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{{construction}}
{{construction}}
{{samename}}
{{Infobox language
{{Infobox language
|image = Asaari.png
|image =  
|imagesize = 250px
|imagesize = 100px
|name = Asaari
|name = Kandi
|nativename = Tsán asáari, Asáari
|nativename = Kāndi tsūyi
|pronunciation = /t͡sán at͡sá͜ɑɣɪ/
|pronunciation = kaːndɪ t͡suβ̞ʝɪ
|region = [[w:North America|North America]]
|creator = User:Waahlis
|states = [[w:USA|United States of America]]
|setting = Unknown conworld
|speakers = 21,020
<!-- |region = West Africa
|date = 2012
|states = Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso -->
|familycolor = American
|speakers = 4 million
|fam1 = [[Tanisi languages|Tanisi]]
|date = 2015
|fam2 = [[Tanisi languages#Tsan languages|Tsan]]
|familycolor = Afro-Asiatic
|ancestor = [[Proto-Tanisi]]
|fam1 = Jasi-Jivan
|dia1 = Asaari proper
|fam2 = Tanisi
|dia2 = Virginian Asaari
|ancestor = Proto-Kandi
|dia3 = Carolinian Asaari
|clcr = qts
<!-- |map = Agartha.jpg -->
|script1       = Latn
<!-- |mapcaption    = Map picturing the Agartha region in Transcaucasia, crossing the borders of [[w:Armenia|Armenia]], [[w:Azerbaijan|Azerbaijan]] and [[w:Georgia|Georgia]]. -->
|agency        = ''Aytšin Tatšūkkāndi''
|iso1 = as
|iso2 = aas
|iso3 = aas
|script       = [[w:Vai script|Vai]], [[w:Latin script|Latin]]
|agency        = [[Asaari#Tsárapi áyasáari|Tsárapi áyasáari]]
|notice = IPA
|notice = IPA
}}
}}
'''Kāndi''', or '''Tsan''' (''kāndi tsūyi'' or ''tsani tsūyi'') is a language spoken by the Tsan people. It belongs to the Tanisi language family and is thus distantly related to the [[Ris]] language. Kandi is a heavily [[w:agglutinative language|agglutinating]] with a complex verbal morphology. The language has repeatedly been analysed as lacking [[w:nouns|nouns]] and [[w:adjectives|adjectives]] altogether, in favour of [[w:verb|verb]]s.


Slightly dated versions of the language were featured in the [[Third Linguifex Relay/Tsan|third]] and [[Fourth Linguifex Relay|fourth Linguifex relay]]s. These are probably not a good source for the constructed language, but they do give the reader an impression of Kandi's evolution.
==Background==
The language was supposedly first documented scholarly by the Belgian linguists Émile d'Ivoire and his Scottish colleague John Glenn Crossing, both of which were experienced in the field of the related Jivan languages, including for example the [[Ris]]. They first encountered the Kandi people in the early 19<sup>th</sup> century south of the Caspian Sea, in what is now Northern Iran. The Kandis dwelled in small villages intentionally isolated from the rest of the country. Crossing recognised the language's syntactic pecularities and conjectured it could be related to the Jivan languages, a then rather unfounded speculation.


'''Tsán asáari''', ꔌꖟꔷ ꕉꕦꔹꗏ , or simply '''Tsan''' /t͡sán/, ꔌꖟꔷ, or '''Asaari''' /at͡sáːɣɪ/ is a language spoken in the eastern [[w:United States of America|United States of America]]. It is not known to be related to any extant language and is thus a language isolate. The name, '''Tsán asáari''' /t͡sán at͡sáːɣɪ/ simply means "the ocean blue language", or "the language that is ocean blue".  
The Kandi language, which the natives had not given a name, was eponymously named after the speakers themselves; '''''kāndi''''' meaning ''handy'' in the language. The word is most likely related to Jávva '''''gánne''''', Wok '''''khaṃ'''''  and Ris '''''san''''', and can be traced back to the hypothetical Proto-Jasi-Jivan form '''''*kʰãn'''''. The name soon stuck with the Kandi people, although quite a few still call the language '''''kitsūyiwīn''''', ''our language''. That name is hardly very catchy though.


Asaari is a heavily [[w:agglutinative language|agglutinating]] with a complex verbal morphology. The language has repeatedly been analysed as lacking [[w:nouns|nouns]] and [[w:adjectives|adjectives]] altogether, in favour of [[w:verb|verb]]s. Asaari is a [[w:tonal|tonal]] language with a limited vowel inventory, and an extensive array of consonants.
==Phonology==
The Kandi inventory has been documented and assessed repeatedly since the 19<sup>th</sup> century, the foremost scholar in the field being the Belgian linguist Émile d'Ivoire. This page uses a standard notation where C is a consonant, N a nasal consonant, and V is a vowel. Features are indicated by square brackets [ ] and plus or minus signs, ±. Phonemic sounds are marked with slash brackets / / and more deeply analysed sounds are marked with square brackets [ ].
===Phonemic inventory of vowels and consonants===
The following is the Kandi inventory of consonants, as analysed by d'Ivoire, a model nowadays serving as standard when analysing the language.  


The language is being constructed by [[User:Waahlis|Waahlis]] to represent his fierce love for tones, voiceless consonants, and the voiceless lateral fricative.
I also wish to make it clear that this language has '''no connexion what so ever''' to the invented language and species of [[w:Asari (Mass Effect)|Asari]], in the video game Mass Effect! The name is purely coincidental as Asaari is derived from the word for "blue" in the language (Yes, I'm aware the species of Mass Effect also happen to be blue...), which was propably inspired from the European word "[[wikt:azure|azure]]". The final "-i" is a relativising suffix. No connexions, okay!?
==Phonology==
{{as-pagebox}}
===Consonants===
Tsan has 23 consonants, called '''tsínáa''' /t͡sɪ́ná͜aʔ/, traditionally categorised into the following groups:
*'''màaráyi''' /mɑ̀ⁿːʀáʔjɪ/ - "shaking" or [[w:voiced consonants|voiced consonants]].
**'''mháasi''' /m̥á͜ɑʔsɪ/ - "smooth" or [[w:approximant consonants|approximants]] and voiced [[w:nasal consonants|nasal consonants]].
*'''tuáaqi''' /tʼá͜ɑʔcɪ/ - "shocking" or [[w:ejective consonants|ejective consonants]].
*'''tsamàaráyis''' /t͡samɑ̀ⁿːʀáʔjɪs/ - "non-shaking" or [[w:voiceless consonants|voiceless consonants]].
**'''yéelhàyi''' /jɛ́͜əɬɑ̀ⁿjɪ/ - "gliding" or [[w:fricative consonants|fricatives]] and voiceless [[w:nasal consonants|nasal consonants]].
**'''quáasi''' /qʼá͜ɑʔsɪ/ - "stopping", that is [[w:stop consonants|stop consonants]].
**'''sitsàayi''' /sɪt͡sɑ̀ːⁿjɪ/ - "jumping" or [[w:affricate consonants|affricates]].
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="width: 700px; text-align: center;"
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="width: 700px; text-align: center;"
|+'''Asaari consonants'''
|+'''d'Ivoire model'''
|-
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2"|
! colspan="2" rowspan="2"|
! colspan="1" rowspan="2"|Bilabial
! colspan="1" rowspan="2"|Bilabial
!Dental
!Dental
! colspan="2"|Alveolar
! colspan="3"|Alveolar
! rowspan="2"|Palatal
! rowspan="2"|Dorsal
! colspan="1" rowspan="2"|Uvular
 
! rowspan="2"|Glottal
! rowspan="2"|Glottal
|-
|-
!central
!<small>central</small>
!<small>central</small>
!<small>central</small>
!<small>lateral</small>
!<small>lateral</small>
!<small>palatal</small>
|-
|-
! rowspan="2"|Nasals
! rowspan="1" colspan="2" |Nasals
!<small>voiceless</small>
|'''mh''' /m̥/
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|'''nh '''/n̥/
|
|
|
|
|-
!<small>voiced</small>
|'''m''' /m/
|'''m''' /m/
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|'''n''' /n/
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|'''n''' /n/
Line 81: Line 58:
|
|
|- align="center"
|- align="center"
! rowspan="2"|Stops
! rowspan="3"|Stops
!<small>ejective</small>
|'''pu ''' /pʼ/
| colspan="2"|'''tu '''/tʼ/
|
| colspan="2" | '''gu '''/cʼ ~ qʼ/
|
|-
|-
!<small>voiceless</small>
!<small>voiceless</small>
Line 93: Line 64:
| colspan="2"|'''t''' /t/
| colspan="2"|'''t''' /t/
|
|
| colspan="2" |'''g''' /c ~ q/
|
|''' h ''' /ʔ/
|'''k''' /k/
|
|-
|-
! rowspan="2"|Affricates
!<small>voiced</small>
!<small>ejective</small>
| '''b''' /b/
| colspan="2"| '''d''' /d/
|
|
|
|
|'''tsu''' /t͡sʼ/
| '''g''' /g/
|'''tlu '''/t&#620;'/
|'''tshu '''/t͡ɕʼ/
|
|
|
|-
|-
!<small>voiceless</small>
! rowspan="1" colspan="2"|Affricates
|
|
|
|
|'''ts''' /t͡s/
|'''ts''' /t͡s/
|'''tl '''/t͡ɬ/
|'''tl '''/t͡ɬ/
|'''tsh '''/t͡ɕ/
|'''tš '''/t͡ɕ/
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
! rowspan="1"|Fricatives
! colspan="2"|Fricatives
!<small>voiceless</small>
|
|'''ph''' /ɸ ~ pɸ/
|
|'''th '''/θ ~ tθ/
|'''s''' /s/
|'''s''' /s ~ ts/
|
|'''lh '''/&#620;/
|'''š '''/ɕ/ · '''y''' /ʝ/
|'''sh '''/ç ~ &#597;/
|'''x''' /x/
| colspan="2" |'''h''' /χ ~ h/
| '''h''' /h/
|-
|-
! colspan="2" style="background: ;"|Approximant
! colspan="2" style="background: ;"|Approximants
|'''w''' /β̞/
|
|
|
|
|'''l''' /l/
|
|'''ǧ''' /ɰ/
|
|
|'''l''' /l/
|-
| '''y''' /j/
! colspan="2" style="background: ;"|Trills
|'''r''' /&#641; ~ &#640;/
|  
|colspan="5"|'''r''' /ʀ~r/
|
|
|}
|}


===Vowels===
Tsan has three main vowels, /a/, /ɪ/ and /ɛ/. The vowels can all bear tone. The tones may change the vowels' qualities and articulation; these allophones are enclosed in square brackets. Vowels may be long or short. Long vowels are written twice in the native orthography.
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="width: 400px; text-align:center"
|+'''Asaari vowels'''


D'Ivoire standardised the phonemic inventory of vowels in the language, as per his conclusion that there were three phonemic short vowels, /i/, /a/, /u/, and three phonemic "long" vowels. The quality of the long vowels is rarely realised as the same as their short counterparts however, but it is likely that they once only differed in quantity, making vowel length a truly distinctive feature.
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="width: 550px; text-align:center;"
|+ '''d'Ivoire model'''
|-
|-
!style="width: 45px; "|
!style="width: 45px; "|<small>short</small>
!style="width: 45px; "|<small>long</small>
|-
! style="" |Close front unrounded
| '''i''' /i/
| '''ī''' /iː/ [iː]
|-
! style="" |Open back unrounded
| '''a''' /a/
| '''ā''' /aː/ [ɔ]
|-
! style="" |Close back rounded
|'''u''' /u/
|'''ū''' /uː/ [u͜β̞]
|-
|-
!
|}


! Front
==Phonotactics==
The composition of Kandi words and syllables is restricted, and phonemes undergo a few morphophonemic changes when interacting across morpheme boundaries. Due to the the synthetic nature of the language, some enclitics and affixes may be obscured because of these changes. The morphophonology is highly dependent upon various assimilations, syncope and a few epenthetical vowels.


! Near-front
===Syllable structure and morphophonology===
The minimal Kandi syllable is simply V, and the maximal structure is CrVCC, where V may be either long or short. In case the following syllable begins with a consonant, the resulting cluster is simplified.


! Central
The Kandi consonant cluster VCCV is subject to a few rules.
 
*All nasal plosives N (C[stop][+nas]) voice both preceding and following stops P (C[stop][-nas]).
! Near-back
::NP[-voice] > NP[+voice]
 
::P[-voice]N > P[+voice]N
! Back
*
|-
! Close


{| class="bluetable lightbluebg mw-collapsible"
! rowspan="2" | Initial Consonant
! colspan="20" | Final Consonant
|- 
! m
! n
! p
! t
! k
! b
! d
! g
! s
! š
! tl
! ts
! tš
! h
! x
! w
! ǧ
! y
! l
! r
|- 
! m
| mm
| mb
| mb
| nd
| ng
| mb
| nd
| ng
| ss
| šš
| ndr
| ns
| nš
| mm
| nǧ
| mm
| nǧ
| nn
|
| ndr
|- 
! n
| nd
| nn
| mb
| nd
| ng
| mb
| nd
| ng
| ss
| šš
| ndr
| ns
| nš
| nn
| nǧ
| mm
| nǧ
| nn
|
| ndr
|- 
! p
|mb
|mb
|pp
|pt
|
|bb
|pt
|
|ps
|pš
|
|
|
|pp
|pš
|ppuh
|bb
|pp
|
|
|- 
! t
|
|
|pt
|tt
|tš
|ttuh
|tt
|dd
|ts
|tš
|ttl
|tts
|ttš
|tt
|tš
|ttuh
|dd
|dd
|tl
|tr
|- 
! k
|ǧm
|ǧn
|
|št
|kk
|guh
|št
|gg
|ks
|kš
|
|ts
|tš
|x
|x
|kkuh
|gg
|gg
|
|
|- 
! b
|mm
|mm
|pp
|ud
|uǧ
|w
|ud
|uǧ
|
|
|
|
|
|bb
|ux
|w
|uǧ
|bb
|
|
|- 
! d
|
|
|pt
|tt
|kk
|duh
|dd
|gg
|ss
|šš
|ttl
|tts
|ttš
|dd
|ǧǧ
|duh
|ǧ
|dd
|tl
|tr
|- 
! g
|ǧm
|ǧn
|pp
|tt
|kk
|guh
|dd
|gg
|ks
|kš
|
|
|
|ǧ
|ǧ
|guh
|g
|ǧ
|
|
|- 
! s
|šm
|
|sp
|st
|ks
|suh
|st
|ks
|ss
|šš
|
|
|
|ss
|šš
|suh
|x
|š
|
|
|- 
! š
|šm
|
|šp
|št
|kš
|šuh
|št
|kš
|ss
|šš
|
|
|
|šš
|šš
|šuh
|x
|š
|
|
|- 
! tl
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|[ɨ̃]
|
|
|
|
|-
!Near-close
|
|
|'''ı''' /ɪ/
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!Close-mid
|
|
|
|
|
|
 
|- 
! ts
|
|
|
|
|-
!Mid
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!Open-mid
|'''e''' /ɛ/, [ɛ̃]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!Near-open
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!Open
|'''a''' /a/
|
|
|
|
|
|
|[ɑ̃]
|}
===Diphthongs, or long vowels===
There are three so called "'''diphthongs'''¨" in the language. This is however merely a traditional name, as the diphthongs have long since collapsed into '''long vowels'''. Originally, these were diphthongs later assimilated by the non-glide element.
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="width: 550px; text-align:center"
|+'''Asaari vowels and diphthongs'''
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1"| Short vowels
|-
|'''i''' /ɪ/
|'''e''' /ɛ/
|'''a''' /a/
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1"| Long vowels
|-
|'''ii''' /ɪː/
|'''ee''' /ɛː/
|'''aa''' /aː/
|-
|}
===Tone===
There are three phonemic [[w:tone|tone]]s in Lha asáari, the '''high''', '''medium''', or '''default''', and the '''low''' tone. The tones have immense effects on the qualities of the vowels.
*Short and long vowels with the high tone are pronounced with a glottal closure, that is, a coda glottal stop, /ʔ/. The long vowels are diphthongised - this is the sole trace of the homogeneous diphthongs.
*Low tone vowels are nasalised. This nasalisation is phonetically marked with a superscript minuscule "n", so that the nasalisation marking does not coincide with the tone diacritics.
===Phonological processes===
Apart from the low tone vowels being nasalised, and the diphthongs collapsing into long vowels, Tsan has a few other compulsory phonological changes.
====Emphatic consonants====
The term '''emphatic''' is a controversial one but refers to a certain form of assimilation in the Tsan language. Following high tone vowels, fricative consonants and /ʁ/ change their pronunciation.
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="width: 550px; text-align:center"
|+'''Asaari emphatics and finals'''
|-
! colspan="8"|Phonological changes
|-
!
!ph
!th
!s
!lh
!sh
!h
!r
|-
! Plain
|/ɸ/
|/θ/
|/s/
|/ɬ/
|/ç/
|/ʔ/
|/ʁ ~ ʀ/
|-
!Emphatic
|[p͡ɸ]
|[t͡θ]
|[t͡s]
|[t͡ɬ]
|[ɕ]
|[χ]
|[ɣ]
|-
!Final
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|[h]
|[r]
|}
====Unreleased consonants====
When in coda position of a word, consonants are pronounced with [[w:no audible release|no audible release]]. This applies to all oral occlusives, or plosives. Ejective plosives are never found in final position and thus never unreleased.
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="width: 350px; text-align:center"
|+'''Asaari finals'''
|-
! colspan="8"|Phonological changes
|-
!
!p
!t
!g
|-
! Plain
|/p/
|/t/
|/c ~ q/
|-
!Unreleased
|[p̚]
|[t̚]
|[c̚ ~ q̚]
|}
===Suprasegmentals===
====Tonic accent====
: ''See also: [[Asaari/Sound changes]]''
Tsan uses a a system of '''tonic accent''', or [[w:pitch accent|pitch accent]]. A tonic accent is different to stress accent in that the prominent syllable in the word is distinguished by [[w:tone|tone]] rather than volume. The tonic accent is also different to a purely tonal system in that the number of tonal syllables in a word is limited.
In Tsan , there is at most one tonic syllable in a word. The position of the tonic syllable determines the tonal pattern of the whole word. The distinction is binary, that is, a tonic syllable may be either high or low.
The [[Proto-Tanisi]] language, PT, had a moraic stress system, where the first heavy was stressed. In Tsan , this is largely irrelevant. Instead, depending on which syllable had a voiceless plosive or a nasal coda, the syllable became tonic. Syllables with a plosive coda got a high pitch, and nasal codas got a low pitch. The low pitch is marked with a [[w:grave accent|grave accent]] and the high one with an [[w:acute accent|acute accent]].
*For example, the PT word {{sc|hagiakis}} */ha.'gjakis/ recieved a high pitch on the second syllable when Tsan developed.
**{{sc|hagiakis}} /ha.'gjakis/ > '''ayáah''' /ajáːʔ/ - ''yellow''
*The word {{sc|tiana}} */'tjan.a/ on the other hand got a low pitch.
** {{sc|tiana}} /'tjan.a/ > '''tsà''' /tsà/ - ''hell''
In PT words where there were both nasal codas and plosive codas, the high tone gets prominence. The low tone is still marked, however.
*An example is the Proto-Tanisi word {{sc|satram}} */'satram/, where the low pitch is omitted.
** {{sc|satram}} /'satram/ > '''sárà''' /sáɣa/ - ''hollow''
Proto-Tanisi words and syllable structure has deteriorated to become Tsan, thus giving rise to a multitude of minimal pairs. The following table gives an overview over the misunderstandings that could arise if the wrong pitch is chosen.
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="width: 550px; text-align:center"
|+'''Minimal pairs of tonic accent'''
!Without diacritics
! colspan="2"|High
! colspan="2"| Low
! colspan="2"|Accentless
|-
! colspan="7"|First syllable
|-
|''tsa''
|/tsá/||language
|/tsà/||hell||/tsa/
|who
|-
|''ayaa''
|/ájaː/||oyster
|/àjaː/||oh, right!||/ajaː/
|fish
|-
|''mati''
|/máti/||work
|/màti/||sad|| -
| -
|-
! colspan="7"|Second syllable
|-
|''ayaah''
|/ajáː/||yellow
|/ajàː/||lamp||/ajaː/
|fish
|-
|''mati''
|/matí/||big
|/matì/||morning paper|| -
| -
|}
=====Compunding=====
A word may have only one tonic syllable per word. This is not the case of compund words or when affixes added, however.
=====Tonic influence=====
Syllables adjacent to pitched syllables are not completely accentless. Instead, they are affected by the nearby tonic accent.
=====Tonic register=====
The [[Proto-Tanisi]] language, had a regular [[w:moraic stress| moraic stress system]] which degenerated as the Tsan system evolved. The Proto-Tanisi language stressed the third mora, but in the Tsan language much of the tonic accent is affected by so called '''glottal''' and '''nasal''' syllables.
The Tsan tonic accent distinguishes high and low tone. These arose due to [[w:nasalisation|nasalised]] syllables and syllables with a [[w:glottal stop|glottal stop]] coda in the Proto-Tanisi language. Today, these are part of a [[w:register (linguistics)|register]], where high pitch syllables get a glottal closure, and low pitch syllables are nasalised.
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="width: 550px; text-align:center"
|+'''Tsan tonic register'''
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="1"|
! colspan="3" rowspan="1"| Simple
! colspan="1" rowspan="4"|
! colspan="3" rowspan="1"| Long
|-
! rowspan="3"| Quality
! No pitch
|'''i''' /ɪ/
|'''e''' /ɛ/
|'''a''' /a/
|'''ii''' /ɪː/
|'''ee''' /ɛː/
|'''aa''' /aː/
|-
!High pitch
|í /ɪ́ʔ/
|'''é''' /ɛ́ʔ/
|'''á''' /áʔ/
|'''íi''' /ɪ́͜ɨʔ/
|'''ée''' /ɛ́͜əʔ/
|'''áa''' /á͜ɑʔ/
|-
!Low pitch
|'''ì''' /ɨ̀ⁿ/
|'''è''' /ɛ̀ⁿ/
|'''à''' /ɑ̀ⁿ/
|'''ìi''' /ìⁿː/
|'''èe''' /ɛ̀ⁿː/
|'''àa''' /ɑ̀ⁿː/
|-
|}
====Prosody====
==Orthography==
The Tsan natively use the [[w:Vai syllabary|Vai syllabary]] to write amongst themselves. This modified syllabary is called the '''Tsan abugida'''.
The [[w:abugida|abugida]] symbols are composed of one onset consonant and one vowel. Vowels carrying different tones are perceived as proper vowels and do thus have their own symbols. There are a few gaps in the syllabary, since some combinations are not possible in the language, or have been lost.
The native name for the syllabary is '''giráas atsàari''', ꘒ ꕉꔍꔹꗏ, which means "imperfect script". It is near-homophonous to '''giráas asáari''' ꘒ ꕉꕦꔹꗏ, which would mean "Asaari" or "blue script".
There are a few problems with the script; ejective consonants and long vowels are not denoted by symbols of their own. Instead, they are marked with the following symbols:
* ꔷ - which marks ejectivity on a consonant, and also that that the vowel should be elided if final.
* ꔹ - marks long vowels.
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg collapsible collapsed" style="width: 650px; text-align: center;"
! colspan="13"|Tsan abugida
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="3"|
! colspan="11"|Vowel
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1"| -a
! colspan="3" rowspan="1"| -e
! colspan="3" rowspan="1"| -i
|-
!/a/
!/áʔ/
!/ɑ̀ⁿ/
!/ɛ/
!/ɛ́ʔ/
!/ɛ̀ⁿ/
!/ɪ/
!/ɪ́ʔ/
!/ɨ̀ⁿ/
|-
! rowspan="21"|Onset
!(none)
|ꕉ
|ꕱ
|ꕊ
|ꔀ
|ꖺ
|ꗢ
|ꕪ
|ꖷ
|ꔧ
|-
!p-
|ꕐ
|ꕑ
|ꕒ
|ꔅ
|ꔆ
|ꗩ
|ꗨ
|ꔇ
|ꗪ
|-
!t-
|ꔎ
|ꔐ
|ꔒ
|ꕚ
|ꕜ
|ꖁ
|ꕽ
|ꕾ
|ꘅ
|-
!q-
|ꖏ
|ꔫ
|ꖐ
|ꗛ
|ꗜ
|ꗝ
|ꖴ
|ꖵ
|ꖶ
|-
!'-
|ꖋ
|ꗘ
|ꖍ
|ꗗ
|ꗘ
|ꗙ
|ꖰ
|ꖱ
|ꖲ
|-
!ts-
|ꔋ
|ꔌ
|ꔍ
|ꕗ
|ꕘ
|ꕙ
|ꗯ
|ꗱ
|ꗲ
|-
!tl-
|ꕪ
|ꕌ
|ꕭ
|ꔞ
|ꔟ
|ꔠ
|ꘃ
|ꘄ
|ꘆ
|-
!tsh-
|ꖉ
|ꗉ
|ꗊ
|ꗋ
|ꗍ
|ꖑ
|ꖨ
|ꖪ
|ꖳ
|-
!ph-
|ꕓ
|ꕔ
|ꕖ
|ꔈ
|ꔉ
|ꔊ
|ꗫ
|ꗬ
|ꗮ
|-
!th-
|ꕞ
|ꔕ
|ꔖ
|ꕠ
|ꕡ
|ꖇ
|ꗻ
|ꗽ
|ꔺ
|-
!s-
|ꔻ
|ꕦ
|ꕧ
|ꗳ
|ꔿ
|ꔛ
|ꖤ
|ꗿ
|ꘀ
|-
!lh-
| -
|ꖆ
|ꖃ
| -
|ꔳ
|ꔱ
| -
|ꘇ
|ꔦ
|-
!sh-
| -
|ꕨ
|ꕩ
| -
|ꔜ
|ꔝ
| -
|ꘁ
|ꘂ
|-
!h-
| -
|ꕬ
|ꕍ
| -
|ꔂ
|ꕅ
| -
|ꗤ
|ꗥ
|-
!l-
|ꕿ
|ꖻ
|ꖼ
|ꔵ
|ꗓ
|ꗕ
|ꕳ
|ꖅ
|ꕴ
|-
!y-
|ꖢ
|ꖣ
|ꖎ
|ꔬ
|ꔭ
|ꕸ
|ꖝ
|ꖞ
|ꗄ
|-
!r-
|ꕀ
|ꕁ
|ꕂ
|ꖙ
|ꕏ
|ꖗ
|ꗏ
|ꖿ
|ꖽ
|-
!m-
|ꕎ
|ꕮ
|ꕯ
|ꔃ
|ꕆ
|ꕇ
|ꗦ
|ꘈ
|ꘉ
|-
!n-
|ꕺ
|ꕻ
|ꗇ
|ꗅ
|ꗆ
|ꕼ
|ꖟ
|ꔨ
|ꖡ
|-
!mh-
|ꕰ
|ꕃ
| -
|ꕈ
|ꕄ
| -
|ꘊ
|ꘋ
| -
|-
!nh-
|ꗁ
|ꗂ
| -
|ꕶ
|ꕷ
| -
|ꖛ
|ꖜ
| -
|}
[[image:asaari logograms.png|thumb|right|350px|The full index of Tsan logograms. All of them are fairly common.]]
===Punctuation===
Qiráas atsàari does not use Latin punctuation. It is somewhat more limited, but uses the following symbols:
* ꘎  - Marks a full stop.
* ꘏ -  Question or interrogation mark.
* ꘍ - Denotes a comma, separates clauses.
* ꖫ - Has the function of an English colon or semicolon.
===Logograms===
The Tsan script does also have a number of logograms: Single characters that mark a full word.
These are rather few, and they can all be spelt out with the syllabary. It should be noted however, that whilst the logograms are very comfortable and quick to write, they are never marked for affixes, inflexion or the like. That means they must be pronounced out of context.
==Grammar==
Tsan has a fairly complex grammar; it lacks the common definition of a noun. Instead, all nouns are so called "nominals" verbs conjugated in a certain pattern.
===Syntax===
====Nominals and verbals====
The language differentiates '''nominal''' and '''verbal''' constructs of finite verbs. A verbal verb acts like a normal verb. A nominal verb on the other hand, has affixes that makes it more similar to a noun or adjective.
In the most basic form, there is no difference between the two. However, through simple personal endings and relativisers, the meaning is altered.
*The main pronominal prefixes, {{sc|mn.1/2/3}}, make verbs verbal, indicating a subject.
*The relativising affixes {{sc|1/2/3.rel}} mark a word as nominal. The third person neuter relativiser, '''-i''', is also used to form finite verbs from verbals.
=====Finite and non-finite verbs=====
In Tsan , all nouns are verbs, and all verbs are [[w:finite|finite]]. To create a construction similar to the English [[w:non finite verbs|non finite verbs]], a speaker uses the relativising suffix '''-i'''.
{| cellpadding="4" style="line-height: 1em;"
|+
<!-- Sentence -->
| colspan="4"|'''Árá gáari.'''
!
| colspan="5"| '''Árá ágáari.'''
!
| colspan="5"|'''Árá ságáari.'''
|-
<!-- Pronunciation-->
| colspan="4"|  /áɣa cáːɣɪ/
!
| colspan="5"| /áɣa acáːɣɪ/
!
| colspan="5"|/áɣa sacáːɣɪ/
|-
<!-- Morphemes-->
|á-
|rá
|gáar
| -i
!
|á-
|rá
|á-
|gáar
| -i
!
|á-
|rá
|sá-
|gáar
| -i
|-
<!-- Gloss-->
|{{sc|mn.pres.perf.1.m.sg.}}
|like
|read
|{{sc|.rel.3.n.sg}}
!
|{{sc|pres.perf.1.m.sg.}}
|like
|{{sc|pres.perf.1.m.sg.}}
|read
|{{sc|.rel}}
!
|{{sc|pres.perf.1.m.sg.}}
|like
|{{sc|pres.perf.2.m.sg.}}
|read
|{{sc|.rel}}
|-
<!-- Translations -->
| colspan="4"| ''I like the book.''
!
| colspan="5"| ''I like when I read.'' (''I like to read'')
!
| colspan="5"|''I like when you read.''
|}
====The topic marker====
In Tsan, no syntactic argument carries as much weight as the [[w:Topic-comment|topic]]. The topic is the argument of the sentence being talked about; the argument that can be inferred.
The topic marker is not compulsory, but a native speaker would probably be confused without it. The marker is a suffixed '''-s'''. The suffix is one of few very fusional suffixes, which often blend into preceeding suffix if it does not end in a vowel.
{| cellpadding="4" style="line-height: 1em;"
|+
<!-- Sentence -->
| colspan="5"|'''Árás gáari.'''
!
| colspan="5"| '''Árá gáaris.'''
!
| colspan="6"|'''Árátsa gáaris'''
|-
<!-- Pronunciation-->
| colspan="5"|  /áɣa cáːɣɪs/
!
| colspan="5"| /áɣas cáːɣɪ/
!
| colspan="6"|/áɣatsa cáːɣɪs/
|-
<!-- Morphemes-->
|á-
|rá
| -s
|gáar
| -i
!
|á-
|rá
|gáar
| -i-
| -s
!
|á-
|rá
| -tsa
|gáar
| -i
| -s
|-
<!-- Gloss-->
|{{sc|pres.perf.1.m.sg.}}
|like
|{{sc|topic}}
|read
|{{sc|.stat.rel.3.n.sg}}
!
|{{sc|pres.perf.1.m.sg.}}
|like
|read
|{{sc|.rel.3.n.sg}}
|{{sc|topic}}
!
|{{sc|pres.perf.1.m.sg.}}
|like
|{{sc|neg.}}
|read
|{{sc|.rel.3.n.sg}}
|{{sc|topic}}
|-
<!-- Translations -->
| colspan="5"| ''As for me, I like the book.''
!
| colspan="5"| ''I like the BOOK.''<sup>1</sup>
!
| colspan="6"|''I DON'T like the book.''
|}
# In English, one would stress the subject in the second sentence, I, but the book would still be the topic: "'''I''' don't like the book, but you do".
====The topic marker and passivisation====
The Tsan language lacks any distinction in [[w:grammatical voice|grammatical voice]]. To express passive phrases, one would use the topic marker on the object of the transitive verb.
{| cellpadding="4" style="line-height: 1em;"
|+
<!-- Sentence -->
| colspan="9"|'''Éshis yéenínayih thagátsan.'''
!
| colspan="8"| '''Éshi yéenínayis thagátsan.'''
|-
<!-- Pronunciation-->
| colspan="9"|/ɛ́ɕɪs jɛ́ːnɪ́najɪh θaqát͡san/
!
| colspan="8"|/ɛ́ɕɪ jɛ́ːnɪ́najɪs θaqát͡san/
!
|-
<!-- Morphemes-->
|esh
| -i-
| -s
|‹yée›
|nína
|‹yih›
|‹tha›
|gátsa
| ‹n›
!
|esh
| -i
|‹yée›
|nína
|‹yis›
|‹tha›
|gátsa
| ‹n›
!
|-
<!-- Gloss-->
|bark
|{{sc|.rel.3.n.sg}}
|{{sc|topic}}
|‹{{sc|.rel.3.f.s}}›
|be girly
|‹{{sc|.rel.3.f.s}}›
|‹{{sc|past.perf.3.n.s}}›
|bite
|‹{{sc|past.perf.3.n.s}}›
!
|bark
|{{sc|.rel.3.n.sg}}
|‹{{sc|.rel.3.f.s}}›
|be girly
|‹{{sc|.rel.3.f.s + topic}}›
|‹{{sc|past.perf.3.n.s}}›
|bite
|‹{{sc|past.perf.3.n.s}}›
!
|-
<!-- Translations -->
| colspan="9"| ''The DOG bit the girl.''
!
| colspan="8"| ''The dog bit the GIRL.'' or ''The GIRL was bitten by the dog''
|}
====The topic marker, passivisation and incorporation====
The passivisation with the topic marker makes it possible to omit the subject nominal, as long as the finite verb is conjugated according to the omitted subject.
Another possibility is to [[w:noun incorporation|incorporate]] the subject nominal into the verbal. This is not the most common solution, but still occurs rather frequently.
{| cellpadding="4" style="line-height: 1em;"
|+
<!-- Sentence -->
| colspan="9"|'''Yéenínayis tha'éshigátsan.'''
!
| colspan="6"| '''Yéenínayis thagátsan .'''
|-
<!-- Pronunciation-->
| colspan="9"|/jɛ́ːnɪ́najɪh θaʔɛ́ɕɪqát͡san/
!
| colspan="6"|/jɛ́ːnɪ́najɪs θaqát͡san/
!
|-
<!-- Morphemes-->
|‹tha›
| -'-
| -esh-
| -i-
|gátsa
| ‹n›
|‹yée›
|nína
|‹yis›
!
|‹tha›
|gátsa
| ‹n›
|‹yée›
|nína
|‹yis›
!
|-
<!-- Gloss-->
|‹{{sc|past.perf.3.n.s}}›
| {{sc|con}}
|bark
|{{sc|.rel.3.n.sg.con}}
|bite
|‹{{sc|past.perf.3.n.s}}›
|‹{{sc|.rel.3.f.s}}›
|be girly
|‹{{sc|.rel.3.f.s}}›
!
|‹{{sc|past.perf.3.n.s}}›
|bite
|‹{{sc|past.perf.3.n.s}}›
|‹{{sc|.rel.3.f.s}}›
|be girly
|‹{{sc|.rel.3.f.s + topic}}›
!
|-
<!-- Translations -->
| colspan="9"| ''The GIRL was dog-bitten.''
!
| colspan="6"| ''The GIRL was bitten.''
|}
====The topic marker and definiteness====
[[w:Definiteness|Definiteness]] normally goes unmarked in Tsan, and no official distinction exist. However, using the topic marker, nouns are most often implied to be definite. This also infers that only one argument may be definite in a clause.
{| cellpadding="4" style="line-height: 1em;"
|+
<!-- Sentence -->
| colspan="6"|'''Nar éshi yàyáhin.'''
!
| colspan="6"| '''Naas éshi yàyáhin.'''
|-
<!-- Pronunciation-->
| colspan="6"|/nar ɛ́ɕɪ jàjáʔɪn/
!
| colspan="6"|/naːs ɛ́ɕɪ jàjáʔɪn/
!
|-
<!-- Morphemes-->
|nar
| esh
| -i
| ‹yà›
| yáhi
| ‹n›
!
|naas
| esh
| -i
| ‹yà›
| yáhi
| ‹n›
!
|-
<!-- Gloss-->
|be manly.{{sc|pred.}}
|bark
|{{sc|.rel.3.n.sg}}
|‹{{sc|pres.perf.3.m.s}}›
|see
|‹{{sc|pres.perf.3.m.s}}›
!
|be manly.{{sc|pred. + topic}}
|bark
|{{sc|.rel.3.n.sg}}
|‹{{sc|pres.perf.3.m.s}}›
|see
|‹{{sc|pres.perf.3.m.s}}›
!
|-
<!-- Translations -->
| colspan="6"| ''Man sees dog.''
!
| colspan="6"| ''The man sees the dog.''
|}
====The topic marker, the relativiser and definiteness====
{| cellpadding="4" style="line-height: 1em;"
|+
<!-- Sentence -->
| colspan="6"|'''.'''
!
| colspan="6"| '''.'''
|-
<!-- Pronunciation-->
| colspan="6"|//
!
| colspan="6"|//
!
|-
<!-- Morphemes-->
|nar
| esh
| -i
| ‹yà›
| yáhi
| ‹n›
!
|naas
| esh
| -i
| ‹yà›
| yáhi
| ‹n›
!
|-
<!-- Gloss-->
|be manly.{{sc|pred.}}
|bark
|{{sc|.rel.3.n.sg}}
|‹{{sc|pres.perf.3.m.s}}›
|see
|‹{{sc|pres.perf.3.m.s}}›
!
|be manly.{{sc|pred. + topic}}
|bark
|{{sc|.rel.3.n.sg}}
|‹{{sc|pres.perf.3.m.s}}›
|see
|‹{{sc|pres.perf.3.m.s}}›
!
|-
<!-- Translations -->
| colspan="6"| ''.''
!
| colspan="6"| ''.''
|}
==Verbs==
===Number===
Tsan verbs are conjugated according to three different numbers; singular, dual, and plural.
====Singular====
The singular ({{sc|sg}}) number is the most basic form of most nouns, and marks individual nouns, counting "one". It is completely corresponding to the English equivalent. The singular third person perfective dynamic is the citation form of all words in the Asaari language. The singular inflects according to three genders: Masculine, feminine and neuter.
The singular is formed with prefixes and suffixes.
====Dual====
The dual ({{sc|du}}) number marks when there are two subjects of a verb, or two of a noun. It is a living number unlike many European equivalents as well as [[w:Arabic language|Arabic]]. It is not inflected according to any gender.
The dual is formed through prefixes.
====Plural====
The plural ({{sc|pl}}) number refers to any objects numbering more than two, that is "several". It corresponds well to the English plurals.
The plural formation differs from that of the other numbers; it uses reduplication of the singular prefixes. The reduplication is partial and dependent upon the structure of the prefix.
*C<sub>1</sub>V<sub>1</sub>C<sub>2</sub>-prefixes are reduplicated to C<sub>1</sub>V<sub>1</sub>C<sub>2</sub>V<sub>1</sub>C<sub>2</sub>.
*V<sub>1</sub>C<sub>1</sub>-prefixes form the reduplication V<sub>1</sub>C<sub>1</sub>V<sub>1</sub>C<sub>1</sub>
*Prefixes with a sole vowel, V, are reduplicated as VhV.
===Gender===
Unlike other Native American languages, there are three genders, the masculine ({{sc|m}}), feminine ({{sc|f}}) and neuter ({{sc|n}}). Gender plays important roles in  and verbal inflections, since Tsan verbs conjugate according to gender. It is important to note that while verbs agree according to gender, it is the subject's gender that congruates.
===Statives===
Statives are an Tsan conjugation of verbs that function primarily as nouns and adjectives. A stative is most often defined as a [[w:Predicative expression|predicative verb]], nominal or adjective, but may also include other [[w:predicates|predicates]]. There are three different applicative forms and two copulative. The applicative in Asaari is parted in three; instrumental, benefactive, malefactive and oblique.
=====Predicative=====
The predicative construction of a nominal has a usage most often analogous to an English [[w:copula|copula]], used in a predicative expression.
*''It is a dog.'' - '''mées'''
*''Sara is a girl.'' - '''Sára''' ''lhináan''
*''The house is crushed.''- '''tláta''' ''quirásináayan''
=====Relative=====
The relative construction of an Asaari nominal is equivalent to a modifying [[w:relative clause|relative clause]]. In the language, this is used to create objects, subjects, and modifiers.
*''That which is a dog'' - '''méesi'''
*''The man who is angry kicks the tree.'' - ''nar'' '''yéeitsán''' ''háranilhèqa
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg collapsible collapsible" style="background: none repeat scroll ; text-align: center; width: 95%; height: 100%;"
! colspan="17"|Relative
|-
! rowspan="2"|<small>Mood </small>↓
! colspan="2"|<small>Number</small> →
! colspan="3"|Singular
! colspan="3"|Dual
! colspan="7" |Plural
|-
!<small>Gender</small> ↓
!<small>Person</small> →
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
|-
! rowspan="3" style="height: 3px;"|Indicative
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>masculine</small>
|''sí-''
|''shá-''
|''yée-i/n''
| rowspan="3" | ''tlí-''
| rowspan="3" | ''thá-''
| rowspan="3" | ''ti-''
| rowspan="3" | ''sísí-''
| rowspan="3" | ''sháshá-''
| rowspan ="3" | ''yéeyée-''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>feminine</small>
|''sí-yih''
|''shá-yih''
|''yée-yih''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>neuter</small>
|
|
|- 
! tš
|
|
| ''-i/n''
|}
=====Instrumental=====
The Instrumental form has the function to promote an [[w:oblique argument|oblique argument]] of a verb to the core object argument, and indicates the oblique role within the meaning of the verb. When the instrumental applicative is applied to a verb, its [[w:valency|valency]] may be increased by one.  The instrumental has mainly comitative and instrumental functions.
*''He writes a letter with a pen.'' - ''Tìyitlá'' '''apuéni''' ''ayítlisi''.
*''He fetches wood with his hands.'' - ''Tìhem'' '''arási''' ''tsáran''.
*''He fetches it with me.'' - ''Tìhemir'' '''asími'''.
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg collapsible collapsible" style="background: none repeat scroll ; text-align: center; width: 95%; height: 100%;"
! colspan="17"|Applicative
|-
! rowspan="2"|<small>Mood </small>↓
! colspan="2"|<small>Number</small> →
! colspan="3"|Singular
! colspan="3"|Dual
! colspan="7" |Plural
|-
!<small>Gender</small> ↓
!<small>Person</small> →
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
|-
! rowspan="3" style="height: 3px;"|Indicative
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>masculine</small>
|''así-''
|''ashá-''
|''ayée-''
|''atlí-''
|''athá-''
|''ati-''
|''así--''
|''ashá--''
|''ayée--''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>feminine</small>
|''así-yih''
|''ashá-yih''
|''ayée-yih''
|''atlí-yih''
|''athá-yih''
|''ati-yih''
|''así--yih''
|''ashá--yih''
|''ayée--yih''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>neuter</small>
|
|
|
|
| ''a-i/n''
|
|
|
|
|''ati-i/n''
|
|
|
|
|
|
|}
=====Benefactive=====
The benefactive form expresses that the referent of the noun it marks receives the benefit of the situation expressed by the clause. It is simply expressed to be done "for" someone, as a favor or with neutral or good intent.
*''He wrote a letter to me.'' - ''Tìyitlá'' '''símiyáa''' ''ayítlisi''.
*''He fetched wood for the fire.'' - ''Tìhem'' '''tináarayáan''' ''tsáran''.
{| class="bluetable lightblubg collapsible collapsible" style="background: none repeat scroll ; text-align: center; width: 95%; height: 100%;"
! colspan="17"|Benefactive
|-
! rowspan="2"|<small>Mood </small>↓
! colspan="2"|<small>Number</small> →
! colspan="3"|Singular
! colspan="3"|Dual
! colspan="7" |Plural
|-
!<small>Gender</small> ↓
!<small>Person</small> →
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
|-
! rowspan="3" style="height: 3px;"|Indicative
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>masculine</small>
|''sí-yáa''
|''shá-yáa''
|''yée-yáa''
|''tlí-yáa''
|''thá-yáa''
|''ti-yáa''
|''sí--yáa''
|''shá--yáa''
|''yée--yáa''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>feminine</small>
|''sí-yáayih''
|''shá-yáayih''
|''yée-yáayih''
|''tlí-yáayih''
|''thá-yáayih''
|''ti-yáayih''
|''sí--yáayih''
|''shá--yáayih''
|''yée--yáayih''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>neuter</small>
|
|
|
|
| ''-yáan''
|
|
|
|
|''ti-yáan''
|
|
|
|
|
|
|}
=====Oblique=====
The oblique applicative often expressed when doing something "against" someone, as a hinder or with neutral or ill intent. It is often used in comparative clauses and as an object of a preposition. It does also have a locative function.
*''Don't spit on me!'' - ''Ritshápuáta'' '''tsamiyáa'''.
*''Please wait for me?'' - ''Tshásána'' '''tsasèhayáa'''.
*''It is in here''. - '''Itaniyáan'''.
{| class="bluetable lightblubg collapsible collapsible" style="background: none repeat scroll ; text-align: center; width: 95%; height: 100%;"
! colspan="17"|Oblique
|-
! rowspan="2"|<small>Mood </small>↓
! colspan="2"|<small>Number</small> →
! colspan="3"|Singular
! colspan="3"|Dual
! colspan="7" |Plural
|-
!<small>Gender</small> ↓
!<small>Person</small> →
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
|-
! rowspan="3" style="height: 3px;"|Indicative
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>masculine</small>
|''tsa-yáa''
|''tsah-yáa''
|''sha-yáa''
|''tlua-yáa''
|''tsua-yáa''
|''tui-yáa''
|''tsa--yáa''
|''tshá--yáa''
|''sha--yáa''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>feminine</small>
|''tsa-yáayih''
|''tsha-yáayih''
|''sha-yáayih''
|''tlua-yáayih''
|''tsua-yáayih''
|''tui-yáayih''
|''tsa--yáayih''
|''tsha--yáayih''
|''sha--yáayih''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>neuter</small>
|
|
|
|
| ''i-yáan''
|
|
|
|
|''ti-yáan''
|
|
 
|- 
! h
|
|
|
|
|}
|pp
 
|tt
===Verbs proper===
|kk
===Perfective===
|pp
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="background: none repeat scroll ; text-align: center; width: 95%; height: 100%;"
|tt
|-
|kk
! colspan="17"|Perfective dynamic
|ss
|-
|šš
! colspan="17"|Non-Past
|ttl
|-
|tts
! rowspan="2"|<small>Mood </small>↓
|ttš
 
|x
! colspan="2"|<small>Number</small> →
|x
 
|w
! colspan="3"|Singular
|ǧǧ
 
|yy
! colspan="3"|Dual
|ll
 
|rr
! colspan="7" |Plural
|-
|-
! x
!<small>Gender</small> ↓
|ǧm
 
|ǧn
!<small>Person</small> →
|šp
 
|št
!1<sup>st</sup>
|x
 
|šp
!2<sup>nd</sup>
|št
 
|kš
!3<sup>rd</sup>
|ss
 
|šš
!1<sup>st</sup>
 
!2<sup>nd</sup>
 
!3<sup>rd</sup>
 
!1<sup>st</sup>
 
!2<sup>nd</sup>
 
!3<sup>rd</sup>
|-
! rowspan="3" style="height: 3px;"|Indicative
 
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>masculine</small>
 
|''á-''
 
|''sá-''
 
|''yà-i/n''
 
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''láhá-''
 
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''lásá''
 
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''láyà-''
 
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''áha-''
 
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''sásá-''
 
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''yàyà-''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>feminine</small>
 
|''á-yih''
 
|''sá-yih''
 
|''yà-yih''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>neuter</small>
 
|
|
|
|
| ''-i/n''
|-
! colspan="17"|Past
|-
! rowspan="3" style="height: 3px;"|Indicative
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>masculine</small>
|''thaá-''
|''thasá-''
|''thayà-i/n''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''tláhá-''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''tlásá''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''tláyà-''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''thaáha-''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''tlásá-''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''thayàyà-''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>feminine</small>
|''thaá-yih''
|''thasá-yih''
|''thayà-yih''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>neuter</small>
|
|
 
|x
|x
|xuh
|ǧ
|x
|
|
| ''tha-i/n''
|}
===Habitual===
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="background: none repeat scroll ; text-align: center; width: 95%; height: 100%;"
|-
! colspan="17"|Habitual dynamic
|-
! colspan="17"|Non-Past
|-
! rowspan="2"|<small>Mood </small>↓
! colspan="2"|<small>Number</small> →
! colspan="3"|Singular
! colspan="3"|Dual
! colspan="7" |Plural
|-
!<small>Gender</small> ↓
!<small>Person</small> →
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
!1<sup>st</sup>
!2<sup>nd</sup>
!3<sup>rd</sup>
|-
! rowspan="3" style="height: 3px;"|Indicative
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>masculine</small>
|''tí-''
|''tsá-''
|''rí-i/n''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''látí-''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''látsá-''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''lárí-''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''títí-''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''tlátsá-''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''rírí-''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>feminine</small>
|''tí-yih''
|''tsá-yih''
|''rí-yih''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>neuter</small>
|
|
 
|- 
! w
|mm
|mm
|bb
|ud
|uǧ
|bb
|ud
|uǧ
|us
|uš
|
|
| ''é-i/n''
|-
! colspan="17"|Past
|-
! rowspan="3" style="height: 3px;"|Indicative
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>masculine</small>
|''thatí-''
|''thatsá-''
|''tharí-i/n''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''tlátí-''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''tlátsá''-
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''tlárí-''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''thatítí-''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''thatsátsá-''
| colspan="1" rowspan="3"|''tharírí-''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>feminine</small>
|''thatí-yih''
|''thatsá-yih''
|''tharí-yih''
|-
! colspan="2" style="height: 3px;"|<small>neuter</small>
|
|
|
|
 
|w
| ''thahé-i/n''
|uǧ
|}
|w
 
|uǧ
===Blah blah===
|w
 
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg collapsible collapsible" style="background: none repeat scroll ; text-align: center; width: 80%; height: 100%;"
|-
! colspan="12" |Verb
 
|-
| colspan="3" |''-''
 
| colspan="3" |/-/
 
| colspan="6" |...
 
|-
! colspan="12" |Participles
 
|-
! colspan="3" |Non-Past
 
| colspan="9"|''-áyyah''
 
|-
! colspan="3" |Past
 
| colspan="9"|''-áayan''
 
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="3" |Person
 
! colspan="7" |Singular
 
! colspan="7" |Plural
 
|-
! colspan="2" |1<sup>st</sup>
 
! colspan="2" |2<sup>nd</sup>
 
! colspan="3" |3<sup>rd</sup>
 
! rowspan="2" |1<sup>st</sup>
 
! rowspan="2" |2<sup>nd</sup>
 
! rowspan="2" |3<sup>rd</sup>
 
|-
! masculine
 
!feminine
 
!masculine
 
! feminine
 
!masculine
 
!feminine
 
!neuter
 
|-
! rowspan="10" |Indicative
 
! colspan="11" style="width: 12%;"|
 
|-
! style="width: 12%;"|<small>Object enclitics</small>
 
| style="width: 12%;"|''-yi''
 
| style="width: 12%;"|''-yiis''
 
| style="width: 12%;"|''-shi''
 
| style="width: 12%;"|''-shiis''
 
| style="width: 12%;"|''-ar''
 
| style="width: 12%;"|''-saár''
 
| style="width: 12%;"|''-íir''
 
| style="width: 12%;"|''-'in''
 
| style="width: 12%;"|''-'íih''
 
| style="width: 12%;"|''-'íir''
 
|-
! colspan="11" style="height: 3px;" |Past
 
|-
! style="height: 3px;"|Perfective
 
|
|
|
|
 
|- 
! y
|mm
|mm
|pp
|tt
|yy
|bb
|dd
|yy
|ss
|šš
|ttl
|tts
|ttš
|yy
|x
|w
|ǧǧ
|yy
|ll
|rr
|- 
! l
|
|
|
|
|
|
 
|tl
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! style="height: 3px;"|Imperfective
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 
|ll
|
|
 
|luh
|
|
 
|ll
|ll
|
|
 
|- 
! r
|ndr
|ndr
|
|
 
|tr
|
|
|
|
|-
! style="height: 3px;"|Retrospective
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 
|rr
|
|
 
|ruh
|
|
 
|rr
|rr
|
|
|}


|-
==Syllable structure and phonological processes==
! colspan="11" style="height: 3px;"|Non-Past


|-
==Grammar==
! style="height: 3px;"|Perfective
Kandi exhibits what’s called [[Tsan#Predicate/argument flexibility|predicate/argument flexibility]]; all content words equivalent to English verbs, nouns and adjectives, can fill the role as predicate or as argument of a clause. The flexibility is due to that the lemma form of all content words corresponds to a predicative expression. All content words have a subject, which in the default is the third person: For example, the word for "dog" is ''kshawí'', but it is also equivalent to "it is a dog".


|''á-''
In essence, the distinction between noun and verb is blurred. All content words may be conjugated and form verbal phrases, they may modify each other, and they all have one of three [[w:grammatical gender|grammatical gender]]s.


|''á-yih''
The Kandi grammar consists of a variety of grammatical prefixes and suffixes, all of which fit in a strict affixation template. The Tsan affixation template looks as follows:


|''là-''
:{{sc|genitive}}–{{sc|mood}}–{{sc|plural}}–[Content word]–{{sc|applicative}}–{{sc|case}}–[[Tsan#Grammatical gender|{{sc|gender}}]]–[[Tsan#Core affixes|{{sc|core}}]]–{{sc|specifier}}


|''là-yih''
===Core affixes===
The Kandi conjugation is rather a form of affixation of relevant arguments, aspects, cases, and moods. The core affixes are the main reason behind the Tsan predicate/argument flexibility, and they consist of a ''gender part'' and a ''stative'' or ''dynamic part''.


|''àra-''
The stative affixes convey a state of being, or function as a copula. The dynamic affixes transform a word into a more verb-like construction, and insinuates some sort of action. These two core affixes are mutually exclusive, and a word can only be affixed with one of them at a time.
 
|''àra-yih''
 
|''-''
 
|''na-''
 
|''ha-''
 
|''ya-''


What may make many linguists get the hiccups is the seemingly ignorant mixes of nominal and verbal categories. In Tsan, however, these are not important distinctions.
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg mw-collapsible  mw-collapsible" style="width: 500px; text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan="7"|Stative and dynamic affixes
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2"|<small>person</small> →
! scope="col"|1
! scope="col"|2
! scope="col"|3.PROX (3)
! scope="col"|3.OBV (4)
! scope="col"|0
|-
| ''-w-''
| ''-k-''
| -
| ''-y-''
| ''-h-''
|-
! colspan="7"|Stative
|-
! scope="row"|<small>same</small>
| ''-á-''
| ''-wá''
| ''-ká''
| ''-í'' (''Vy'')
| ''-yá''
| ''-há''
|-
! scope="row"|<small>different</small>
| ''-í-''
| ''-wí''
| ''-kí''
| -
| ''-yi''
| ''-hí''
|-
! colspan="7"|Dynamic
|-
|-
! style="height: 3px;"|Imperfective
! scope="row"|<small>same</small>
 
| ''-u-''
|''tí-''
|''wu-''
 
|''ku-''
|''tí-yih''
|''u-''
 
|''yu-''
|''tlá-''
|''hu-''
 
|''tlá-''
 
''yih''
 
|''rì-''
 
|''rì-''
 
''yih''
 
|''é-''
 
|''tí-ʾi-''
 
|''tlá-ʾi-''
 
|''-ʾi-''
 
|-
|-
! style="height: 3px;"|Retrospective
! scope="row"|<small>different</small>
 
|''-a-''
|''ràa-''
|''wa-''
 
|''ka-''
|''ràa-yih''
|''a-''
 
|''ya-''
|''qà-''
|''ha-''
 
|''qà-yih''
 
|''yása-''
 
|''yása-yih''
 
|''àari-''
 
|''ràa--''
 
|''qà-''-
 
|''àari--''
 
|-
|-
! colspan="2" |Irrealis
|}


|''páa-''


|''páa-yih''
====Grammatical gender====
Kāndi has a peculiar system of grammatical gender. The genders are purely natural: Women are feminine {{sc|f}}, men and males are masculine {{sc|m}}, and everything else is neuter {{sc|n}}.


|''qáa-''
Do note, however, that the grammatical gender is not marked. Rather, there is a form of ''dual marking''. The gender of the subject of a content word is marked as either the "same" or "different" to that of the speaker. If the subject gender is the same as that of the speaker, it is marked as the ''same'' {{sc|sam}}, whereas if the subject gender is different to that of the speaker, it is marked as "different" {{sc|diff}}.


|''qáa-yih''
It is standard to assume a {{blue|male}} speaker in stories. A male speaker is assumed in all examples on the page unless otherwise stated.
{{gloss/indexable
|phrase = katsa
|IPA = [ˈkat͡sa]
| morphemes = katsa-{{red|∅}}
| gloss = songbird.N-3SG.{{red|DIFF}}
| translation = It is a songbird.
| index = 11
}}{{gloss/indexable
|phrase = agūrri{{blue|y}}
|IPA = [aˈɣu͜βɾɪj]
| morphemes = agūrri-{{blue|y}}
| gloss = boy.M-3SG.{{blue|SAM}}
| translation = It is a boy.
| index = 12
}}{{gloss/indexable
|phrase = tšanuk{{blue|ā}}n
|IPA = [t͡ʃanuˈkaːn]
| morphemes = tshanu-k-{{blue|ā}}-n
| gloss = horse.M-2-{{blue|SAM}}-PL
| translation = You are horses.
| index = 13
}}The system is sometimes more versatile than the English grammatical gender. In the last example (13), we are able to deduce that the speaker in this instance is a male, since he is of the same gender as the speaker.
{{gloss/indexable
|phrase = thūrrina
|IPA = [θu͜βrẽna]
| morphemes = thūrrina-{{red|∅}}
| gloss = women.F.IRREG-3.{{red|DIFF}}
| translation = She is a woman.
| index = 14
}}


|''yée-''
====Predicative complements====
=====Simple predicative expressions=====
In Kandi, the predicative complement of an expression is equivalent to the predicate itself. All content words are predicates in their own right, due to a copula suffix. This copula is a null suffix in the third person proximate, but it congruates with the subject. The subject does not need to be independent, and is only marked on the predicate.


|''yée-yih''
{{gloss/indexable
|phrase = katsa
|IPA = [ˈkat͡sa]
| morphemes = katsa-∅
| gloss = songbird.N-3SG.PROX.HO
| translation = It is a songbird.
| index = 1
}}{{gloss/indexable
|phrase = katsawí
|IPA = [ˈkat͡sajiɨ̯]
| morphemes = katsa-wí
| gloss = songbird.N-1SG.HE
| translation = I am a songbird.
| index = 2
}}{{gloss/indexable
|phrase = katsayín
|IPA = [ˈkat͡saʝẽː]
| morphemes = katsa-yín
| gloss = songbird.N-2PL.HE
| translation = You are songbirds.
| index = 3
}}


|''tháa-yih''
=====Predicative nominatives=====
If the subject of the expression is stated independently, it is marked with a specifier, (SPEC), which roughly translates as the English relative determiner ''that which'', or the construction ''it is […] that is […]''. The post-vocalic form is ''–n'' and the post-consonantal form is ''–i''.


|''páa--''


|''qáa--''
The predicative complement, or predicate, agrees with the topic. The topic, most often the subject, is marked with the third person singular homus suffix, as well as the specifier.


|''tháa--''
{{Scriptgloss/indexable
|script = ᎭᎱ ᎧᏊᏪ:
|phrase = yan katsawí
|IPA = [ʝʌ̃ʔ ˈkat͡sajiɨ̯]
| morphemes = ya-∅-n katsa-wí
| gloss = 1SG.M-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC songbird.N-1SG.HE
| translation = I am a songbird.
| index = 2.5
}}{{Scriptgloss/indexable
|script = Ꮡ:Ꮾ ᏡᎪᏕ:
|phrase = yóni tsháatlí
|IPA = [ˈʝɒ̃ʔi ˈt͡ɕaːt͡ɬiɨ̯]
| morphemes = yón-∅-i tsháatli-í
| gloss = 1SG.M-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC nice.N;3SG.PROX.HE
| translation = John is nice.
| index = 2.6
}}{{Scriptgloss/indexable
|script = Ꮡ:Ꮾ ᎪᏌᎪ
|phrase = yóni anda
|IPA = [ˈʝɒ̃ʔi ˈʌ̃tʼa]
| morphemes = yón-∅-i anda-∅
| gloss = 1SG.M-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC man.N-3SG.PROX.HO
| translation = John is a man.
| index = 2.7
}}


|-
=====Predicative accusatives=====
! colspan="2"|Imperative
Kandi has one copula, and one copula only.  In English you may find a variety of related verbs with similar function to the main copula ''to be''; for example ''to feel'', ''to seem'' and ''to become''. In Tsan, the semantics of these verbs are all conveyed by means of modifying the copula with evidentials, mood markers, applicatives and other constructions.


|''tsí-''
Typically, what may be percieved as an increase in valency is marked with the copula and an appropriate applicative-like affix. The former subject is always demoted to the object or patient.


|''tsí-yih''
{{Scriptgloss/indexable
|script = Ꮡ:Ꮾ Ꮝ:ᎪᎭᏌ:
|phrase = yóni sáayandá
|IPA = [ˈʝɒ̃ʔi saːˈʝʌ̃tʼaː]
| morphemes = yón-∅-i sáay-anda-∅
| gloss = John-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC 3PL.REP-man.N-3SG.PROX.HO
| translation = They call John a man.
| index = 2.8
}}{{Scriptgloss/indexable
|script =
|phrase = yóni wandátsu
|IPA = [ˈʝɒ̃ʔi β̞atʼaːt͡su]
| morphemes = yón-∅-i <wúu>-anda-∅<tsu>
| gloss = John-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC <1SG.CAUS>-man.N-3SG.PROX.HO-<1SG.CAUS>
| translation = I made John a man.
| index = 2.9
}}{{Scriptgloss/indexable
|script =
|phrase = sáayayómbá
|IPA = /saːʝaˈʝɒ̃pʼaː/
| morphemes = sáaya-yón-wá
| gloss = 3PL.REP-John-1SG.HO
| translation = They call me John.
| index = 2.10
}}


|''tshá-''
====Intransitive clauses====
When you accept that two content words in a predicative expression co-function as predicate and subject, it is not difficult to imagine other clauses with one core argument. The simplest are the corresponding English intransitive clauses. Tsan makes an important dichotomy between stative and dynamic content words.


|''tshá-yih''
=====Stative clauses=====
Stative predicates, such as ''to hang'', ''to lie'', ''to be on fire'', ''to taste like'' and ''to know'' are almost exclusively expressed by means of the copula suffix. See also [[Tsan#Predicative complements|predicative complements]], which is an equivalent interpretation.
{{Scriptgloss/indexable
|script =
|phrase = tátshuyi kákawiká
|IPA = [ˈta:t͡ɕʊʝi ka:ˈk͡xajika:]
| morphemes = tátshuy-∅-i kákawi-ká
| gloss = guard.N-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC fire.N-3SG.OBV.HO
| translation = The guard is burning [up].
| index = 3.11
}}{{Scriptgloss/indexable
|script =
|phrase = téndatshiwí...
|IPA = [tə̃ːtʼaˈt͡ɕijiː]
| morphemes = ténda-tshi-wí
| gloss = knowing.N-DUB-1SG.HE
| translation = I am not sure I know.
| index = 3.12
}}


|''shà-''
=====Dynamic clauses=====
Dynamic predicatives on the other hand, including '' to run'', ''to lay'', ''to put on fire'', ''to savour'',  and ''to learn'', are formed with a conjugating dynamic prefix, acting in the same manner as the copula.
{{Scriptgloss/indexable
|script =
|phrase = tátshuyi yáakákawi
|IPA = [ˈta:t͡ɕʊʝi ʝa:ˈka:k͡xaji]
| morphemes = tátshuy-∅-i yáa-kákawi
| gloss = guard.N-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC DYN.3SG.OBV.HO-fire.N
| translation = The guard is burning [something].
| index = 3.13
}}{{Scriptgloss/indexable
|script =
|phrase = wáaténdatshi...
|IPA = [ɰa:tə̃ːtʼaˈt͡ɕi]
| morphemes = wáa-ténda-tshi
| gloss = DYN.1SG.HE-knowing.N-DUB
| translation = I am not sure I learn [anything].
| index = 3.14
}}{{Scriptgloss/indexable
|script =
|phrase = yáanti katsan
|IPA = [ʝaːˈʔani ˈkat͡sʌ̃]
| morphemes = yáa-anti katsa-∅-n
| gloss = DYN.3SG.OBV.HO-walking.N songbird.N-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC
| translation = The songbird walks.
| index = 3.15
}}


|''shà-yih''
=====Flexibility of arguments and predicates=====
 
It is in these dynamic and static clauses that Tsan first exhibits its flexibility of arguments. By simply switching the prefixes of the content words, the meaning is reversed or changed drastically.
|'''í-''
{{Scriptgloss/indexable
 
|script =
|''t'í-''
|phrase = tátshuyá kákawin
 
|IPA = [ˈta:t͡ɕʊʝa: ˈka:k͡xajẽ]
|''tl'í-''
| morphemes = tátshuy-∅ kákawi-n
 
| gloss = guard.N-3SG.OBV.HO fire.N-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC
|''-'í''
| translation = The fire is a guard.
|}
| index = 3.16
}}{{Scriptgloss/indexable
|script =
|phrase = yáatátshuy kákawin
|IPA = [ʝa:ˈta:t͡ɕʊʝ ˈka:k͡xajẽ]
| morphemes = yáa-tátshuy kákawi-n
| gloss = DYN.3SG.OBV.HO-guard.N fire.N-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC
| translation = The fire is a guard.
| index = 3.17
}}{{Scriptgloss/indexable
|script =
|phrase = yáakatsa antin
|IPA = [ʝaːˈk͡xat͡sa ˈʔanẽ ]
| morphemes = yáah-katsa anti-∅-n
| gloss = DYN.3SG.OBV.HO-songbird.N walking.N-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC
| translation = *The walk songbirds.
| index = 3.18
}}


==See also==
==See also==


{{Asaari}}
{{Seealso/qts}}
[[Category:Languages]][[Category:Conlangs]][[Category:Agglutinative]][[Category:Asaari]]
[[Category:Languages]][[Category:A priori]][[Category:Tsan]][[Category:User:Waahlis]][[Category:Jasi-Jivan languages]]

Latest revision as of 21:33, 4 July 2021

Kandi
Kāndi tsūyi
Pronunciation[kaːndɪ t͡suβ̞ʝɪ]
Created byWaahlis
SettingUnknown conworld
Native speakers4 million (2015)
Jasi-Jivan
  • Tanisi
    • Kandi
Early form
Proto-Kandi
Official status
Regulated byAytšin Tatšūkkāndi
Language codes
CLCRqts
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Kāndi, or Tsan (kāndi tsūyi or tsani tsūyi) is a language spoken by the Tsan people. It belongs to the Tanisi language family and is thus distantly related to the Ris language. Kandi is a heavily agglutinating with a complex verbal morphology. The language has repeatedly been analysed as lacking nouns and adjectives altogether, in favour of verbs.

Slightly dated versions of the language were featured in the third and fourth Linguifex relays. These are probably not a good source for the constructed language, but they do give the reader an impression of Kandi's evolution.

Background

The language was supposedly first documented scholarly by the Belgian linguists Émile d'Ivoire and his Scottish colleague John Glenn Crossing, both of which were experienced in the field of the related Jivan languages, including for example the Ris. They first encountered the Kandi people in the early 19th century south of the Caspian Sea, in what is now Northern Iran. The Kandis dwelled in small villages intentionally isolated from the rest of the country. Crossing recognised the language's syntactic pecularities and conjectured it could be related to the Jivan languages, a then rather unfounded speculation.

The Kandi language, which the natives had not given a name, was eponymously named after the speakers themselves; kāndi meaning handy in the language. The word is most likely related to Jávva gánne, Wok khaṃ and Ris san, and can be traced back to the hypothetical Proto-Jasi-Jivan form *kʰãn. The name soon stuck with the Kandi people, although quite a few still call the language kitsūyiwīn, our language. That name is hardly very catchy though.

Phonology

The Kandi inventory has been documented and assessed repeatedly since the 19th century, the foremost scholar in the field being the Belgian linguist Émile d'Ivoire. This page uses a standard notation where C is a consonant, N a nasal consonant, and V is a vowel. Features are indicated by square brackets [ ] and plus or minus signs, ±. Phonemic sounds are marked with slash brackets / / and more deeply analysed sounds are marked with square brackets [ ].

Phonemic inventory of vowels and consonants

The following is the Kandi inventory of consonants, as analysed by d'Ivoire, a model nowadays serving as standard when analysing the language.

d'Ivoire model
Bilabial Dental Alveolar Dorsal Glottal
central central lateral palatal
Nasals m /m/ n /n/
Stops
voiceless p /p/ t /t/ k /k/
voiced b /b/ d /d/ g /g/
Affricates ts /t͡s/ tl /t͡ɬ/ tš /t͡ɕ/
Fricatives s /s/ š /ɕ/ · y /ʝ/ x /x/ h /h/
Approximants w /β̞/ l /l/ ǧ /ɰ/
Trills r /ʀ~r/


D'Ivoire standardised the phonemic inventory of vowels in the language, as per his conclusion that there were three phonemic short vowels, /i/, /a/, /u/, and three phonemic "long" vowels. The quality of the long vowels is rarely realised as the same as their short counterparts however, but it is likely that they once only differed in quantity, making vowel length a truly distinctive feature.

d'Ivoire model
short long
Close front unrounded i /i/ ī /iː/ [iː]
Open back unrounded a /a/ ā /aː/ [ɔ]
Close back rounded u /u/ ū /uː/ [u͜β̞]

Phonotactics

The composition of Kandi words and syllables is restricted, and phonemes undergo a few morphophonemic changes when interacting across morpheme boundaries. Due to the the synthetic nature of the language, some enclitics and affixes may be obscured because of these changes. The morphophonology is highly dependent upon various assimilations, syncope and a few epenthetical vowels.

Syllable structure and morphophonology

The minimal Kandi syllable is simply V, and the maximal structure is CrVCC, where V may be either long or short. In case the following syllable begins with a consonant, the resulting cluster is simplified.

The Kandi consonant cluster VCCV is subject to a few rules.

  • All nasal plosives N (C[stop][+nas]) voice both preceding and following stops P (C[stop][-nas]).
NP[-voice] > NP[+voice]
P[-voice]N > P[+voice]N
Initial Consonant Final Consonant
m n p t k b d g s š tl ts tš h x w ǧ y l r
m mm mb mb nd ng mb nd ng ss šš ndr ns nš mm nǧ mm nǧ nn ndr
n nd nn mb nd ng mb nd ng ss šš ndr ns nš nn nǧ mm nǧ nn ndr
p mb mb pp pt bb pt ps pš pp pš ppuh bb pp
t pt tt tš ttuh tt dd ts tš ttl tts ttš tt tš ttuh dd dd tl tr
k ǧm ǧn št kk guh št gg ks kš ts tš x x kkuh gg gg
b mm mm pp ud uǧ w ud uǧ bb ux w uǧ bb
d pt tt kk duh dd gg ss šš ttl tts ttš dd ǧǧ duh ǧ dd tl tr
g ǧm ǧn pp tt kk guh dd gg ks kš ǧ ǧ guh g ǧ
s šm sp st ks suh st ks ss šš ss šš suh x š
š šm šp št kš šuh št kš ss šš šš šš šuh x š
tl
ts
tš
h pp tt kk pp tt kk ss šš ttl tts ttš x x w ǧǧ yy ll rr
x ǧm ǧn šp št x šp št kš ss šš x x xuh ǧ x
w mm mm bb ud uǧ bb ud uǧ us uš w uǧ w uǧ w
y mm mm pp tt yy bb dd yy ss šš ttl tts ttš yy x w ǧǧ yy ll rr
l tl ll luh ll ll
r ndr ndr tr rr ruh rr rr

Syllable structure and phonological processes

Grammar

Kandi exhibits what’s called predicate/argument flexibility; all content words equivalent to English verbs, nouns and adjectives, can fill the role as predicate or as argument of a clause. The flexibility is due to that the lemma form of all content words corresponds to a predicative expression. All content words have a subject, which in the default is the third person: For example, the word for "dog" is kshawí, but it is also equivalent to "it is a dog".

In essence, the distinction between noun and verb is blurred. All content words may be conjugated and form verbal phrases, they may modify each other, and they all have one of three grammatical genders.

The Kandi grammar consists of a variety of grammatical prefixes and suffixes, all of which fit in a strict affixation template. The Tsan affixation template looks as follows:

genitive–mood–plural–[Content word]–applicative–case–gender–core–specifier

Core affixes

The Kandi conjugation is rather a form of affixation of relevant arguments, aspects, cases, and moods. The core affixes are the main reason behind the Tsan predicate/argument flexibility, and they consist of a gender part and a stative or dynamic part.

The stative affixes convey a state of being, or function as a copula. The dynamic affixes transform a word into a more verb-like construction, and insinuates some sort of action. These two core affixes are mutually exclusive, and a word can only be affixed with one of them at a time.

What may make many linguists get the hiccups is the seemingly ignorant mixes of nominal and verbal categories. In Tsan, however, these are not important distinctions.

Stative and dynamic affixes
person → 1 2 3.PROX (3) 3.OBV (4) 0
-w- -k- - -y- -h-
Stative
same -á- -wá -ká -í (Vy) -yá -há
different -í- -wí -kí - -yi -hí
Dynamic
same -u- wu- ku- u- yu- hu-
different -a- wa- ka- a- ya- ha-


Grammatical gender

Kāndi has a peculiar system of grammatical gender. The genders are purely natural: Women are feminine f, men and males are masculine m, and everything else is neuter n.

Do note, however, that the grammatical gender is not marked. Rather, there is a form of dual marking. The gender of the subject of a content word is marked as either the "same" or "different" to that of the speaker. If the subject gender is the same as that of the speaker, it is marked as the same sam, whereas if the subject gender is different to that of the speaker, it is marked as "different" diff.

It is standard to assume a male speaker in stories. A male speaker is assumed in all examples on the page unless otherwise stated.

katsa
[ˈkat͡sa]
katsa-∅
songbird.N-3SG.DIFF
It is a songbird.

(11)

agūrriy
[aˈɣu͜βɾɪj]
agūrri-y
boy.M-3SG.SAM
It is a boy.

(12)

tšanukān
[t͡ʃanuˈkaːn]
tshanu-k-ā-n
horse.M-2-SAM-PL
You are horses.

(13)

The system is sometimes more versatile than the English grammatical gender. In the last example (13), we are able to deduce that the speaker in this instance is a male, since he is of the same gender as the speaker.

thūrrina
[θu͜βrẽna]
thūrrina-∅
women.F.IRREG-3.DIFF
She is a woman.

(14)


Predicative complements

Simple predicative expressions

In Kandi, the predicative complement of an expression is equivalent to the predicate itself. All content words are predicates in their own right, due to a copula suffix. This copula is a null suffix in the third person proximate, but it congruates with the subject. The subject does not need to be independent, and is only marked on the predicate.


katsa
[ˈkat͡sa]
katsa-∅
songbird.N-3SG.PROX.HO
It is a songbird.

(1)

katsawí
[ˈkat͡sajiɨ̯]
katsa-wí
songbird.N-1SG.HE
I am a songbird.

(2)

katsayín
[ˈkat͡saʝẽː]
katsa-yín
songbird.N-2PL.HE
You are songbirds.

(3)


Predicative nominatives

If the subject of the expression is stated independently, it is marked with a specifier, (SPEC), which roughly translates as the English relative determiner that which, or the construction it is […] that is […]. The post-vocalic form is –n and the post-consonantal form is –i.


The predicative complement, or predicate, agrees with the topic. The topic, most often the subject, is marked with the third person singular homus suffix, as well as the specifier.


  • ᎭᎱ ᎧᏊᏪ:
    yan katsawí
    [ʝʌ̃ʔ ˈkat͡sajiɨ̯]
    ya-∅-n katsa-wí
    1SG.M-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC songbird.N-1SG.HE
    I am a songbird.

(2.5)


  • Ꮡ:Ꮾ ᏡᎪᏕ:
    yóni tsháatlí
    [ˈʝɒ̃ʔi ˈt͡ɕaːt͡ɬiɨ̯]
    yón-∅-i tsháatli-í
    1SG.M-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC nice.N;3SG.PROX.HE
    John is nice.

(2.6)


  • Ꮡ:Ꮾ ᎪᏌᎪ
    yóni anda
    [ˈʝɒ̃ʔi ˈʌ̃tʼa]
    yón-∅-i anda-∅
    1SG.M-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC man.N-3SG.PROX.HO
    John is a man.

(2.7)


Predicative accusatives

Kandi has one copula, and one copula only. In English you may find a variety of related verbs with similar function to the main copula to be; for example to feel, to seem and to become. In Tsan, the semantics of these verbs are all conveyed by means of modifying the copula with evidentials, mood markers, applicatives and other constructions.

Typically, what may be percieved as an increase in valency is marked with the copula and an appropriate applicative-like affix. The former subject is always demoted to the object or patient.


  • Ꮡ:Ꮾ Ꮝ:ᎪᎭᏌ:
    yóni sáayandá
    [ˈʝɒ̃ʔi saːˈʝʌ̃tʼaː]
    yón-∅-i sáay-anda-∅
    John-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC 3PL.REP-man.N-3SG.PROX.HO
    They call John a man.

(2.8)


  • yóni wandátsu
    [ˈʝɒ̃ʔi β̞atʼaːt͡su]
    yón-∅-i <wúu>-anda-∅<tsu>
    John-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC <1SG.CAUS>-man.N-3SG.PROX.HO-<1SG.CAUS>
    I made John a man.

(2.9)


  • sáayayómbá
    /saːʝaˈʝɒ̃pʼaː/
    sáaya-yón-wá
    3PL.REP-John-1SG.HO
    They call me John.

(2.10)


Intransitive clauses

When you accept that two content words in a predicative expression co-function as predicate and subject, it is not difficult to imagine other clauses with one core argument. The simplest are the corresponding English intransitive clauses. Tsan makes an important dichotomy between stative and dynamic content words.

Stative clauses

Stative predicates, such as to hang, to lie, to be on fire, to taste like and to know are almost exclusively expressed by means of the copula suffix. See also predicative complements, which is an equivalent interpretation.

  • tátshuyi kákawiká
    [ˈta:t͡ɕʊʝi ka:ˈk͡xajika:]
    tátshuy-∅-i kákawi-ká
    guard.N-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC fire.N-3SG.OBV.HO
    The guard is burning [up].

(3.11)


  • téndatshiwí...
    [tə̃ːtʼaˈt͡ɕijiː]
    ténda-tshi-wí
    knowing.N-DUB-1SG.HE
    I am not sure I know.

(3.12)


Dynamic clauses

Dynamic predicatives on the other hand, including to run, to lay, to put on fire, to savour, and to learn, are formed with a conjugating dynamic prefix, acting in the same manner as the copula.

  • tátshuyi yáakákawi
    [ˈta:t͡ɕʊʝi ʝa:ˈka:k͡xaji]
    tátshuy-∅-i yáa-kákawi
    guard.N-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC DYN.3SG.OBV.HO-fire.N
    The guard is burning [something].

(3.13)


  • wáaténdatshi...
    [ɰa:tə̃ːtʼaˈt͡ɕi]
    wáa-ténda-tshi
    DYN.1SG.HE-knowing.N-DUB
    I am not sure I learn [anything].

(3.14)


  • yáanti katsan
    [ʝaːˈʔani ˈkat͡sʌ̃]
    yáa-anti katsa-∅-n
    DYN.3SG.OBV.HO-walking.N songbird.N-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC
    The songbird walks.

(3.15)


Flexibility of arguments and predicates

It is in these dynamic and static clauses that Tsan first exhibits its flexibility of arguments. By simply switching the prefixes of the content words, the meaning is reversed or changed drastically.

  • tátshuyá kákawin
    [ˈta:t͡ɕʊʝa: ˈka:k͡xajẽ]
    tátshuy-∅ kákawi-n
    guard.N-3SG.OBV.HO fire.N-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC
    The fire is a guard.

(3.16)


  • yáatátshuy kákawin
    [ʝa:ˈta:t͡ɕʊʝ ˈka:k͡xajẽ]
    yáa-tátshuy kákawi-n
    DYN.3SG.OBV.HO-guard.N fire.N-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC
    The fire is a guard.

(3.17)


  • yáakatsa antin
    [ʝaːˈk͡xat͡sa ˈʔanẽ ]
    yáah-katsa anti-∅-n
    DYN.3SG.OBV.HO-songbird.N walking.N-3SG.PROX.HO-SPEC
    *The walk songbirds.

(3.18)


See also

Tsani language
Orthography Cree syllabary
Phonology IPA for Tsan • Phonology
Grammar Grammar • Arguments • Syntax
Vocabulary Basic vocabulary • Swadesh list
Numerals
Example texts The Lord's Prayer • The North Wind and the Sun • The Tower of Babel • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Geneaology Tanisi languages • Proto-Tanisi
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