

past the _____

()

before the _____

()

Watch for the _____.

()

intersection

()

north

()

south

()

east

()

west

()

uphill

()

downhill

()

Taxi

Taxi!

()

Take me to _____, please.

()

How much does it cost to get to _____?

()

Take me there, please.

()

Lodging

Do you have any rooms available?

()

How much is a room for one person/two people?

()

Does the room come with...

()

...bedsheets?

()

...a bathroom?

()

...a telephone?

()

...a TV?

()

May I see the room first?

()

Do you have anything quieter?

()

...bigger?

()

...cleaner?

()

...cheaper?

()

OK, I'll take it.

()

I will stay for _____ night(s).

()

Can you suggest another hotel?

()

Do you have a safe?

()

...lockers?

()

Is breakfast/supper included?

()

What time is breakfast/supper?

()

Please clean my room.

()

Can you wake me at _____?

()

I want to check out.

()

Money

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars?

()

Do you accept British pounds?

()

Do you accept euros?

()

Do you accept credit cards?

()

Can you change money for me?

()

Where can I get money changed?

()

Can you change a traveler's check for me?

()

Where can I get a traveler's check changed?

()

What is the exchange rate?

()

Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)?

()

Eating

A table for one person/two people, please.

()

Can I look at the menu, please?

()

Can I look in the kitchen?

()

Is there a house specialty?

()

Is there a local specialty?

()

I'm a vegetarian.

()

I don't eat pork.

()

I don't eat beef.

()

I only eat kosher food.

()

Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard)

()

fixed-price meal

()

a la carte

()

breakfast

()

lunch

()

tea (meal)

()

supper

()

I want _____.

()

I want a dish containing _____.

()

chicken

()

beef

()

fish

()

ham

()

sausage

()

cheese

()

eggs

()

salad

()

(fresh) vegetables

()

(fresh) fruit

()

bread

()

toast

()

noodles

()

rice

()

beans

()

May I have a glass of _____?

()

May I have a cup of _____?

()

May I have a bottle of _____?

()

coffee

()

tea (drink)

()

juice

()

(bubbly) water

()

(still) water

()

beer

()

red/white wine

()

May I have some _____?

()

salt

()

black pepper

()

butter

()

Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server)

()

I'm finished.

()

It was delicious.

()

Please clear the plates.

()

The check, please.

()

Bars

Do you serve alcohol?

()

Is there table service?

()

A beer/two beers, please.

()

A glass of red/white wine, please.

()

A pint, please.

()

A bottle, please.

()

_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please.

()

whiskey

()

vodka

()

rum

()

water

()

club soda

()

tonic water

()

orange juice

()

Coke (soda)

()

Do you have any bar snacks?

()

One more, please.

()

Another round, please.

()

When is closing time?

()

Cheers!

()

Shopping

Do you have this in my size?

()

How much is this?

()

That's too expensive.

()

Would you take _____?

()

expensive

()

cheap

()

I can't afford it.

()

I don't want it.

()

You're cheating me.

()

I'm not interested.

(..)

OK, I'll take it.

()

Can I have a bag?

()

Do you ship (overseas)?

()

I need...

()

...toothpaste.

()

...a toothbrush.

()

...tampons.

. ()

...soap.

()

...shampoo.

()

...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen)

()

...cold medicine.

()

...stomach medicine.

... ()

...a razor.

()

...an umbrella.

()

...sunblock lotion.

()

...a postcard.

()

...postage stamps.

()

...batteries.

()

...writing paper.

()

...a pen.

()

...English-language books.

()

...English-language magazines.

()

...an English-language newspaper.

()

...an English-English dictionary.

()

Driving

I want to rent a car.

()

Can I get insurance?

()

stop (on a street sign)

()

one way

()

yield

()

no parking

()

speed limit

()

gas (petrol) station

()

petrol

()

diesel

()

Authority

I haven't done anything wrong.

()

It was a misunderstanding.

()

Where are you taking me?

()

Am I under arrest?

()

I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen.

()

I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate.

()

I want to talk to a lawyer.

()

Can I just pay a fine now?

()