Aoyého'

Aoyého'
Aoyého'
Pronunciation	[jǒxʲʏ̯ho˞] [ɑwːjɛ́ʋʷoʔ]
Created by	Jukethatbox
Date	2024
Native speakers	300,000 (2024)
Language family	Ogbami Velar Ogbami Aoyého'
Dialects	Tuyo' Wichita dialects Nka'agit Yuguche Sésuin Ka'kreeh dialects Bishistaw
Official status
Official language in	Sleeping Bull Confederacy, Aoyetohu Nations

Aoyého'(Tuyo': [jǒxʲʏ̯ho˞], Yuguche: [ɑwːjɛ́ʋʷoʔ])is a Velar Ogbami dialect continuum spoken by various peoples, with the Tuyo' having the most speakers as of 2024. It is the most spoken Ogbami "language"(if one considers it a singular language) by number of native speakers, with 300,000 native speakers of at least one dialect as of June 2024. It is used as a lingua franca in the Aoyetohu Nations, and it is also an official language in the Sleeping Bull Confederacy, though hundreds of other minor nations in the region have specific Aoyého' dialects as official or minority languages.

The language was first propagated by the Yasicha culture in the Age of Straw, before being replaced by the White Tracks culture that spread their dialect of the language across the Aotwaxu Basin and across the eastern Ogbami watershed via trade with the Tso-tso and Tumachee. In the Age of Clay, various empires, both local and foreign, used Aoyého' to communicate among their subjects, with regional dialects like Tuyo', the Wichita dialects and the Ka'kreeh dialects diverging around this time.

Dialects

Comparison

English	Proto-Ogbami	Standard Aoyého'	Tuyo'	Yuguche	Bishistaw
hill	*ɥheṽ	wés	whéés		ü'aasi
tree	*cwnj~*kwnj	gunš	géns	gųųch	gwáj
water	*mukjéé(j)	makiei	makwei	maxiin	makie

Tuyo'

Main article: Tuyo'
Tuyo'(Tuyo': [dʌ̌jo˞]) is the most spoken dialect of Aoyého' by native speakers, at 86,221 speakers, or around 28.7% of all native speakers of Aoyého', and it is not generally considered part of any wider dialect group. It is primarily spoken by the Tuyo' and Dwuu peoples of the Nagša and Owhewi rivers, two tributaries of the Ogbami river.

The dialect is mostly characterised by its special use of the apostrophe: it only appears after vowels and denotes the previous vowel as rhotacized. This unique use of the apostrophe in Tuyo' is often called the "Tuyo' r" by linguistics, but it is called the jáásro in Tuyo' and the Dého-uurhó(lit. "Tuyo' roar") in most other dialects.

The dialect, especially the variation spoken by the people of the same name, often features rising tones where in other dialects there would be a high tone or simply no tone in the same place.

Wichita dialects

The Wichita dialects, despite sharing a name with the Wichita people and mountain range are unrelated to either of these names. Instead the dialects get their name from the Chub word uhéj-ctaa, meaning "overripe blueberries", as the forest where "Proto-Wichita" was spoken was known by the local Chub tribe for its blueberries that ripened quickly, making it a great area for the production of blueberry wine. This word was erroneously romanised as "Whichitar", which simplified to "Wichita". To this day, the wine from this forest is still called "Wichita wine."

In comparison, the name for the mountain range, city and people probably comes from the Creek word we-chate, meaning "red water".

Yuguche

Main article: Yuguche
Yuguche(xyúgú'cheh; Yuguche: [ʝɞ́gʷɞ́ʔd͡ʒɛh]) is the most spoken Wichita dialect. It retains many features typical of a Wichita dialect, including labialised plosives before a vowel and a voiced realisation of /t͡ʃ/. Yuguche also includes an extra letter: ⟨x⟩, pronounced [k̟] on its own.