Archive:Asakan language
Asakan | |
---|---|
Monyo Asakasiafat | |
Pronunciation | /asakasjasat/ |
Ethnicity | Monyo |
Language family | South Qeerlic
|
Early forms: | Asakic
|
Writing system | Coiron Script |
Official status | |
Official language in | Yakormonyo |
CWS code | ASKA |
Asakan, also known as Monyo, is spoken as a native language throughout central and southern Yakormonyo. It is an analytical language, and its morphology is slightly synthetic.
Classification
Asakan is an Asakic language within the Monic language family, and is related to other Monyo languages such as Asxatan and Anakfan.
Asakan, along with its sister language, Itimian, differs from other Monic languages with its treatment of the rostral stop *m. In most other languages, this sound softened to a velar approximant, and in some cases, assimilated with neighbouring vowels. Asakan does the opposite; *m is further strengthened, causing the following:
- If preceding a vowel, said vowel reduces to a schwa;
- If preceding a consonant, an intermediary schwa to break the cluster;
- If at the end of the word, an epenthetic schwa; and
- If preceding a schwa at the end of the word (due to #1 and #3), an epenthetic nasal *n.
For example, Proto-Monyo *kāham (mountain) is Asakan kaman, Vontáatan ká and Kagassian kahau. WIP
History
Phonology
Consonants
Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
---|---|---|---|
Nasal | n ⟨n⟩ | ɣ̃r ⟨nr⟩ | |
Stop | t ⟨t⟩, tʷ ⟨p⟩ | k ⟨k ku⟩ | |
Affricate | ts ⟨ts tf⟩ | tʃ ⟨tx⟩ | xɾ ⟨r⟩ |
Fricative | s ⟨s⟩, θ ⟨f⟩ | ʃ ⟨x⟩ | x ⟨h hu⟩ |
Liquid | j ⟨i⟩ | w ⟨u⟩ |
Vowels
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i ⟨i⟩ | ɯ ⟨u⟩ | |
Mid | e ⟨e⟩ | ʌ~ɘ ⟨o⟩ | |
Open | a ⟨a⟩, aː ⟨a⟩ |
- There are five diphthongs: /aɪ/ ⟨ai⟩, /eɪ/ ⟨ei⟩, /ɘɪ/ ⟨oi⟩, /aɘ/ ⟨au⟩ and /ʌɘ/ ⟨ó⟩.
Phonotactics
Orthography
Grammar
Nouns
Monyo nouns are inflected solely for plurality. Several irregular forms exist, especially due to loaned words, consonant shifts and neologisms.
Regular Plurals
Class 1: -a Plurals | ||
---|---|---|
Ending | Plural | Example |
-i | -a | soki (candle) > soka |
-ai | karai (cloud) > kara | |
-oi | kotoi (winter) > kota | |
-u | -ua | saru (forest) > sarua |
-tu | -pa | tatu (friend) > tapa |
-k | -ka | huok (dog) > huoka |
-h | -ha | otxah (stream) > otxaha |
Class 2: -i Plurals | ||
Ending | Plural | Example |
-Ø | -i | tufian (bird) > tufiani |
-a | okata (town) > okati | |
-o | kako (man) > kaki | |
-á | -ai | sahá (animal) > sahai |
-ó | -oi | hoxó (lizard) > hoxoi |
-au | -aui | tau (flower) > taui |
Irregular Plurals
Class 3: Irregular -na Plurals[1] | ||
---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | Expected plural |
pakin (foot) | pakina | pakini |
uan (eye) | uana | uani |
uon (potato) | uona | uoni |
kan (hand) | kana | kani |
Class 4: Irregular -sa Plurals[2] | ||
Singular | Plural | Expected plural |
Ekis (Firstday) | Ekisa | Ekisi |
Rukas (Seconday) | Rukasa | Rukasi |
Tetsakas (Thirday) | Tetsakasa | Tetsakasi |
Raxos (Forthday) | Raxosa | Raxosi |
ahas (snake) | asa | ahasi |
kos, kohis (sibling) | kosa | kosi, kohisi |
hanas (autumn) | hanasa | hanasi |
Class 5: Irregular -ei Plurals[3] | ||
Singular | Plural | Expected plural |
eti (worm) | etei | eta |
naio (land) | naiei | |
osi (sky) | osei | osa |
Class 6: Irregular -ri Plurals[4] | ||
Singular | Plural | Expected plural |
fiar (millet) | firi | fiari |
siá (grass) | siri | siai |
sokoiar (invitation) | sokori | sokoiari |
kiar (sun) | kuiri | kiari |
Class 7: Irregular -ta Plurals[5] | ||
Singular | Plural | Expected plural |
oin (floor) | ointa | oini |
otos (rain) | otosta | otosi |
sokoh (second) | sokota | sokoha |
kas (mouth) | kasta | kasti |
Class 8: Irregular -pi Plurals[6] | ||
nuait (omen) | nuaipi | nuaiti |
xosat (prayer) | xosapi | xosati |
Class 9: Other Irregulars | ||
en (river) | enhi | eni |
naina (woman) | nainosi | naini |
kara (head) | karafi | kari |
koi (egg) | koxa | ka |
Cases
Since nouns are not inflected according to case, they are instead preceded by case-marking particles. These particles have definite and indefinite forms, marked by the affix -si. For the nominative case, which doesn't use a case marker, si is standalone.
Case Markers | |||
---|---|---|---|
Indefinite | Definite Singular | Definite Plural | |
Nominative | Ø | si | i |
Accusative/Lative | ua | uasi | uai |
Genitive | ta | tasi | tai |
Dative | ran | ransi | rani |
Comitative | o | osi | oi |
Locative | io | iosi | ia |
Ablative | a | asi | ai |
na | nasi | nai | |
Abessive | ian | iansi | noi |
ta/tasi are usually contracted to 't/'tsi after other markers.
Markers combined with ut | |||
---|---|---|---|
Indefinite | Definite Singular | Definite Plural | |
Nominative | ta | si't | i't |
Accusative/Lative | ua't | uasi't | uai't |
Genitive | ta't | tasi't | tai't |
Dative | ran ta | ransi't | rani't |
Comitative | o't | osi't | oi't |
Locative | io't | iosi't | ia't |
Ablative | a't | asi't | ai't |
na't | nasi't | nai't | |
Abessive | ian ta | iansi't | noi't |
a vs ei
In Asakan there are two distinct ablative markers, a/asi/ai and na/nasi/nai, which have different functions.
- a/asi is used before the agent in a passive construction.
- Si kuarion anein oiaka a ripau. The letter was written by a friend.
- a/asi is used in the construction of prepositional phrases denoting action.
- I tufiani axi huar asi rait saru. The birds fly over the forest.
- a/asi is used in the comparative and superlative form of adjectives, denoting the receiver of the comparison.
- K'axi sana rikoi asi'ka kosa. I am shorter than my siblings.
- na/nasi is used to indicate an action "away from" or "out of".
- Si txuio axir ataxi nasi Otofu. The train will arrive from Otofu.
io vs ua
As io/iosi and ua/uasi both perform locative functions, some of their roles may overlap.
- io/iosi is used to indicate where an action is taking place.
- Si kihua axi rata iosi paxin. The children are playing in the meadow.
- io/iosi is used to indicate the time a certain action takes place.
- K'axir uas iosi asxá. I will sleep in the morning.
- ua/uasi is used to indicate an action "towards".
- Xiki kanko axir hoxan uasi Ithifara. The ship will be sailing to Ithifara.
- ua/uasi is used to indicate where an action is taking place if io/iosi is already used to indicate time.
- K'ano oro io nafoka io Tetsakas. I want to go to a bathhouse on Thirday.
Pronouns
Like nouns, pronouns have their respective singular and plural forms, and use markers to indicate case. Pronouns have their own possessive form however, which is derived from the genitive marker.
Absolutive Case | |||
---|---|---|---|
First Person | Second Person | Third Person | |
Singular | ka | ta | ki |
Plural | kata | taiki | hofa |
Possessive Case | |||
First Person | Second Person | Third Person | |
Singular | uka | uta | uki |
Plural | ukata | utaiki | utofa |
Like the genitive marker, possessive pronouns generally contract the u- before other markers ending in vowels.
- Si'ka tasuk asi hotutxi iosi moxan. My headdress is being washed in the lake.
- Kat'axiri sisoksu io'ta txama. We will rest in your house.