Harish language
| Harish language | |
|---|---|
| Harle Tally | |
| Ethnicity | Harish people |
| Native speakers | 38,000,000 (no date) |
| Language family | Tzulhonic
|
| CWS code | xbf |
The Harish language is a language spoken in Tzulhon, it is the de facto language of Tzulhon.
Classification
Harish language belongs to the Central Tzulhonic branch of Tzulhonic language family.
History
Phonology
Phonemes
| Bilabial | Dental | Alveolar | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | ||||||
| Plosive | ||||||
| Fricative | ||||||
| Approximant |
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | |||
| Mid | |||
| Open |
Phonotactics
Morphology and syntax
Morpholopgy
The morphology of Harish is mostly analytic; however, traces of inflections remain.
Nouns
Nouns don't decline for case or gender, but decline for number. The plural of most nouns are marked with -n.
The use of plural is always optional, especially when the context is clear i.e. when the noun is used with numerals.
Verbs
Verbs conjugate for tense, the personal agreements in older stages of Harish have been lost.
Derivational morphology
Syntax
Word Order
The Harish language has a verb-second word order, in main clauses, the V2 constraint holds, the finite verb must be in the second position; however, any non-finite forms must be in final position. In embedded clauses, the V2 constraint does not hold. The finite verb form must be adjacent to any non-finite at the end of the clause.
The subject is usually in the first position, but when a topical expression occupies the position, the subject follows the finite verb.
Object Marking
In Harish language, direct objects that are specific require a special marker, which is the preposition ge.
- se githe nare ges shafe - DEF girl bring.PST ACC=DEF fish - "The girl brought the fish"
Indefinite objects do not usually allow this marker. For example:
- se githe nare i shafe = the girl brought a fish - DEF girl bring.PST a fish - "The girl brought a fish"
Vocabulary
Most words of the Harish language are inherited from Old Harish; however, there are some loanwords from Middle Kwang and modern Kwang, usually through the Wanabi language.