Tsimulh languages

Tsimulh languages/Lexicon

Tsimulh
Created by	–
Geographic distribution	Much of Txapoalli
Linguistic classification	One of Tricin's primary language families
Proto-language	Proto-Tsimulh
Subdivisions	Hetmic Idosic Swuntsimic Rencadic Pelhyysic

The Tsimulh languages (Eevo: bo brits Tsimys, Windermere: fi imcduay Tsimăł, from Sacred Swuntsim tsiməσ, 'tribe', pl. of ʔiməσ 'tribesman') form the largest language family in Txapoalli. The proto-language is Proto-Tsimulh, whose aesthetics is inspired by Old Chinese and the Salish languages.

Todo

• -s: past tense, genitive
• -əσ: some adjectival suffix
• -iyad = augmentative
• Reduplication
• relativizer/relative forms for verbs
• m n > Sf. v dh? (-tsiv in Swuntsim ~ Tsimulh?)
• N.tugəŋ = water (as a liquid) - Sf. tüdjo
• k.tugəŋ = body of water - Sf. tjtüdjo
• Work on Talman Swuntsim first
• Some Tsimulh langs should gain liquids only to lose them again
• Might not have ejectives

Languages

There are estimated to be over 1,400 Tsimulh languages, making it the second largest family in Tricin.

• Proto-Tsimulh
  • Sacred Swuntsim
    • Swuntsim (təSfətsiv)
  • Hetomic (tiHetomt)
  • Pelhyys (tPezlüüt)
  • Idosic
    • Idosian (səyIdosm)
  • Rencadian (diZhęqad) Some retroflexy language - get retros from assimilation to uvulars

The four most well-known Tsimulh languages are Hetomic, Idosian, Swuntsim and Pelhyys. The others are spoken by small minorities.

Urheimat

Somewhere in Txapoalli

Phonology

Consonants

Proto-Tsimulh had a smaller-than-average consonant inventory, with no liquids.

	Bilabial	Alveolar		Palatal	Velar		Uvular		Glottal
		central	lateral		plain	labialized	plain	labialized
Nasal	m	n			ŋ?
Stop	p	t			k	kʷ	q	qʷ	ʔ
Affricate		c	ξ
Fricative		s	σ						h
Approximant				y		w

Vowels

i u e a į ų ę ą /i u ə a ĩ ũ ə̃ ã/

Tone

Proto-Tsimulh was a tonal language: Every syllable had either high or low tone. The low tone is marked with a grave accent.

Morphology

Proto-Tsimulh and Tsimulh languages are almost exclusively prefixing.

Nouns

Noun classes

Proto-Tsimulh had a noun class system like the Bantu languages. There were 12 noun classes, which are numbered as follows:

1. ʔə́-, pl. cə́- = humans, spirits
2. bú-, pl. də́- = animals and other things (such as weather phenomena and organs) that sense or move on their own
3. pà-, pl. pí- = most plants and mushrooms; things that grow, food
4. sə̀-, pl. sì- = collections or large things
5. sù-, pl. σə́- = roughly round, compact objects
6. má-, pl. wə́- = long objects; tools, instruments, devices, food item
7. kə̀-, pl. bí- = places, locations, slots
8. gú-, pl. nə̀- = various... including fluids (powder, water, liquids, fire, light, waves, wind, ...)
9. σí-, pl. wí- = time periods; events; things that are temporary (e.g. ice)
10. tì- = abstractions, manner, way
11. t’ímə̀- = infinitives, verbal nouns
12. pə̀dá- = -ness, -hood

In Proto-Tsimulh, verbs and determiners agreed with their head nouns in number and noun class. The descendant Tsimulh languages can be divided into 5 types depending on the type of agreement system they have:

• Type A: Traditional, strictly formal (e.g. Sacred Swuntsim)
• Type B: Traditional with general animate concords (e.g. Hetmic; Pelhyys)
• Type C: Animacy-based SG/PL-marking (e.g. Talman Swuntsim)
• Type D: SG/PL-marking only (e.g. Idosian)
• Type E: No concords at all (e.g. [retroflexy tsimulh language])

Cases

• Nominative: -0
• Genitive: -s

Possession

Same as verbal concord affixes with the addition of a buffer affix

Verbs

Noun class prefixes

TODO: Some of the class markers should be different from class markers on nouns.

• I = kʷə-
• you (sg) = xʷə-
• we = wə-
• you (pl) = cu-
• Noun class prefixes: Same as nominal ones

Tense affixes

Some verbal infix, like ⟨n⟩

Tenses:

• present
• recent past
• remote past
• irrealis (can be used alone or with a modal particle in daughter languages): dę-

Numbers

The numerals 1-9 inflected for noun class; 10 and higher units did not.

(Sacred Swuntsim)

1: *-an

2: *-xʷiš

3: *-ʔiyəm

4: *-udzuq

5: *-t'uŋ

6: *-čayədz

7: *-buč'əŋ

8: *-gwiməʔ

9: *-anay

10: *-kʷ'in

Derivation

Deriving nouns

maybe they'd have derivational prefixes that are a certain noun class like IE languages do