Kūvi
Kuvi
Dravidian (South-Central, Gondi-Kui)
Kuvi (also Khondi, Kondh) is a South-Central Dravidian language closely related to Kui and Gondi, spoken by the Kondh people across the Eastern Ghats of Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh. Like its sister languages it preserves the Dravidian gender system that distinguishes male, non-male animate and inanimate in the verb, and shows the characteristic Gondi-Kui apical/retroflex sibilant contrasts.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Kuvi
Water
ēru
/eːru/
Fire
nēsi
/neːsi/
Sun
vēla
/ʋeːla/
Moon
lēnʒu
/leːndʒu/
Star
sukka
/sukka/
Mother
āva
/aːʋa/
Father
bāva
/baːʋa/
I
nānu
/naːnu/
You
īnu
/iːnu/
Name
paru
/paɾu/
Eye
kannu
/kannu/
Hand
key
/kei̯/
Heart
gunde
/ɡunde/
Love
—
/—/
Tree
mara
/mara/
House
illu
/illu/
Dog
nēyi
/neːji/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
tinba
/tinba/
Drink
unba
/unba/
One
ōnte
/oːnte/
Two
rīndi
/riːɳɖi/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
nēha
/neːha/
Cuckoo
kuhu paṭa
/kuɦu paʈa/
Sources
- Burrow, T. & Bhattacharya, S. (1962) Comparative vocabulary of the Gondi dialects (incl. Kuvi). Journal of the Asiatic Society.
- Israel, M. (1979) A Grammar of the Kuvi Language. Annamalai University.
- Glottolog: Kuvi
Words compared
Compared with related Dravidian (South-Central, Gondi-Kui) languages
| Meaning | Kuvi | Kodava | Gondi | Proto-Dravidian | Irula | Woleaian | Badaga language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ēru /eːru/ | ನೀರ್ /niːr/ | एर /jeːr/ | *nīr /nīr/ | nīr /niːɾ/ | shalú /ʃaːlu/ | neeru /neːru/ |
| Fire | nēsi /neːsi/ | ಬೆಂಕಿ /beŋki/ | तड्मि /taɖmi/ | *tī /tī/ | tī /tiː/ | yaafi /jaːfi/ | kitcha /kiʈʃɑ/ |
| Sun | vēla /ʋeːla/ | ಪೊತ್ತ್ /pottɨ/ | पोड़्द /poːɽd/ | — /—/ | čūriyen /tʃuːɾijen/ | — /—/ | hottu /hɔtːu/ |
| Moon | lēnʒu /leːndʒu/ | ತಿಂಗಳ್ /tiŋɡəɭ/ | नेलेंज /nelːeːndʒ/ | *nilā /nilā/ | niLā /niɭaː/ | me-rame /meraːme/ | thinguva /θiŋɡuvɑ/ |
| Star | sukka /sukka/ | ನಕ್ಷತ್ರ /nakʂat̪ra/ | सुक्कुम /sukkum/ | — /—/ | naTčattiram /naʈtʃatːiɾam/ | fiiu /fiːu/ | sukki /sukːi/ |
| Mother | āva /aːʋa/ | ಅವ್ವ /avva/ | यायाल /jaːjaːl/ | *amma /amma/ | ammā /amːaː/ | sila /sila/ | thaaya /θɑːjɑ/ |
| Father | bāva /baːʋa/ | ಅಪ್ಪಯ್ಯ /appajja/ | तप्पे /tappe/ | *appa /appa/ | ayyā /ajːaː/ | taame /taːme/ | appa /ɑpːɑ/ |
| I | nānu /naːnu/ | ನಾನ್ /naːn/ | नन्ना /nanːaː/ | *yān /yān/ | nānu /naːnu/ | gaang /ɡaːŋ/ | naanu /naːnu/ |
| You | īnu /iːnu/ | ನೀನ್ /niːn/ | निम्मा /nimːaː/ | *nī /nī/ | nī /niː/ | geeli /ɡeːli/ | niinu /niːnu/ |
| Name | paru /paɾu/ | ಪೆದ /peda/ | परोल /paɾol/ | *peyar /peyar/ | pēru /peːɾu/ | iit /iːtʲ/ | esaru /esaɾu/ |
| Eye | kannu /kannu/ | ಕಣ್ /kaɳ/ | कन्न /kaɳ/ | *kaṇ /kaṇ/ | kaNN /kaɳː/ | maate /maːte/ | kannu /kɑnːu/ |
| Hand | key /kei̯/ | ಕೈ /kai/ | कयि /kaj/ | *kay /kay/ | kayyu /kajːu/ | paaú /paːu/ | kai /kɑɪ/ |
| Heart | gunde /ɡunde/ | ಎದೆ /ede/ | गुण्डे /guɳɖe/ | *neñcu /neñcu/ | idayam /idajam/ | — /—/ | mana /mɑnɑ/ |
| Love | — /—/ | ಪ್ರೀತಿ /priːti/ | प्रेम /preːm/ | — /—/ | kāhal /kaːhal/ | — /—/ | gava /ɡɑvɑ/ |
| Tree | mara /mara/ | ಮರ /mara/ | मर /mara/ | *maram /maram/ | maram /maɾam/ | — /—/ | mara /mɑrɑ/ |
| House | illu /illu/ | ಮನೆ /mane/ | लॊन /loːn/ | *il /il/ | vīDu /viːɖu/ | iimʷe /iːmwe/ | mane /mɑneː/ |
| Dog | nēyi /neːji/ | ನಾಯಿ /naːji/ | नय्यु /naːj/ | *nāy /nāy/ | nāyi /naːji/ | — /—/ | nei /neː/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | वेर्काड़ /ʋeɾkaːɖ/ | — /—/ | pūne /puːne/ | — /—/ | koththi /kɔθːi/ |
| Eat | tinba /tinba/ | ತಿನ್ನ್ /tinnɨ/ | तिंदाना /tindaːnaː/ | *uṇ /uṇ/ | činnu /tʃinːu/ | mʷoŋoo /mwoŋoː/ | thindhi /θiːnði/ |
| Drink | unba /unba/ | ಕುಡಿ /kuɖi/ | उंडाना /unɖaːnaː/ | *kuṭi /kuṭi/ | kuDi /kuɖi/ | úlú /uːlu/ | kudhi /kuði/ |
| One | ōnte /oːnte/ | ಒಂದ್ /ondɨ/ | उंडि /undi/ | *oru /oru/ | onnu /onːu/ | yete /jete/ | ondu /ɔndu/ |
| Two | rīndi /riːɳɖi/ | ದಂಡ್ /daɳɖ/ | रेंड /reɳɖ/ | *iraṇṭu /iraṇṭu/ | reNDu /reɳɖu/ | riuuw /ɾiːuw/ | eradu /eraɖu/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | सेवा जोहार /seːʋaː dʒoːɦaːɾ/ | — /—/ | vannakkam /vanːakːam/ | — /—/ | namaskara /nɑmɑskɑrɑ/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | ಧನ್ಯವಾದ /dʱanjavɑːda/ | धन्यवाद /dʰənjaːwaːd/ | — /—/ | nanri /nanɾi/ | — /—/ | appara santhosha /ɑpːɑrɑ sɑnθɔʃɑ/ |
| Good | nēha /neːha/ | ಒಳ್ಳೆ /oɭɭe/ | चोक्कोट /tʃokkoːʈ/ | *nal /nal/ | nalla /nalːa/ | — /—/ | ollenge /ɔlːeŋɡe/ |
| Cuckoo | kuhu paṭa /kuɦu paʈa/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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