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'''Tayam''' is a language isolate spoken by about 3,900 people in southeastern [[Awating]]. | '''Tayam''' is a language isolate spoken by about 3,900 people in southeastern [[Awating]]. | ||
==Classification and number of speakers== | ==Classification and number of speakers== | ||
Tayam has been proven to be a language isolate, unrelated to any other languages. There have been numerous controversies about its classification, stemming from prior lack of reliable information about the language. However, as the Tayam-speaking area became more accessible and more recent data was obtained, the few scholars studying the language began to question their earlier classifications, and Tayam remains yet to be conclusively classified; current scholarly consensus and data suggest that Tayam is a language isolate. Tayam is also unusual in that, despite [[Awating]]'s repressive and hostile indigenous language policy, the language's vitality is stable and even vigorous; despite the small size of the speech community, many Tayam are monolingual or speak little Awatese, rates of inter-generational transmission are very high, and the speakerbase generally lacks a negative attitude toward the language. Tayam is spoken natively by about 3,900 people across several villages in Awating. | Tayam has been proven to be a language isolate, unrelated to any other languages. There have been numerous controversies about its classification, stemming from prior lack of reliable information about the language. However, as the Tayam-speaking area became more accessible and more recent data was obtained, the few scholars studying the language began to question their earlier classifications, and Tayam remains yet to be conclusively classified; current scholarly consensus and data suggest that Tayam is a language isolate. Tayam is also unusual in that, despite [[Awating]]'s repressive and hostile indigenous language policy, the language's vitality is stable and even vigorous; despite the small size of the speech community, many Tayam are monolingual or speak little Awatese, rates of inter-generational transmission are very high, and the speakerbase generally lacks a negative attitude toward the language. Tayam is spoken natively by about 3,900 people across several villages in Awating. | ||
From when study of the language began in the early 1960s to about 2014, very little reliable data was available about the language, due to the relative inaccessibility and isolation of the Tayam-speaking area as well as the small number of speakers. While the sparse data did suggest that it may have been an isolate, linguists at the time generally classified Tayam as a Ngerupic language, owing to a few shared areal features in common with the Ngerupic languages of Awating. Some scholars have also claimed that Tayam was invented by groups of rural bandits as a method of concealing information, citing its areally unusual phonology and grammar and lack of consensus about the language's origins. | From when study of the language began in the early 1960s to about 2014, very little reliable data was available about the language, due to the relative inaccessibility and isolation of the Tayam-speaking area as well as the small number of speakers. While the sparse data did suggest that it may have been an isolate, linguists at the time generally classified Tayam as a Ngerupic language, owing to a few shared areal features in common with the Ngerupic languages of Awating as well as some loanwords from neighboring languages. Some scholars have also claimed that Tayam was invented by groups of rural bandits as a method of concealing information, citing its areally unusual phonology and grammar and lack of consensus about the language's origins. | ||
Linguist [[Amang Řąziya Ngunrą Zahang]] has posited that Tayam is related to the [[Ngigu language]] of southern coastal Awating, and therefore related to the [[Abugo languages]] of [[Lahan]] via an Umo-Abugo language macrofamily. Neither proposal has been accepted by mainstream academia | Linguist [[Amang Řąziya Ngunrą Zahang]] has posited that Tayam is related to the [[Ngigu language]] of southern coastal Awating, and therefore related to the [[Abugo languages]] of [[Lahan]] via an Umo-Abugo language macrofamily. Neither proposal has been accepted by mainstream academia. | ||
==Phonology== | ==Phonology== | ||
===Phonemes=== | ===Phonemes=== | ||
Tayam has 13 phonemic consonants and 7 phonemic vowels, a considerably small inventory cross-linguistically but not particularly unusual for some Ngerupic languages. It is very similar in size to that of the unrelated [[Lutyan language]] of [[Lutya]]. | Tayam has 13 phonemic consonants and 7 phonemic vowels, a considerably small inventory cross-linguistically but not particularly unusual for some Ngerupic languages. It is very similar in size to that of the unrelated [[Lutyan language]] of [[Lutya]]. It is perhaps notable for its lack of phonemic semivowels or approximants, only shared by a few Ngerupic languages. | ||
====Consonants==== | ====Consonants==== | ||
Revision as of 00:17, 28 February 2022
| Tayam | |
|---|---|
| zäceñ | |
| Pronunciation | [θæʔɛ̃ɲ] |
| Region | southern Awating (Nguxi Province, Nąnim Province) |
| Ethnicity | Tayam |
| Native speakers | 3,900 (2020) |
| Language family | Language isolate |
| Official status | |
| Official language in | none |
| CWS code | ytm |
 | |
Tayam is a language isolate spoken by about 3,900 people in southeastern Awating.
Classification and number of speakers
Tayam has been proven to be a language isolate, unrelated to any other languages. There have been numerous controversies about its classification, stemming from prior lack of reliable information about the language. However, as the Tayam-speaking area became more accessible and more recent data was obtained, the few scholars studying the language began to question their earlier classifications, and Tayam remains yet to be conclusively classified; current scholarly consensus and data suggest that Tayam is a language isolate. Tayam is also unusual in that, despite Awating's repressive and hostile indigenous language policy, the language's vitality is stable and even vigorous; despite the small size of the speech community, many Tayam are monolingual or speak little Awatese, rates of inter-generational transmission are very high, and the speakerbase generally lacks a negative attitude toward the language. Tayam is spoken natively by about 3,900 people across several villages in Awating.
From when study of the language began in the early 1960s to about 2014, very little reliable data was available about the language, due to the relative inaccessibility and isolation of the Tayam-speaking area as well as the small number of speakers. While the sparse data did suggest that it may have been an isolate, linguists at the time generally classified Tayam as a Ngerupic language, owing to a few shared areal features in common with the Ngerupic languages of Awating as well as some loanwords from neighboring languages. Some scholars have also claimed that Tayam was invented by groups of rural bandits as a method of concealing information, citing its areally unusual phonology and grammar and lack of consensus about the language's origins.
Linguist Amang Řąziya Ngunrą Zahang has posited that Tayam is related to the Ngigu language of southern coastal Awating, and therefore related to the Abugo languages of Lahan via an Umo-Abugo language macrofamily. Neither proposal has been accepted by mainstream academia.
Phonology
Phonemes
Tayam has 13 phonemic consonants and 7 phonemic vowels, a considerably small inventory cross-linguistically but not particularly unusual for some Ngerupic languages. It is very similar in size to that of the unrelated Lutyan language of Lutya. It is perhaps notable for its lack of phonemic semivowels or approximants, only shared by a few Ngerupic languages.
Consonants
| Bilabial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | |||||
| Plosive | voiceless | t | k | ||||
| voiced | b | d | g | ||||
| prenasalized | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᵑg | ʔ | |||
| Fricative | θ | s | |||||
Vowels
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close | i y | u |
| Close-mid | e | o |
| Near-open | æ | |
| Open | a |