Nupe

  Words: Elugi fu
  Gloss: bird fly
  Translation: The bird flew.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Ngba Musa gi bise
  Gloss: Q Musa eat hen
  Translation: 'Did Musa eat the hen?'
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Fu elugi.
  Gloss: fly bird
  Translation: The bird flew.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa e ba nakan.
  Gloss: Musa PRS cut meat
  Translation: Musa is cutting the meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa e gi nakan.
  Gloss: Musa PRS eat meat
  Translation: Musa is eating the meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa a nakan ba.
  Gloss: Musa PRF meat cut
  Translation: Musa has cut the meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa e ba nakan.
  Gloss: Musa PRS cut meat
  Translation: Musa is cutting the meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa a nakan ba.
  Gloss: Musa PRV meat cut
  Translation: Musa has cut the meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Gi Musa nakan.
  Gloss: eat Musa meat
  Translation: Musa ate the meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Gi nakan Musa.
  Gloss: eat meat Musa
  Translation: Musa ate the meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Nakan Musa ba.
  Gloss: meat Musa cut
  Translation: Musa cut the meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Nakan e ba Musa.
  Gloss: meat PRS cut Musa
  Translation: Musa is cutting the meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: daga Nigeria
  Gloss: from Nigeria
  Translation: from Nigeria
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: be ebi yin
  Gloss: with knife INS
  Translation: 'with a knife'
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa a ci kata o
  Gloss: Musa PRV lie house LOC
  Translation: Musa has lied down in the house.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Dzuru eci
  Gloss: red yam
  Translation: red yam
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: eci dzuru
  Gloss: yam red
  Translation: red yam
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Nini egi
  Gloss: one child
  Translation: one child
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: egi nini
  Gloss: child one
  Translation: one child
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Dzuru eci
  Gloss: red yam
  Translation: red yam
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Ga eci
  Gloss: that yam
  Translation: that yam
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: eci nana
  Gloss: yam this
  Translation: this yam
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Musa nangi
  Gloss: Musa goat
  Translation: Musa's goat
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Nangi Musa
  Gloss: goat Musa
  Translation: Musa's goat
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: eci wun
  Gloss: yam 3.sg
  Translation: 'His/her yam'
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Eci-zi dzuru-zi woncinko-zi
  Gloss: yam-PL red-PL large-PL
  Translation: Large red yams
  Comment: example is acceptable if plural marking on adjectives is dropped.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa á gan tó.
  Gloss: Musa PRV more tall
  Translation: Musa is too tall.
  Comment: Comment (1) *Musa á tó gan. Comment (2) The perfective particle is obligatory whenever the degree modifier 'gan' is used. Comment (3) tó is a verb.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa tó kun.
  Gloss: Musa tall sufficient
  Translation: Musa is tall enough.
  Comment: *Musa kun tó. Note: tó is a verb.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa kpe ganan etsu du nakan.
  Gloss: Musa know COMP chief cook meat
  Translation: Musa knows that the chief cooked the meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa gbin-gan ko etsu du nakan.
  Gloss: Musa loose-say COMP chief cook meat
  Translation: Musa asked whether the chief cooked the meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: U be ke etsu ma nakan du na.
  Gloss: 3 seem COMP chief know meat cook COMP
  Translation: It seems that the chief knows how to cook meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: nakan na etsu du na
  Gloss: meat REL COMP chief cook REL COMP
  Translation: the meat that the chief cooked
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: ...ebogao, Musa si nakan.
  Gloss: therefore/because of that, Musa buy meat
  Translation: ...therefore, Musa bought meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *...Musa si nakan ebogao.
  Gloss: Musa buy meat therefore
  Translation: ...therefore, Musa bought meat.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: takun-zi guta ya
  Gloss: rock-pl three fall
  Translation: 'Three rocks fell.'
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: eci guwo nana-zi ya
  Gloss: yam ten DEM-PL fall
  Translation: 'These ten yams fell.'
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: ekungunci-zi guta-ta a tsu
  Gloss: warrior-PL three-RED PRF die
  Translation: 'All (the) three warriors have died.'
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: eci guwo nana-zi ya
  Gloss: yam ten DEM-PL fall
  Translation: 'These ten yams fell.'
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: ekungunci-zi guta-ta a tsu
  Gloss: warrior-PL three-RED PRF die
  Translation: 'All (the) three warriors have died.'
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa e (/) ba nakan a.
  Gloss: Musa PRS NEG cut meat NEG
  Translation: 'Musa isn't cutting the meat.'
  Comment: (/) is the pre-verbal negative morpheme whose exponent is a floating High tone. The other negative particle, 'a', follows the verb+object and bears a Low tone.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa e (/) ba nakan a.
  Gloss: Musa PRS Neg cut meat Neg
  Translation: 'Musa isn't cutting the meat.'
  Comment: (/) is the pre-verbal negative morpheme whose exponent is a floating High tone. The other negative particle, 'a', follows the verb+object and bears a Low tone.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa e (/) ba nakan a.
  Gloss: Musa PRS NEG cut meat NEG
  Translation: 'Musa isn't cutting the meat.'
  Comment: Negation is a two-part morpheme in Nupe. The pre-verbal morpheme is tonal (surfacing as a floating High tone), while the post-VP piece is the Low tone-bearing morpheme 'a'.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *nana dzuru eci
  Gloss: this red yam
  Translation: this red yam
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Nana eci dzuru
  Gloss: this yam red
  Translation: this red yam
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: eci dzuru nana
  Gloss: yam red this
  Translation: this red yam
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *eci nana dzuru
  Gloss: yam this red
  Translation: this red yam
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Dzuru nana eci
  Gloss: red this yam
  Translation: this red yam
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: *Dzuru eci nana
  Gloss: red yam this
  Translation: this red yam
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: eci guwo nana-zi
  Gloss: yam ten DEM-PL
  Translation: these ten yams
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Musa gi bise ko
  Gloss: Musa eat hen Q
  Translation: Did Musa eat the hen?
  Comment: In addition to using the sentence final particle 'ko', it is possible to achieve a polar question by lengthening the final vowel of the sentence. Thus, an alternative way to ask the question above would be: 'Musa gi bise:' (where the nucleus of the final syllable [se] is lengthened)
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Speaker A: Ngba Musa gi bise? Speaker B: Eba.
  Gloss: Speaker A: Q Musa eat hen. Speaker B: Yes
  Translation: Speaker A: 'Did Musa eat the hen?' Speaker B: 'Yes'.
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Speaker A: Ngba Musa gi bise? Speaker B: Haha.
  Gloss: Speaker A: Q Musa eat hen. Speaker B: No
  Translation: Speaker A: Did Musa eat the hen? Speaker B: No.
  Comment: The particle 'haha' is unique to negative answers. Sentential negation is marked by way of sentence-final 'a', not 'haha'. e.g: 'Musa gi bise a.' "Musa did not eat the hen". *'Musa gi bise haha.'
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Speaker A: Wo: gan ya mi: le ganan yegi wo: lo Bida. Gbani mi: le u: ye abo. Ngba wun lo Bida a? Speaker B: Eba.
  Gloss: Speaker A: 2.sg say give 1.sg earlier COMP brother 2.sg go Bida. Now 1.sg see 3.sg eye here. Q 3.sg go Bida NEG
  Translation: Speaker A: You told me earlier that your brother went to Bida. Now I see him here. Did he not go to Bida? Speaker B: Yes (meaning "he did not go to Bida").
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz

  Words: Speaker A: Ngba Musa gi bise a? Speaker B: Eba. Musa gi bise ni:.
  Gloss: Speaker A: Q Musa eat hen NEG. Speaker B: Yes. Musa eat hen emphatic particle
  Translation: Speaker A: Did Musa not eat the hen? Speaker B: Yes. Musa DID INDEED eat the hen.'
  Contributor: Jason Kandybowicz