Chamteela/Part 3

Vocabulary

Pronouns

• noo = I
• noy = me
• 'om = you (subject)
• 'oy = you (direct object)
• wunáal = he/she/it/they (singular)
• poy = him/her/it/them (singular)
• chaam = we
• chaami = us
• 'omóm = you all (subject)
• 'omóomi = you all (object)
• wunáalum = they (plural)
• popóomi = them (plural)

Natural world

• kiicha = house
• qawiicha = mountain
• tuupash = sky
• toota = stone
• paala = water

Animals

• lamáqata = ant
• hunwut = bear
• 'ihe = bird
• tuukut kingawish = cat
• qaxaavaywut = chicken
• 'awáal = dog
• 'anámat = fish
• ku'aal = fly
• kaváayu = horse
• 'ixí'wut = sheep
• paa'ila = turtle

Food

• $aawokish = acorn bread
• wiiwish = acorn porridge
• kutápish = corn
• kó$aat = sugar
• paala = water
• $aaxish = wheat

People

• hengeemal = boy
• nawítmal = girl
• ya'ásh = man
• $ungáal = woman

Basic Verbs

• paa'i = to drink
• kwa' = to eat
• moyóoni = to feed
• nóonomi = to follow
• tóow = to see or watch
• chaqálaqi = to tickle

Noun Declension

English vs. Chamteela sentence structure

In English, nouns do not change depending on whether they are the subject or the direct object. Consider the following two sentences:

• The man saw the dog.
• The cat saw the girl.

In these two sentences, we instantly know which noun is the subject and which one is the direct object based on their position in relation to the verb. The English language places subject nouns before the verb and direct object nouns after the verb.

However, Chamteela is different. The subject, verb, and direct object can come in any order within a sentence.

You probably now wonder "How do you know which word is the subject and the direct object this way?" The answer is noun declension, which is when nouns change depending on their role within the sentence.

Basic Chamteela noun declension

In Chamteela (and many other languages), the term "nominative case" refers to a noun's form when it is used as the subject. The term "accusative case" signifies the direct object form of a noun.

There are six cases in Chamteela, but we will focus on the nominative and accusative cases for the purposes of this lesson. We will learn the other cases later on within this book.

All of the Chamteela nouns given within the book come in their singular nominative forms; the other forms are derived from the nominative case. However, forming the other noun cases depends on the ending in the singular nominative form and whether or not they are animate (referring to a person or animal).

Here is how to form the singular and plural forms of the nominative and accusative cases in Chamteela:

Noun ending	Nominative Singular	Nominative Plural	Accusative Singular	Accusative Plural	Meaning
-cha; inanimate noun	kicha	kicham	kish	kish	house
-ta; animate noun	lamáqata	lamáqatam	lamáqat	lamáqatami	ant
-ta; inanimate noun	toota	tootam	toot	toot	stone
-la; animate noun	paa'ila	paa'ilam	paa'il	paa'ilami	turtle
-la; inanimate noun	paala	paalam	paal	paal	water
Any consonant; animate noun	ya'ásh	ya'áshum	ya'áshi	ya'áshumi	man
Any consonant; inanimate noun	kutápish	kutápishum	kutápishi	kutápishi	corn
Other vowel; animate noun	kaváayu	kaváayum	kaváayuy	kaváayumi	horse
Nawítmal; grammatical exception	nawítmal	nánatmalum	nawítmali	nánatmalumi	girl

More on this page will come soon!

References

• https://huntergatherer.la.utexas.edu/languages/language/3
• Davis, John Frederick (1973). "A Partial Grammar of Simplex and Complex Sentences in Luiseño", University of California, Los Angeles
• https://quizlet.com/503767900/an-introduction-to-the-luiseno-language-nouns-1-flash-cards/
• https://escholarship.org/content/qt6tr732gg/qt6tr732gg_noSplash_003204331d54e438c409389eb220ba37.pdf