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Seggeynni: Difference between revisions
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The language documented here is spoken approximately a century after the initial migration. The vast majority of speakers are mixed-race descendents of Kämpya and Thangha' speakers. In addition to Seggeynni, almost all have a passive command of both Thangha' (still a common trade language in the region) and Kämpya (a liturgical language). | The language documented here is spoken approximately a century after the initial migration. The vast majority of speakers are mixed-race descendents of Kämpya and Thangha' speakers. In addition to Seggeynni, almost all have a passive command of both Thangha' (still a common trade language in the region) and Kämpya (a liturgical language). | ||
Like Thangha', there are many consonants which contrast secondary articulations, which affect the quality of adjacent vowels. Additionally, Seggeynni is characterised by an underlying simple syllable structure at the phonemic level, however many speakers "drop" vowels, so that consonant clusters are heard in the spoekn language. For example, phonemically the name of the language is /ˈséʕkə̀jə̀nə̀jə̀/, but, except when speaking extremely carefully, most speakers pronounce it as [ | Like Thangha', there are many consonants which contrast secondary articulations, which affect the quality of adjacent vowels. Additionally, Seggeynni is characterised by an underlying simple syllable structure at the phonemic level, however many speakers "drop" vowels, so that consonant clusters are heard in the spoekn language. For example, phonemically the name of the language is /ˈséʕkə̀jə̀nə̀jə̀/, but, except when speaking extremely carefully, most speakers pronounce it as [ˈséɠːə̀iɲːì]. | ||
==Phonology== | ==Phonology== | ||
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===Vowels=== | ===Vowels=== | ||
The vowel system is quite similar to Thangha'. In stressed syllables, there are 6 | The vowel system is quite similar to Thangha'. In stressed syllables, there are 6 vowel phonemes /iː/, /uː/, /e/, /o/ and /aː/ and /a/. Short /a/ has the allophone [ə] when it occurs adjacent to a semivowel (either before or after it). | ||
As in Thangha', the length of the vowel is more important than the quality in contrasting /iː/ and /uː/ vs. /e/ and /o/. | As in Thangha', the length of the vowel is more important than the quality in contrasting /iː/ and /uː/ vs. /e/ and /o/. Secondary articulation on surrounding consonants "pulls" the vowels around a fair bit. | ||
In unstressed syllables, the language has a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_vowel_system Vertical Vowel System], only contrasting /a/ and /ə/ (however other vowels such as [i], [e], [o] and [u] are heard as allophones of /ə/, depending on the secondary articulation of surrounding consonants). | |||
===Consonants=== | ===Consonants=== | ||
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===Stress=== | ===Stress=== | ||
The situation here is identical to Kämpya. One syllable in each word bears stress. Vowel phonation is phonemic on stressed syllables but not elsewhere. The phonations are tense /a̰/, breathy /a̤/ or /ä/, and glottalised /aʔ/. Glottalised vowels are pronounced with glottalisation of the following consonant (or with a glottal stop [ʔ] in the case of word final syllables). For example, the first syllable of "Seggeynni" has stress with glottalised phonation, meaning that the subsequent /k/ is pronounced as an implosive / | The situation here is identical to Kämpya. One syllable in each word bears stress. Vowel phonation is phonemic on stressed syllables but not elsewhere. The phonations are tense /a̰/, breathy /a̤/ or /ä/, and glottalised /aʔ/. Glottalised vowels are pronounced with gemination (and glottalisation where possible) of the following consonant (or with a glottal stop [ʔ] in the case of word final syllables). For example, the first syllable of "Seggeynni" has stress with glottalised phonation, meaning that the subsequent /k/ is pronounced as an implosive /ɠː/. | ||
Long vowels with glottalised phonation diphthongise into centering diphthongs. For example, /ˈnʷúːʔpə̀/ - "small" (descriptive) is pronounced [ | Long vowels with glottalised phonation diphthongise into centering diphthongs. For example, /ˈnʷúːʔpə̀/ - "small" (descriptive) is pronounced [ˈnʷúəɓːə̀]. | ||
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====Nasal Consonants==== | ====Nasal Consonants==== | ||
A schwa has a strong tendency to be lost if it occurs immediately after a nasal consonant, and immediately before a stop or affricate. In this case, the nasal changes it's place or articulation to be homorganic with the stop / affricate e.g. /çə́wá'''ŋə́ˈp'''ô̰/ - "udder" is usually heard as [ḉʉwɔ́'''mˈp''' | A schwa has a strong tendency to be lost if it occurs immediately after a nasal consonant, and immediately before a stop or affricate. In this case, the nasal changes it's place or articulation to be homorganic with the stop / affricate e.g. /çə́wá'''ŋə́ˈp'''ô̰/ - "udder" is usually heard as [ḉʉwɔ́'''mˈp'''ɔ̰̂ʢ] (here and below, the parts of the word that undergo assimilation have been marked in bold). | ||
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If a schwa occurs word finally and is preceded by a nasal, then the whole syllable is often deleted, with nasalisation of the preceding vowel e.g. /zə́ˈwòʔtɕ'''ə̀nə̀'''/ - "rotten" is usually prononuced [ | If a schwa occurs word finally and is preceded by a nasal, then the whole syllable is often deleted, with nasalisation of the preceding vowel e.g. /zə́ˈwòʔtɕ'''ə̀nə̀'''/ - "rotten" is usually prononuced [zúˈwʉ̀tːɕ'''ìⁿ''']. | ||
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A similar process transforms the sequence /nəjə/ to [ɲːi], as in the name of the language, Seggeynni [ | A similar process transforms the sequence /nəjə/ to [ɲːi], as in the name of the language, Seggeynni [ˈséɠːə̀i'''ɲːì'''], underlyingly /ˈséʕkə̀jə̀'''nə̀jə̀'''/. | ||
====Debuccalisation of Stops==== | ====Debuccalisation of Stops==== | ||
If a word final schwa is preceded by a stop, then it is very common to delete the schwa and debuccalise the stop to a glottal stop e.g. /ˈqóʔɲà'''tə̀'''/ - "Hkonat" (the name of a city), is usually pronounced as [ | If a word final schwa is preceded by a stop, then it is very common to delete the schwa and debuccalise the stop to a glottal stop e.g. /ˈqóʔɲà'''tə̀'''/ - "Hkonat" (the name of a city), is usually pronounced as [ˈqɔ́ɲ̰ːɛ̀'''ʔ''']. | ||
If schwa occurs | If schwa occurs after a stop, and before an obstruent of identical voicing (sequences of tenuis stop + schwa + aspirated consonant are also permissible), then both schwa and the preceding stop are deleted, and the following consonant becomes geminated e.g. /ˈqòʔɲá'''tə́=k'''á/ - "from Hkonat" is normally pronounced [ˈqɔ̀ɲ̰ːɛ́'''kː'''á]. | ||
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====Semivowels==== | ====Semivowels==== | ||
An extremely common phonetic process involves | An extremely common phonetic process involves /j/, /w/ or /ɥ/ flanked on both sides by /a/ or /ə/. The second vowel is deleted, and the semivowel assimilates with the preceding vowel to form a diphthong. /ajə/ and /aja/ become [ai], /awə/ and /awa/ become [au], /aɥə/ and /aɥa/ become [aʉ]. Likewise /əjə/ and /əja/ become [əi], /əwə/ and /əwa/ become [əu], /əɥə/ and /əɥa/ become [əʉ]. An example of this is in the name of the language, /ˈséʕk'''ə̀jə̀'''nə̀jə̀/, which is pronounced as [ˈséɠː'''ə̀i'''ɲːì]. | ||
This differs from the previous processes in two ways. Firstly because it can delete not only schwa, but also /a/. Secondly because it can delete stressed vowels (although not the vowel immediately after the stressed syllable). For example /kə́ˈwáʔnə̀/ [ˈkə́un̰ːə̀] - to depart (atelic). If a stressed vowel is deleted in this way, the resulting diphthong bears stress. | |||
====Conflicting Processes==== | |||
If a word could be transformed in more than one way, then the rules work from left to right across the word. So/ ˈqòʔɲátə́=pə́má/ - "from Hkonat" is pronounced [ˈqɔ̀ɲ̰ːɛ́pːə́má] (which involves the deletion of the schwa in the third syllable of the word), not *[ˈqɔ̀ɲ̰ːɛ́tə́m̰ːá] (which would involve the deletion of the schwa in the fourth syllable of the word). | |||
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! Gloss !! Seggeynni Phonemic !! Seggeynni Phonetic !! Kämpya !! Old Kämpya | ! Gloss !! Seggeynni Phonemic !! Seggeynni Phonetic !! Kämpya !! Old Kämpya | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Seggeynni || /ˈséʕkə̀jə̀nə̀jə̀/ || [ | | Seggeynni || /ˈséʕkə̀jə̀nə̀jə̀/ || [ˈséɠːə̀iɲːì] || [ˈséʔkìnì] || */ˈsɛ́ʔkìnì/ | ||
|- | |- | ||
| forest || /fáˈʑè̤tə̀/ || [fɛ́ˈʑìstə̀] || [pʰáˈzè̤ːt] || */fáˈzè̤t/ | | forest || /fáˈʑè̤tə̀/ || [fɛ́ˈʑìstə̀] || [pʰáˈzè̤ːt] || */fáˈzè̤t/ | ||
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| snare || /ɲḛ̂/ || [ɲḛ̂ʢ] || [n̥ḛ̂ː] || */n̥ḛ̂/ | | snare || /ɲḛ̂/ || [ɲḛ̂ʢ] || [n̥ḛ̂ː] || */n̥ḛ̂/ | ||
|- | |- | ||
| udder || /çə̀wàŋə̀ˈpô̰/ || [ | | udder || /çə̀wàŋə̀ˈpô̰/ || [çʉ́wɔ́mˈpɔ̰̂ʢ] || [çámˈpâṵ] || */hjɔ́ŋpɔ̰̂/ | ||
|- | |- | ||
| forgetfulness || /jámə́ˈɲì̤ːjà/ || [jɛ́ˈɲːì̤ːjà] || [ámˈnèi̤jà] || */ɛ́mˈnèi̤jà/ | | forgetfulness || /jámə́ˈɲì̤ːjà/ || [jɛ́ˈɲːì̤ːjà] || [ámˈnèi̤jà] || */ɛ́mˈnèi̤jà/ | ||
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| everyone || /ʔáˈɫʷṳ̀ːmə̀/ || [ʔɒ́ɫʷṳ̀ːm] || [áˈlòṳⁿ] || */áˈlòṳm/ | | everyone || /ʔáˈɫʷṳ̀ːmə̀/ || [ʔɒ́ɫʷṳ̀ːm] || [áˈlòṳⁿ] || */áˈlòṳm/ | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Hkonat (the name of a city) || /ˈqóʔɲàtə̀/ || [ | | Hkonat (the name of a city) || /ˈqóʔɲàtə̀/ || [ˈqɔ́ɲ̰ːɛ̀ʔ] || [ˈkʰóʔnàt] || */ˈkʰɔ́ʔnɛ̀t/ | ||
|- | |- | ||
| at Hkonat || /ˈqòʔɲátə́=ká/ || [ | | at Hkonat || /ˈqòʔɲátə́=ká/ || [ˈqɔ̀ɲ̰ːɛ́kːá] || [ˈkʰòʔnátká] || /ˈkʰɔ̀ʔnɛ́t=ká/ | ||
|- | |- | ||
| cave || /kʷə́ˈjḛ̂pà/ || [kʷʉ́ˈjḛ̂ʢpà] || [ˈkwḛ̂ːpà] || */ˈkwḛ̂pà/ | | cave || /kʷə́ˈjḛ̂pà/ || [kʷʉ́ˈjḛ̂ʢpà] || [ˈkwḛ̂ːpà] || */ˈkwḛ̂pà/ | ||
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| from the cave || /kʷə́ˈjḛ̀pá=pə́má/ || [kʷʉ́ˈjḛ̀ʢpám̰ːá] || [ˈkʷḛ̀ːpám̥á] || */ˈkʷḛ̀pá=m̥á/ | | from the cave || /kʷə́ˈjḛ̀pá=pə́má/ || [kʷʉ́ˈjḛ̀ʢpám̰ːá] || [ˈkʷḛ̀ːpám̥á] || */ˈkʷḛ̀pá=m̥á/ | ||
|} | |} | ||
==Telicity== | |||
Due to contact with Thangha', Seggeynni has developed a grammatical [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telicity telicity] contrast. Atelic verbs are unmarked, and in Tone Class 1. Telic verbs are in Tone Class 2, are usually take the suffix /ɕə́ŋə́/ (usually pronounced [ɕíⁿ]). | |||
For example: | |||
/ˈjḛ̂ɲə̀mə̀jə̀ ˈqòʔɲátə́=pə́má kə́ˈwáʔnə̀ tə́ˈjàʔ gʷə̀ˈjéʔ/ | |||
[ˈjêʢɲìmːʲì ˈqɔ̀ɲ̰ːɛ́pːə́má ˈkə́un̰ːə̀ tə̀jʔ gʷʉ̀ˈjéʔ] | |||
enemy Hkónat=from depart.ATEL one month.ADV | |||
The enemy departed from Hkonat for a month (and then they came back) | |||
vs. | |||
/ˈjḛ̂ɲə̀mə̀jə̀ ˈqòʔɲátə́=pə́má kə́ˈwàʔnə́-ɕə́ŋə́ tə́ˈjàʔ gʷə̀ˈjéʔ/ | |||
[ˈjêʢɲìmːʲì ˈqɔ̀ɲ̰ːɛ́pːə́má ˈkə̀un̰ːíɕíⁿ tə̀iʔ gʷʉ̀ˈjéʔ] | |||
enemy Hkónat=from depart.TEL one month.ADV | |||
The enemy departed from Hkónat in a month (as in it took them that long to get ready). | |||