View source for Tuvan language

{{Short description|Sayan Turkic language}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Tuvan
| nativename       = {{lang|tyv|Тыва дыл}} {{lang|tyv-latn|Tıva tıl}}
| states           = [[Russia]], [[Mongolia]], [[China]]
| region           = [[Tuva]]
| ethnicity        = [[Tuvans]]
| speakers         = 252,953<ref>{{cite web |title=Rossstat, Tuvans speakers in the Russian Federation (in Cyrillic Script) |website=[[Rossstat]] |url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/Tom5_tab4_VPN-2020.xlsx |access-date=27 June 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326024701/https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/Tom5_tab4_VPN-2020.xlsx|archive-date=26 March 2023}}</ref>
| date             = 2020
| ref              = 
| familycolor      = Altaic
| fam1             = [[Turkic languages|Turkic]]
| fam2             = [[Common Turkic languages|Common Turkic]]
| fam3             = Sayan Turkic
| fam4             = Steppe Sayan Turkic<ref name="refRagagnin">Elisabetta Ragagnin (2011), [http://www.harrassowitz-verlag.de/dzo/artikel/201/004/4043_201.pdf?t=1322214979 Dukhan, a Turkic Variety of Northern Mongolia, Description and Analysis], Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden</ref>{{Refn|group=notes|Although most Tuvan dialects are classified as Steppe Sayan Turkic, the Tozhu and Tere-Khöl dialects are classified as Taiga Sayan Turkic.<ref name="refRagagnin" />}}
| script           = [[Cyrillic script]]
| nation           = {{flag|Russia}}<ul><li>{{flag|Tuva}}</li></ul>
| iso2             = tyv
| iso3             = tyv
| glotto           = tuvi1240
| glottoname       = Tuvinian
| glotto2          = todj1234
| glottoname2      = Todja
| ELP2             = 10479
| ELPname2         = Tuha
| notice           = IPA
| map2             = Lang Status 80-VU.svg
| mapcaption2      = {{center|Tuvan is classified as Vulnerable by the [[UNESCO]] ''[[Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger]]''.}}
| pronunciation    = {{IPA|[tʰɤ̀ʋɐ tɤ̀ɫ]}}
| map              = Tuvan language on the map.png
| mapsize          = 
| mapcaption       = Distribution of Tuvan in Tuva and surrounding regions
}}
{{Infobox ethnonym|root=|person= |people= [[Tuvans|Tuvan / Tyvans]]<br>Тывалар<br>Тувинцы|language= Tuvan / Tyvan<br>Тыва дыл|country=[[Tuva|Tuva / Tyva]]<br>Тува<br>Тыва}}
[[File:WIKITONGUES- Aydyn speaking Tuvan.webm|thumb|A Tuvan speaker]]
[[File:Kyzyl orkhon inscription.jpg|thumb|Inscription in [[Kyzyl]] using [[Old Turkic script|Turkic script]]]]

'''Tuvan''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|uː|v|ə|n}} {{respell|TOO|vən}}; {{lang-rus|Тувинский язык|r=Tuvinskij jazyk|p=tʊˈvʲinskʲɪj jɪˈzɨk}}}} also spelt '''Tyvan''',{{efn|{{langx|tyv|Тыва дыл}} {{lang|tyv-latn|Tıva tıl}} {{IPA|tyv|tʰɤ̀ʋɐ tɤ̀ɫ|}}}} is a [[Turkic languages|Turkic language]] spoken in the [[Tuva|Republic of Tuva]] in [[South Central Siberia]], [[Russia]]. There are small groups of [[Tuvans]] that speak distinct dialects of Tuvan in [[China]] and [[Mongolia]].
<!--==Geographic distribution==-->
<!--==Official status==-->

== History ==
The earliest record of Tuvan is from the early 19th century by ''Wūlǐyǎsūtái zhìlüè'' ({{zh|c=烏里雅蘇台志略}}), [[Julius Klaproth]] 1823, [[Matthias Castrén]] 1857, [[Nikolay Katanov]], [[Vasily Radlov]], etc.<ref>{{harvp|Todoriki|2011|pages=234–230}}</ref>

The name Tuva goes back as early as the publication of ''[[The Secret History of the Mongols]]''. The Tuva (as they refer to themselves) have historically been referred to as Soyons, Soyots or Uriankhais.<ref name="Mawkanuli 2001" />

== Classification ==
Tuvan (also spelled Tyvan) is linguistically classified as a Sayan Turkic language. Its closest relative is the moribund [[Tofa language|Tofa]].

Tuvan, as spoken in Tuva, is principally divided into four dialect groups; Western, Central, Northeastern, Southeastern.
* Central: forms the basis of the literary language and includes Ovyur and Bii-Khem subdialects. The geographical centrality of this dialect meant it was similar to the language spoken by most Tuvans, whether or not exactly the same.<ref name="Harrison 2001">{{harvp|Harrison|2001}}</ref>
* Western: can be found spoken near the upper course of the [[Khemchik]]. It is influenced by the Altai language.
* Northeastern, also known as the [[Tozhu Tuvans#Language|Todzhi dialect]], is spoken near the upper course of the [[Great Yenisey]]. The speakers of this dialect utilize nasalization. It contains a large vocabulary related to hunting and reindeer breeding not found in the other dialects.
* Southeastern: shows the most influence from the [[Mongolic languages]].

Other dialects include those spoken by the [[Dzungar people|Dzungar]], the [[Tsengel people|Tsengel]] and the [[Dukha people|Dukha]] Tuvans, but currently these uncommon dialects are not comprehensively documented. Different dialects of the language exist across the geographic region in which Tuvan is spoken. [[K. David Harrison]], who completed his dissertation on the Tuvan language in 2001, argues that the divergence of these dialects relates to the nomadic nature of the Tuvan nation.<ref name="Harrison 2001" />

One subset is the Jungar Tuvan language, originating in the [[Altai Mountains]] in the western region of Mongolia. There is no accurate number of Jungar-Tuvan speakers because most currently reside in China, and the Chinese include Tuvan speakers as Mongolians in their census.<ref name="Mawkanuli 2001">{{Cite journal |last=Mawkanuli |first=Talant |date=2001 |title=The Jungar Tuvas: Language and National Identity in the PRC |journal=Central Asian Survey |language=en |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=497–517 |doi=10.1080/02634930120104654 |s2cid=143405271}}</ref>
<!--===Derived languages===-->

== Phonology ==
=== Consonants ===
Tuvan has 19 native [[consonant]] [[phoneme]]s:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ caption| Consonant phonemes of Tuvan
! colspan="2" |
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}}
| {{IPA link|n}}
|
| {{IPA link|ŋ}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
! <small>lenis</small>{{efn|name=stops|The distinction between initial bilabial and alveolar stops is based on [[aspiration (phonetics)|aspiration]] for most speakers and voicing for the other consonants.}}
| {{IPA link|p}}
| {{IPA link|t}}
|
| {{IPA link|ɡ}}
|-
! <small>fortis</small>{{efn|name=stops}}
| {{IPA link|pʰ}}
| {{IPA link|tʰ}}
|
| {{IPA link|k}}
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
|
| {{IPA link|t͡s}}{{efn|name=loanword|{{IPA|/f/}} and {{IPA|/ts/}} are found in some Russian [[loanword]]s.}}
| {{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! <small>[[voiceless]]</small>
| {{IPA link|f}}{{efn|name=loanword}}
| {{IPA link|s}}
| {{IPA link|ʃ}}
| {{IPA link|x}}
|-
! <small>[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
|
| {{IPA link|z}}
| {{IPA link|ʒ}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| {{IPA link|ʋ}}
| {{IPA link|l}}
| {{IPA link|j}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Flap consonant|Flap]]
|
| {{IPA link|ɾ}}
|
|
|}
{{notelist}}

=== Vowels ===
[[Vowel]]s in Tuvan exist in three varieties: long, short, and short with low [[pitch (psychophysics)|pitch]]. Tuvan long vowels have a duration that is at least (and often more than) twice as long as that of short vowels. Contrastive low pitch may occur on short vowels, and when it does, it causes them to increase in duration by at least a half. When using low pitch, Tuvan speakers employ a pitch that is at the very low end of their modal voice pitch. For some speakers, it is even lower and using what is phonetically known as [[creaky voice]] (e.g. {{IPA|[a̰t]}} 'horse'). When a vowel in a monosyllabic word has low pitch, speakers apply low pitch only to the first half of that vowel (e.g. {{IPA|[àt]}} 'horse').<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=Greg |title=A Grammar of Tuvan |last2=Harrison |first2=K. David |publisher=Scientific Consulting Services International |year=2002 |isbn=9781584900450 |location=Gaithersburg, MD |pages=3–5 |language=en}}</ref> That is followed by a noticeable pitch rise, as the speaker returns to modal pitch in the second half of the vowel (e.g. {{IPA|[ǎt]}} 'horse').

The acoustic impression is similar to that of a rising tone like the rising [[pitch contour]] of the [[Standard Chinese phonology#Tones|Mandarin second tone]], but the Tuvan pitch begins much lower. However, Tuvan is considered a [[pitch accent]] language with contrastive low pitch instead of a [[tonal language]]. When the low pitch vowel occurs in a multisyllabic word, there is no rising [[pitch contour]] or lengthening effect: {{IPA|[àt̬ɤ]}} 'his/her/its horse'. Such low pitch vowels were previously referred to in the literature as either ''[[kargyraa]]'' or [[pharyngealization|pharyngealized]] vowels. Phonetic studies have demonstrated that the defining characteristic of such vowels is low pitch. (See Harrison 2001 for a phonetic and acoustic study of Tuvan low pitch vowels.)

In her PhD thesis, "Long Vowels in Mongolic Loanwords in Tuvan", Baiarma Khabtagaeva states that the history of long vowels is ambiguous. While the long vowels may originate from Mongolic languages, they could also be of Tuvan origin. In most Mongolic languages, the quality of the long vowel changes depending on the quality of the second vowel in the conjunction. The only exception to this rule is if the conjunction is labial. The ancient Tuvan languages, in contrast, depended upon the first vowel rather than the second to determine the long vowels.<ref name="Khabtagaeva 2004">{{Cite journal |last=Khabtagaeva |first=Baiarma |date=2004 |title=Long Vowels in Mongolic Loanwords in Tuvan |journal=Turkic Languages |language=en |volume=8 |pages=191–197}}</ref>

Khabtagaeva divided the transformation of these loanwords into two periods: the early layer and the late layer. The words in the early layer are words in which the Mongolic preserved the conjunction, the VCV conjunction was preserved but the long vowel still developed when it entered the Tuvan language, or the stress is on the last syllable and a long vowel in the loanword replaced a short vowel in the original word. The late layer includes loanwords in which the long vowel does not change when the word entered Tuvan.<ref name="Khabtagaeva 2004" />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:250px;"
|+Vowel phonemes of Tuvan
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |
! colspan="2" | [[Vowel length|Short]]
! colspan="2" | [[Vowel length|Long]]
! colspan="2" | [[Tone (linguistics)|Low pitch]]
|-style="font-size:88%;"
!High || Low
!High || Low
!High || Low
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Front vowel|Front]]
! style="font-size:88%;" | [[Close front unrounded vowel|Unrounded]]
|{{IPA link|i}}
|{{IPA link|e}}
|{{IPA link|iː}}
|{{IPA link|eː}}
|{{IPA link|ì}}
|{{IPA link|è}}
|-
! style="font-size:88%;" | [[Close front rounded vowel|Rounded]]
|{{IPA link|y}}
|{{IPA link|ø}}
|{{IPA link|yː}}
|{{IPA link|øː}}
|{{IPA link|ỳ}}
|{{IPA link|ø̀}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Back vowel|Back]]
! style="font-size:88%;" | [[Close back unrounded vowel|Unrounded]]
|{{IPA link|ɯ}}
|{{IPA link|a}}
|{{IPA link|ɯː}}
|{{IPA link|aː}}
|{{IPA link|ɯ̀}}
|{{IPA link|à}}
|-
! style="font-size:88%;" | [[Close back rounded vowel|Rounded]]
|{{IPA link|u}}
|{{IPA link|o}}
|{{IPA link|uː}}
|{{IPA link|oː}}
|{{IPA link|ù}}
|{{IPA link|ò}}
|}

Vowels may also be [[nasal vowel|nasalized]] in the environment of nasal consonants, but nasalization is non-contrastive. Most Tuvan vowels in word-initial syllables have a low pitch and do not contrast significantly with short and long vowels.<ref name="Harrison 2001" />

==== Vowel harmony ====

Tuvan has two systems of [[vowel harmony]] that strictly govern the distribution of vowels within words and suffixes. Backness harmony, or what is sometimes called 'palatal' harmony, requires all vowels within a word to be either back or front. Rounding harmony, or what is sometimes called 'labial' harmony, requires a vowel to be rounded if it is a high vowel and appears in a syllable immediately following a rounded vowel. Low rounded vowels {{IPA|[ø] [o]}} are restricted to the first syllable of a word, and a vowel in a non-initial syllable may be rounded only if it meets the conditions of rounding harmony (it must both be a high vowel {{IPA|[y] [u]}} and be preceded by a rounded vowel). See Harrison (2001) for a detailed description of Tuvan vowel harmony systems.<ref name="Harrison 2001" />

== Writing system ==
=== Cyrillic script ===
The current Tuvan alphabet is a modified version of the [[Russian alphabet]], with three additional letters: Ңң (Latin "ng" or [[International Phonetic Alphabet]] {{IPA|[ŋ]}}), Өө (Latin "ö", {{IPA|[ø]}}), Үү (Latin "ü", IPA {{IPA|[y]}}). The sequence of the alphabet follows Russian, but with Ң located after Russian Н, Ө after О, and Ү after У.

{| cellpadding="3" style="font-size:1.4em; border:1px solid black; border-collapse:collapse; background-color:#F8F8EF; text-align:center"
| style="width:3em"| А а
| style="width:3em"| Б б
| style="width:3em"| В в
| style="width:3em"| Г г
| style="width:3em"| Д д
| style="width:3em"| Е е
| style="width:3em"| Ё ё
| style="width:3em"| Ж ж
|-
| style="width:3em"| З з
| style="width:3em"| И и
| style="width:3em"| Й й
| style="width:3em"| К к
| style="width:3em"| Л л
| style="width:3em"| М м
| style="width:3em"| Н н
| style="width:3em"| Ң ң
|-
| style="width:3em"| О о
| style="width:3em"| Ө ө
| style="width:3em"| П п
| style="width:3em"| Р р
| style="width:3em"| С с
| style="width:3em"| Т т
| style="width:3em"| У у
| style="width:3em"| Ү ү
|-
| style="width:3em"| Ф ф
| style="width:3em"| Х х
| style="width:3em"| Ц ц
| style="width:3em"| Ч ч
| style="width:3em"| Ш ш
| style="width:3em"| Щ щ
| style="width:3em"| Ъ ъ
| style="width:3em"| Ы ы
|-
| style="width:3em"| Ь ь
| style="width:3em"| Э э
| style="width:3em"| Ю ю
| style="width:3em"| Я я
|
|
|
|
|}

The letters Е and Э are used in a special way. Э is used for the short {{IPA|/e/}} sound at the beginning of words while Е is used for the same sound in the middle and at the end of words. Е is used at the beginning of words, mostly of Russian origin, to reflect the standard Russian pronunciation of that letter, {{IPA|/je/}}. Additionally, ЭЭ is used in the middle and at the end of words for the long {{IPA|/e/}} sound.

The letter ъ is used to indicate pitch accent, as in эът ''èt'' 'meat'.

=== Historic scripts ===

==== Traditional Mongolian script ====
From the late 18th century, when Tuva became part of the Qing empire, until the 1930s, all official documentation was kept in Mongolian using the traditional [[Mongolian script]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Отрощенко |first1=Иванна |title=Языковая политика и культурное строительство в Тувинской Народной Республике |journal=Новые исследования Тувы |date=2015 |issue=2 |page=16 |url=https://nit.tuva.asia/nit/article/view/22 |access-date=2025-06-16 |language=ru |issn=2079-8482}}</ref> By the late 1920s less than 1.5% of the total Tuvan population was literate in the traditional [[Mongolian script]]. Mongolian literacy was mainly possessed by the feudal nobility and officials. The absolute majority of Tuvans (with the exception of residents of some areas of the south-eastern part of Tuva, where Tuvan-Mongolian bilingualism has been preserved to this day) did not know the Mongolian language, and had long spoken only their native language.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Бичелдей |first1=Каадыр-Оол |title=80 лет тувинской письменности: становление, развитие, перспективы |journal=Новые исследования Тувы |date=2010 |issue=4 |page=221 |url=https://nit.tuva.asia/nit/article/view/480 |access-date=2024-10-06 |language=ru |issn=2079-8482}}</ref>

==== Draft scripts ====

In 1926, the government of the Tuvan People's Republic asked Soviet scientists to develop a native Tuvan script. The first draft of a Tuvan alphabet based on Cyrillic was compiled by Roman Buzykaev (1875–1939) and B. Bryukhanov (Sotpa) in 1927. This alphabet contained the letters Аа, Бб, Вв, Гг, Дд, Ёё, Жж, Ӝӝ, Зз, Ии, Йй, Кк, Лл, Мм, Нн, Ҥҥ, Оо, Ӧӧ, Пп, Рр, Сс, Тт, Уу, Ӱӱ, Хх, Чч, Шш, Ыы. The first Tuvan primer was published using this alphabet, but this project was not developed further.

==== Tuvan Latin ====
[[File:Emblem of the Tuvan People's Republic (1933-1939).svg|thumb|Example of Latin-based alphabet on the Tuvan People's Republic coat of arms. It says "PYGY TELEGEJNIꞐ PROLETARLARЬ POLGAŞ TARLATKAN ARATTARЬ KATTЬƵЬꞐAR".]]
The Latin-based alphabet for Tuvan was devised in 1930 by a Tuvan Buddhist monk, Mongush [[Lopsang-Chinmit]] (a.k.a. Lubsan Zhigmed). This project was proposed based on the German alphabet, albeit with a modified letter order. In this proposed system, all vowels were placed first (10 letters), followed by consonants (18 letters). This order is characteristic of the classical Mongolian script. Moreover, the pronunciation of several letters underwent significant alteration.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Бичелдей |first1=Каадыр-Оол |title=80 лет тувинской письменности: становление, развитие, перспективы |journal=Новые исследования Тувы |date=2010 |issue=4 |page=221 |url=https://nit.tuva.asia/nit/article/view/480 |access-date=2024-10-06 |language=ru |issn=2079-8482}}</ref><ref>For an image of the alphabet, see article {{cite journal |last1=Доржу |first1=Зоя |last2=Монгуш |first2=Игорь |title=ТРАГИЧЕСКАЯ СУДЬБА УЧЕНОГО ЛАМЫ ЛОПСАН-ЧИНМИТА |journal=Социально-экономический и гуманитарный журнал Красноярского ГАУ |date=2023 |issue=4 |page=141 |url=https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/tragicheskaya-sudba-uchenogo-lamy-lopsan-chinmita |access-date=2024-10-06}}, Figure 1</ref>

A few books and newspapers, including primers intended to teach adults to read, were printed using this writing system. Lopsang-Chinmit was later executed in Stalinist purges on 31 December 1941.<ref>{{harvp|Mänchen-Helfen|1992|page=133n}}</ref>

In the USSR, Aleksandr Palmbach, [[Yevgeny Polivanov]], and [[Nicholas Poppe]] were engaged in the development of the Tuvan Latinized alphabet. These researchers utilized the so-called [[Yañalif|New Turkic Alphabet]] as a foundation for their work.  [[Yañalif|New Turkic Alphabet]] was designed with the intention of facilitating unification of writing systems among all Turkic peoples. In early 1930, the Tuvan alphabet was finalized and officially introduced on June 28, 1930, by a decree of the TPR government. The approved Tuvan alphabet was as follows: 

{| cellpadding="3" style="font-size:1.4em; border:1px solid black; border-collapse:collapse; background-color:#F8F8EF; text-align:center"
| style="width:3em"| A a
| style="width:3em"| B ʙ
| style="width:3em"| C c
| style="width:3em"| D d
| style="width:3em"| E e
| style="width:3em"| F f
| style="width:3em"| G g
| style="width:3em"| Ƣ ƣ
|-
| style="width:3em"| H h
| style="width:3em"| I i
| style="width:3em"| J j
| style="width:3em"| Ɉ ɉ
| style="width:3em"| K k
| style="width:3em"| L l
| style="width:3em"| M m
| style="width:3em"| N n
|-
| style="width:3em"| Ꞑ ꞑ
| style="width:3em"| O o
| style="width:3em"| Ɵ ɵ
| style="width:3em"| P p
| style="width:3em"| R r
| style="width:3em"| S s
| style="width:3em"| Ş ş
| style="width:3em"| T t
|-
| style="width:3em"| U u
| style="width:3em"| V v
| style="width:3em"| X x
| style="width:3em"| Y y
| style="width:3em"| Z z
| style="width:3em"| Ƶ ƶ
| style="width:3em"| Ь ь
|
|}
The letter Ɉ ɉ was excluded from the alphabet in 1931.

===Examples===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Latin
! Pirgi tьʙa<!-- The ʙ here is not a mistake.  Do not change. --> tьldьꞑ yƶykteri|| PYGY TELEGEJNIꞐ PROLETARLARЬ POLGAŞ TARLATKAN ARATTARЬ KATTЬƵЬꞐAR!
|-
|Cyrillic
| Бирги тыва дылдың үжүктери || Бүгү телегейниң пролетарлары болгаш дарлаткан араттары каттыжыңар!
|-
|[[Common Turkic alphabet]]
|Pirgi tıva tıldıñ üjükteri
|Pügü telegeyniñ proletarları polgaş tarlatkan arattarı kattıjıñar!
|-
|English
| First Tuvan language alphabet || All the world's workers and oppressed peoples, unite!
|}

By September 1943, this Latin-based alphabet was replaced by a Cyrillic-based one, which is still in use to the present day. In the post-Soviet era, Tuvan and other scholars have taken a renewed interest in the history of Tuvan letters.
=== Transliteration ===
For bibliographic purposes, transliteration of Tuvan generally follows the guidelines described in the ALA-LC Romanization tables for non-Slavic languages in Cyrillic script.<ref>{{cite web |title=Non-Slavic languages (in Cyrillic Script) |website=[[Library of Congress]] |url=https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romanization/nonslav.pdf |access-date=31 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103195111/https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romanization/nonslav.pdf|archive-date=November 3, 2021}}</ref> Linguistic descriptions often employ the [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] or [[Turcology|Turcological]] standards for transliteration.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Harrison |first1=K. David |last2=Anderson |first2=Gregory D.S. |last3=Ondar |first3=Alexander |title=Tuvan Talking Dictionary |url=https://talkingdictionary.swarthmore.edu/tuvan/ |access-date=31 March 2022}}</ref>

== Grammar ==
Tuvan builds morphologically complex words by adding suffixes. For example, {{lang|tyv|теве}} ''teve'' is 'camel', {{lang|tyv|тевелер}} ''teveler'' is 'camels', {{lang|tyv|тевелерим}} ''tevelerim'' is 'my camels', {{lang|tyv|тевелеримден}} ''tevelerimden'' is 'from my camels'.

=== Nouns ===
Tuvan marks [[noun]]s with six [[declension|cases]]: genitive, accusative, dative, ablative, locative, and allative. The suffixes below are in front vowels, however, except ''-Je'' the suffixes follow vowel harmony rules. Each case suffix has a rich variety of uses and meanings, of which only the most basic ones are shown here.

{|class="wikitable"
!Root
! colspan="4" | Allomorphs
|-
!When after:
! voiceless
! nasals
! voiced/vowel
! After {{lang|tyv|-л}}
|-
! [[Nominative case|Nominative]]
| colspan="4" | {{lang|tyv|-∅}}
|-
! [[Genitive case|Genitive]] (''-NIŋ'')
| {{lang|tyv|-тиң}} (''-tiŋ'')
| colspan="2" | {{lang|tyv|-ниң}} (''-niŋ''))
| {{lang|tyv|-диң}} (''-diŋ'')
|-
! [[Accusative case|Accusative]] (''-NI'')
| {{lang|tyv|-ти}} (''-ti'')
| colspan="2" | {{lang|tyv|-ни}} (''-ni'')
| {{lang|tyv|-ди}} (''-di'')
|-
! [[Dative case|Dative]] (''-KA'')
| {{lang|tyv|-ке}} (''-ke'')
| colspan="3" | {{lang|tyv|-ге}} (''-ge'')
|-
! [[Locative case|Locative]] (''-DA'')
| {{lang|tyv|-те}} (''-te'')
| colspan="3" | {{lang|tyv|-де}} (''-de'')
|-
! [[Ablative case|Ablative]] (''-DAn'')
| {{lang|tyv|-тен}} (''-ten'')
| colspan="3" | {{lang|tyv|-ден}} (''-den'')
|-
! [[Allative case|Allative]] I (''-Je'')
| {{lang|tyv|-че}} (''-če'')
| colspan="3" | {{lang|tyv|-же}} (''-že'')
|-
! Allative II (''-DIvA'')<ref>Obsolete or dialectal version of current allative I</ref>
| {{lang|tyv|-тиве}} (''-tive'')
| colspan="3" | {{lang|tyv|-диве}} (''-dive'')
|-
! colspan="5" | Plural
|-
! Nominative (''-LAr'')
| {{lang|tyv|-тер}} (''-ter'')
| {{lang|tyv|-нер}} (''-ner'')
| {{lang|tyv|-лер}} (''-ler'')
| {{lang|tyv|-дер}} (''-der'')
|-
! colspan="5" | Oblique cases: by adding voiced variant into the plural suffix ({{lang|tyv|-лер<u>ниң</u>}}, {{lang|tyv|-лер<u>ге</u>}}, ...)
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Example of declensions
! Case
! Form
! Meaning
|-
! Nominative
| {{lang|tyv|теве}} (''teve'')
| "camel"
|-
! Genitive
| {{lang|tyv|тевениң}} (''teveniŋ'')
| "of the camel"
|-
! Accusative
| {{lang|tyv|тевени}} (''teveni'')
| "the camel" (definite direct object of verb)
|-
! Dative
| {{lang|tyv|тевеге}} (''tevege'')
| "for the camel" or "at the camel" (in the past tense)
|-
! Locative
| {{lang|tyv|теведе}} (''tevede'')
| "at the camel" or "in the camel"
|-
! Ablative
| {{lang|tyv|теведен}} (''teveden'')
| "from the camel" or "than a/the camel"
|-
! Allative I
| {{lang|tyv|тевеже}} (''teveže'')
| rowspan="2" | "to(wards) the camel"
|-
! Allative II
| {{lang|tyv|теведиве}} (''tevedive'')
|}

=== Verbs ===
[[Verb]]s in Tuvan take a number of endings to mark [[grammatical tense|tense]], [[grammatical mood|mood]], and [[grammatical aspect|aspect]]. [[Auxiliary verb]]s are also used to modify the verb. For a detailed scholarly study of auxiliary verbs in Tuvan and related languages, see Anderson 2004.

=== Syntax ===
Tuvan employs [[subject–object–verb|SOV]] word order. For example, {{lang|tyv|теве сиген чипкен}} (camel hay eat-PAST) "The camel ate the hay."

== Vocabulary ==
[[File:Family in tyvan.png|thumb|Name of family members in Tuvan]]
Tuvan vocabulary is mostly Turkic in origin but marked by a large number of Mongolian [[loanword]]s.  The language has also borrowed several Mongolian suffixes. In addition, there exist [[Ket language|Ketic]] and [[Samoyed languages|Samoyedic]] substrata.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} A Tuvan talking dictionary is produced by the [[Living Tongues Institute]].<ref>see [http://tuvan.swarthmore.edu/ Tuvan Talking Dictionary]</ref>

In contrast with most Turkic languages, which have many Arabic and Persian loanwords that even cover some basic concepts, these loanwords are very few, if any, in Tuvan, as Tuvans never adopted Islam like most Turkic peoples.

== Status ==
Tuvans in [[China]], who live mostly in [[Xinjiang|Xinjiang Autonomous Region]], are included under the [[Mongols in China|Mongol nationality]].<ref name="Mongush">{{harvp|Mongush|1996}}</ref> Some Tuvans reportedly live at [[Kanas Lake]] in the northwestern part of Xinjiang, where they are not officially recognized, and are counted as a part of the local [[Oirats|Oirat Mongol]] community that is counted under the general PRC official ethnic label of "Mongol". Oirat and Tuvan children attend schools in which they use [[Chakhar Mongolian]]<ref>"Öbür mongγul ayalγu bol dumdadu ulus-un mongγul kelen-ü saγuri ayalγu bolqu büged dumdadu ulus-un mongγul kelen-ü barimǰiy-a abiy-a ni čaqar aman ayalγun-du saγurilaγsan bayidaγ." (Sečenbaγatur et al. 2005: 85).</ref> and [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] [[Standard Chinese]], native languages of neither group.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=notes}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* [https://tuvan.swarthmore.edu Tuvan Talking Dictionary].
* {{Cite thesis |last=Harrison |first=K. David |title=Topics in the Phonology and Morphology of Tuvan |date=2001 |degree=Doctoral |publisher=Yale University |language=en |oclc=51541112|url=https://harrison.domains.swarthmore.edu/Harrison-Dissertation.pdf}}
* {{Cite book |last=Mänchen-Helfen |first=Otto |title=Journey to Tuva |publisher=Ethnographic Press University of Southern California |others=Translated by Alan Leighton |year=1992 |isbn=978-1-878986-04-7 |location=Los Angeles |language=en |orig-year=1931}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Mongush |first=M. V. |date=1996 |title=Tuvans of Mongolia and China |journal=International Journal of Central Asian Studies |language=en |volume=1 |pages=225–243}}
* {{cite thesis |last=Todoriki |first=Masahiko (等々力 政彦) |date=2011 |script-title=ja:最古の可能性のあるトゥバ語語彙について |trans-title=On the earliest possible Tuvan vocabulary |journal=Bulletin of the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia |number=159 |pages=238–220 |issn=0563-8089 |publisher=Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo |hdl=2261/43632 |url=http://hdl.handle.net/2261/43632}}
<!-- original text citation
Todoriki, Masahiko (等々力 政彦 ''Todoriki Masahiko''). 2011 "Possibly the oldest Tuvan vocabulary included in ''Wu-li-ya-su-tai-zhi lue'', the Abridged Copy of the History of Uliastai, 烏里蘇台志略にみえる，最古の可能性のあるトゥバ語語彙について". ''Tōyōbunka-Kenkyūjo Kiyō'' 東洋文化研究所紀要 '''159''' 238–220. {{ISSN|0563-8089}} [[The University of Tokyo]], http://repository.dl.itc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2261/43632/1/ioc159007.pdf ([http://hdl.handle.net/2261/43632 Archive]){{Dead link|date=January 2024}}
-->

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |last=Anderson |first=Gregory D. S. |title=Auxiliary Verb Constructions in Altai-Sayan Turkic |date=2004 |publisher=Otto Harrassowitz |isbn=3-447-04636-8 |location=Wiesbaden |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=Gregory D. S. |title=Tyvan |last2=Harrison |first2=K. David |publisher=Lincom Europa |year=1999 |isbn=978-3-89586-529-9 |series=Languages of the World/Materials 257 |language=en}}
* [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295606536_A_Tuvan_hero_tale_with_commentary_morphemic_analysis_and_translation]{{Cite journal |last=Harrison |first=K. David |date=2005 |title=A Tuvan Hero Tale, with Commentary, Morphemic Analysis, and Translation |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |language=en |volume=125 |pages=1–30}} 
* {{Cite book |last=Krueger |first=John R. |title=Tuvan Manual |publisher=Indiana University Publications |others=Editor Emeritus: Thomas A. Sebeok |year=1977 |isbn=978-0-87750-214-2 |editor-last=Krueger |editor-first=John R. |series=Uralic and Altaic Series Volume 126 |language=en}}
* Mawkanuli, Talant.  1999.  "The phonology and morphology of Jungar Tuva", Indiana University PhD dissertation.
* Nakashima, Yoshiteru (中嶋 善輝 ''Nakashima Yoshiteru''). 2008 "Tyva Yapon Biche Slovar', トゥヴァ語・日本語 小辞典" [[Tokyo University of Foreign Studies]], http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/project/gengokensyu/08tuvan6.pdf ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220011/http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/project/gengokensyu/08tuvan6.pdf Archive])
*Ölmez, Mehmet; Tuwinischer Wortschatz mit alttürkischen und mongolischen Parallelen, Wiesbaden 2007, {{ISBN|978-3-447-05499-7}}
*Rind-Pawloski, Monika. 2014. Text types and [[evidentiality]] in Dzungar Tuvan. ''Turkic Languages'' 18.1: 159–188.
*{{in lang|mn}} Sečenbaγatur, Qasgerel, Tuyaγ-a [Туяa], Bu. Jirannige, Wu Yingzhe, Činggeltei. 2005. ''Mongγul kelen-ü nutuγ-un ayalγun-u sinǰilel-ün uduridqal''  [A guide to the regional dialects of Mongolian]. Kökeqota: ÖMAKQ. {{ISBN|7-204-07621-4}}.
* Takashima, Naoki (高島 尚生 ''Takashima Naoki''). 2008 "Kiso Tuba-go bunpō 基礎トゥヴァ語文法", [[Tokyo University of Foreign Studies]], http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/project/gengokensyu/08tuvan1.pdf ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023505/http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/project/gengokensyu/08tuvan1.pdf Archive])
* Takashima, Naoki. 2008 "Tuba-go kaiwa-shū トゥヴァ語会話集", [[Tokyo University of Foreign Studies]], http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/project/gengokensyu/08tuvan3.pdf ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160303190603/http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/project/gengokensyu/08tuvan3.pdf Archive])
* Taube, Erika. (1978). ''Tuwinische Volksmärchen''. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag. LCCN: 83-853915
* Taube, Erika. (1994). ''Skazki i predaniia altaiskikh tuvintsev''. Moskva : Vostochnaia literatura. {{ISBN|5-02-017236-7}}
* Oelschlägel, Anett C. (2013). ''Der Taigageist. Berichte und Geschichten von Menschen und Geistern aus Tuwa. Zeitgenössische Sagen und andere Folkloretexte / Дух-хозяин тайги –Современные предания и другие фольклорные материалы из Тувы / Тайга ээзи – Болган таварылгалар болгаш Тывадан чыгдынган аас чогаалының өске-даа материалдары.'' [The Taiga Spirit. Reports and Stories about People and Spirits from Tuva. Contemporary Legends and other Folklore-Texts.] Marburg: tectum-Verlag.  {{ISBN|978-3-8288-3134-6}}

== External links ==
{{InterWiki|Tuvan}}
{{Wikivoyage|Tyvan phrasebook|Tyvan|a phrasebook}}
* [http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/dharris2/ Tuvan language and folklore materials]

{{Turkic languages}}
{{Languages of Russia}}
{{Languages of China}}
{{Languages of Mongolia}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Agglutinative languages]]
[[Category:Siberian Turkic languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Russia]]
[[Category:Languages of Xinjiang]]
[[Category:Languages of Mongolia]]
[[Category:Tonal languages in non-tonal families]]
[[Category:Tuvan culture]]
[[Category:Turkic languages]]
[[Category:Vulnerable languages]]
[[Category:Subject–object–verb languages]]