Long vowels

There are lots of words with long vowel sounds in the Altai language. They are written by doubled letters. The length of the vowel changes the word’s meaning. Compare the nouns:

кӱн – sun, кӱӱн – wish
кур – waist band, куур – roast;
cоок – cold, сок – beat;
јан – go home, јаан – big;
јун – wash, јуун – a meeting;
јаш – raw/immature, јааш – rain;
сӱр – kick out/drive out, сӱӱр – to love;
така – horseshoe, такаа – chicken;
тар – tight, таар – sack;
кан – blood, каан – king/emperor;
кару – dear, каруу – an answer.

Look at some more examples of words with long vowels: бӱгӱн соок тышкары – it’s cold outside today, бу соок суу – this is a cold water, бу балу бичик – this is an expensive book, бисте тӧӧ бар – we have a camel, Алтайда баатырлар кӧп – there are lots of athletes in Ailtai, јааш јаайт – it’s raining.

Some vocabulary to learn

Баа – price, баалар – to value, баалу – expensive
буу – rope/lasher, буулар – rope down to
јаар – to rain,
јоон – thick/wide, јанн –big
коо – slim
мее – brain
сӱӱш – love
тоо – number/quantity
тоолор – to count
ээлгир – flexible
ээ – owner
ээн – forsaken (house).

Also you know that we have have in long vowels in some infinitives. If the base of the verb ends in a vowel we just add the infinitive affix beginning with the same vowel, so we get double vowels, for example: корыыр – to protect/ care after,
белетеер – to prepare
кадаар – to hammer in
тӧгӱндеер – to lie/ to cheat
эмдеер – to heal/treat
бичиир – to write
сакыыр – to wait
чеберлеер – save/preserve
оорыыр – to be sick/ill
коркыыр –be afraid of/be frightened of
бедиреер – to look for
јӧдӱлдеер – to cough
мергедеер – to throw/cast
токпоктоор – to batter/pummel
ыштаар – to emit smoke
азыраар – to feed
будыыр – to colour
толгоор – to roll/to twist
толыыр/солыыр – exchange
јалмаар/јамдаар – to sweep (the floor)
ороор – wrap, ыйлаар – to cry/weep
бодоор – to suppose/to do sums
јылыыр – to turn warm
калыыр – to jump
кургаар/топсыыр – to get dry
уйуктаар – to sleep
тажыыр – to pull about
кӱндӱлеер – to treat
мактаар – to praise
кӱӱнзеер – to wish/to desire
тырмаар – to scratch
чечектеер – to flower
кӧктӧӧр – to sew