Kimow: Difference between revisions

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| creator = User:Jukethatbox
| creator = User:Jukethatbox
| created = 2024
| created = 2024
| speakers = 7.7 million(total)
| speakers2 = [[Kimow|Kimo]]: 3.96 million<br>[[Kimow|Wakki]]: 3.74 million
| date = 2024
| familycolor = language isolate
| familycolor = language isolate
| dia1 = Kimo dialects
| dia1 = Kimo dialects
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** Mukku (†)<ref>Mostly extinct, some elderly speakers still exist.</ref>
** Mukku (†)<ref>Mostly extinct, some elderly speakers still exist.</ref>
| dia2 = Wakki dialects
| dia2 = Wakki dialects
| nation = Ke Taḥ
| notice = ipa
| notice = ipa
}}
}}
'''Kimow'''(/kiːmoʊ/, ''kimow''; <small>Kimow:</small> [[Help:IPA|[kʰím.ǒʊ]]] or [[Help:IPA|[kʰǐm.ɑ̄w]]]), also(but less commonly) called '''Kimau''',<ref name="kimau"></ref> is a language isolate that is notorious for the fact that the majority of its words are homonyms, meaning they have various meanings. For example, the name of the language, Kimow, can mean "Kimow"(adj.), "the Kimow language", "the Kimow people", "an ethnic Kimow", "a Kimow speaker(so not necessarily an ethnic Kimow)", "a member of the Kimow diaspora", "Kimow food" or "a Kimow city". There are also only two main dialects, the Kimo and the Wakki, and their homonymic meanings differ greatly at times, making mutual understanding difficult. Tone and phonology vary slightly as well, though not as greatly and are thus more mutually intelligible.
'''Kimow'''(/kiːmoʊ/, ''kimow''; <small>Kimow:</small> [[Help:IPA|[kʰím.ǒʊ]]] or [[Help:IPA|[kʰǐm.ɑ̄w]]]), also(but less commonly) called '''Kimau''',<ref name="kimau"></ref> is a language isolate that is notorious for the fact that the majority of its words are homonyms, meaning they have various meanings. For example, the name of the language, Kimow, can mean "Kimow"(adj.), "the Kimow language", "the Kimow people", "an ethnic Kimow", "a Kimow speaker(so not necessarily an ethnic Kimow)", "a member of the Kimow diaspora", "Kimow food" or "a Kimow city". There are also only two main dialects, the '''Kimo''' and the '''Wakki''', and their homonymic meanings differ greatly at times, making mutual understanding difficult. Tone and phonology vary slightly as well, though not as greatly and are thus more mutually intelligible.
==Phonology==
==Phonology==
===Orthography===
===Orthography===
Line 52: Line 54:
====Ejective controversy====
====Ejective controversy====
There is an ongoing debate on whether the doubled consonants of Kimow(''kk'', ''gg'' and so forth) are [[w:Ejective consonant|'''ejective''']] consonants or '''diphthongs with a glottal stop'''. Previous studies have tried to link the two sets of different sounds to dialectical difference between Kimo and Wakki, but no correlation was found between use of glottal diphthongs or ejectives on dialectic differences alone. Subsequent studies on less spoken dialects, such as Kemhu Kka and Mukku found no correlation either. Thus, the theory that use of ejectives or glottal diphthongs depends on dialect is now generally considered outdated and disproven, though a replacement theory with substantial evidence has yet to be found. Until such a theory is proposed, the linguistic community has agreed that the differences are completely arbitrary and are sometimes up to the speaker.
There is an ongoing debate on whether the doubled consonants of Kimow(''kk'', ''gg'' and so forth) are [[w:Ejective consonant|'''ejective''']] consonants or '''diphthongs with a glottal stop'''. Previous studies have tried to link the two sets of different sounds to dialectical difference between Kimo and Wakki, but no correlation was found between use of glottal diphthongs or ejectives on dialectic differences alone. Subsequent studies on less spoken dialects, such as Kemhu Kka and Mukku found no correlation either. Thus, the theory that use of ejectives or glottal diphthongs depends on dialect is now generally considered outdated and disproven, though a replacement theory with substantial evidence has yet to be found. Until such a theory is proposed, the linguistic community has agreed that the differences are completely arbitrary and are sometimes up to the speaker.
===Vowels===
===Vowels===
<span style="color:red">Red</span> sounds are exclusive to Kimo dialects, while <span style="color:blue">blue</span> sounds are exclusive to Wakki dialects. <span style="color:green">Green</span> sounds are exclusive to Igkin dialects, which although are a subset of Kimo dialects, do have some different sounds. Black sounds are in all sets of dialects.
<span style="color:red">Red</span> sounds are exclusive to Kimo dialects, while <span style="color:blue">blue</span> sounds are exclusive to Wakki dialects. <span style="color:green">Green</span> sounds are exclusive to Igkin dialects, which although are a subset of Kimo dialects, do have some different sounds. Black sounds are in all sets of dialects.
Line 72: Line 73:
===Prosody===
===Prosody===
====Stress====
====Stress====
====Intonation====
====Tone====
Use of tone in Kimow is not indicated in the orthography and varies by Kimo and Wakki dialects, though within their own subsets they tend to conform to one standard tone system.
=====Table=====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
! colspan=2 | Tone
|-
! Kimo !! Wakki
|-
| high tone<br> [[Help:IPA|[˦ ] ]]|| rising tone<br>[[Help:IPA|[˩˥]]]
|-
| rising tone<br>[[Help:IPA|[˩˥]]] || mid tone<br>[[Help:IPA|[˧]]]
|-
| rowspan=2 | falling tone<br>[[Help:IPA|[˥˩]]] || low rising tone<br>[[Help:IPA|[˩˨]]]
|-
| rising-falling tone<br>[[Help:IPA|[˧˦˧]]]
|-
| extra low tone
|}
===Phonotactics===
===Phonotactics===
===Morphophonology===
===Morphophonology===

Revision as of 10:49, 12 April 2024

Kimow
Kimau[1]
kimow
Pronunciation[kʰím.ǒʊ]
[kʰǐm.ɑ̄w]
Created byJukethatbox
Date2024
Native speakers7.7 million(total) (2024)
Kimo: 3.96 million
Wakki: 3.74 million
Dialects
  • Kimo dialects
    • Igkin dialects
      • Kemhu Kka
    • Mukku (†)[2]
  • Wakki dialects
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.

Kimow(/kiːmoʊ/, kimow; Kimow: [kʰím.ǒʊ] or [kʰǐm.ɑ̄w]), also(but less commonly) called Kimau,[1] is a language isolate that is notorious for the fact that the majority of its words are homonyms, meaning they have various meanings. For example, the name of the language, Kimow, can mean "Kimow"(adj.), "the Kimow language", "the Kimow people", "an ethnic Kimow", "a Kimow speaker(so not necessarily an ethnic Kimow)", "a member of the Kimow diaspora", "Kimow food" or "a Kimow city". There are also only two main dialects, the Kimo and the Wakki, and their homonymic meanings differ greatly at times, making mutual understanding difficult. Tone and phonology vary slightly as well, though not as greatly and are thus more mutually intelligible.

Phonology

Orthography

Consonants

Aside from Wakki dialects using [w] as a replacement for [u] and [ʊ], consonants do not vary at all between Kimow speakers.

Bilabial Labiodental Alveolar Palatal Velar/
Labial-velar		 Uvular Glottal
Plosive pulmonic c ɟ q ɢ ʔ
aspirated pʰ bʱ tʰ dʱ kʰ gʱ
ejective/glottalised[3] pʼ bʼ
p͡ʔ b͡ʔ		 tʼ
t͡ʔ		 qʼ ɢʼ
q͡ʔ ɢ͡ʔ
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Fricative pulmonic f v s z ç h ɦ
ejective/glottalised[3] fʼ vʼ
f͡ʔ v͡ʔ		 sʼ zʼ
s͡ʔ z͡ʔ
Approximant normal w[4]
lateral l ɫ

Ejective controversy

There is an ongoing debate on whether the doubled consonants of Kimow(kk, gg and so forth) are ejective consonants or diphthongs with a glottal stop. Previous studies have tried to link the two sets of different sounds to dialectical difference between Kimo and Wakki, but no correlation was found between use of glottal diphthongs or ejectives on dialectic differences alone. Subsequent studies on less spoken dialects, such as Kemhu Kka and Mukku found no correlation either. Thus, the theory that use of ejectives or glottal diphthongs depends on dialect is now generally considered outdated and disproven, though a replacement theory with substantial evidence has yet to be found. Until such a theory is proposed, the linguistic community has agreed that the differences are completely arbitrary and are sometimes up to the speaker.

Vowels

Red sounds are exclusive to Kimo dialects, while blue sounds are exclusive to Wakki dialects. Green sounds are exclusive to Igkin dialects, which although are a subset of Kimo dialects, do have some different sounds. Black sounds are in all sets of dialects.

Front Central Near-close Back
Close i ɯ[5] u[4]
Near-close ʊ[4]
Close-mid e ø ɘ[6] ɵ[6] o
Open a œ[7] ɑ[8]

Prosody

Stress

Tone

Use of tone in Kimow is not indicated in the orthography and varies by Kimo and Wakki dialects, though within their own subsets they tend to conform to one standard tone system.

Table
Tone
Kimo Wakki
high tone
[˦ ] 		rising tone
[˩˥]
rising tone
[˩˥]		 mid tone
[˧]
falling tone
[˥˩]		 low rising tone
[˩˨]
rising-falling tone
[˧˦˧]
extra low tone

Phonotactics

Morphophonology

Morphology

Syntax

Constituent order

Noun phrase

Verb phrase

Sentence phrase

Dependent clauses

Example texts

Other resources

  1. ^ a b Original exonym of the language before widespread English-based romanisation, now only used in German in the form of *kimauisch*.
  2. ^ Mostly extinct, some elderly speakers still exist.
  3. ^ a b See Kimow#Ejective controversy.
  4. ^ a b c In Wakki dialects, the [u]/[ʊ] is substituted by [w] in most cases.
  5. ^ Allophone of [m] in initial position.
  6. ^ a b Both are variants of [e] and [ø] in Kimo and Wakki dialects.
  7. ^ Alternative allophone of /ø/, though [ø] is still more widely used.
  8. ^ Wakki variant of Kimo [o].
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