Saxuma: Difference between revisions
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==Introduction== | ==Introduction== | ||
'''Saxuma''' ([sa. | '''Saxuma''' ([sa.ɕu̠ˈmā], also romanized '''Sasiouma''', historically known as '''Saras Wima''' ['sʌ.r̥as wi'ma]) is a language isolate spoken by approximately 5000 speakers on the Mediterranean island of Sasaois. It is notable for its split ergative alignment, flexible word order, and dynamic semantic gender. | ||
Almost all residents of Sasaios speak Greek and English, but there is a strong movement to protect the cultural heritage of the language, with poetry, novels, and music produced in Saxuma, as well as dubbings of many foreign movies and television into the language. | Almost all residents of Sasaios speak Greek and English, but there is a strong movement to protect the cultural heritage of the language, with poetry, novels, and music produced in Saxuma, as well as dubbings of many foreign movies and television into the language. | ||
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|- | |- | ||
! Voiced | ! Voiced | ||
|| b || d || || g || | || b || d || (ɟ) || g || | ||
|- | |- | ||
! rowspan=2 | Fricatives || Voiceless | ! rowspan=2 | Fricatives || Voiceless | ||
| Line 41: | Line 41: | ||
* /hʷ/ may be realized as [ʍ] and /v/ as [β] intervocalically, but this is not obligatory. | * /hʷ/ may be realized as [ʍ] and /v/ as [β] intervocalically, but this is not obligatory. | ||
* /x/ is mostly realized as /h/ when preceding a non-front vowel. | * /x/ is mostly realized as /h/ when preceding a non-front vowel. | ||
* The sequences /tj/ and /kj/ are realized as [c], /dj/ and /gj/ as [ɟ], /sj/ and /xj/ as [ɕ], and /zj/ as [ʑ]. | |||
===Vowels=== | ===Vowels=== | ||
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|+ Vowel Inventory | |+ Vowel Inventory | ||
|- | |- | ||
! !! Front | ! !! Front !! Back | ||
|- | |- | ||
! High | ! High | ||
| i iː | | i iː || u uː | ||
|- | |- | ||
! Mid | ! Mid | ||
| ɛ~e eː | | ɛ~e eː || o oː | ||
|- | |- | ||
! Low | ! Low | ||
| || | | aː || a~ɑ | ||
|- | |- | ||
! Diphthongs | ! Diphthongs | ||
| colspan= | | colspan=2 | <ay> ai, <oy> oi, <ew> eo, <aw> ɑo | ||
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
Stressed short vowels are indicated by an acute accent, unstressed long vowels are indicated by a macron, and stressed long vowels are indicated by a carat. Both long vowels and diphthongs may be pronounced instead as two vowels in hiatus. This is particularly common in song and when unstressed. | * Stressed short vowels are indicated by an acute accent, unstressed long vowels are indicated by a macron, and stressed long vowels are indicated by a carat. Both long vowels and diphthongs may be pronounced instead as two vowels in hiatus. This is particularly common in song and when unstressed. | ||
* Short /e/ is typically pronounced [e] when word-final and [ɛ] elsewhere. | |||
* Short /a/ is typically pronounced as [a] when stressed and word-final, and [ɑ] elsewhere. | |||
===Phonotactics=== | ===Phonotactics=== | ||
| Line 74: | Line 77: | ||
Stress is contrastive in Saxuma. Historically, different parts of speech were produced from the same stem by varying the stress (with verbs having ultimate stress and nouns and adjectives initial), and stress was reinforced by a system of vowel reduction. For example, ''kobá'' [kɔˈba] 'to drink' vs. ''kóba'' [ˈko.bʌ] 'beverage'. These kinds of verb-noun pairs still exist in modern Saxuma, such as ''kalán'' 'to cry' vs. ''kálan'' 'tears', but many of them have been made less direct due to sound changes. For example, while 'to drink' is still ''kobá'', 'beverage' is now ''kō''. | Stress is contrastive in Saxuma. Historically, different parts of speech were produced from the same stem by varying the stress (with verbs having ultimate stress and nouns and adjectives initial), and stress was reinforced by a system of vowel reduction. For example, ''kobá'' [kɔˈba] 'to drink' vs. ''kóba'' [ˈko.bʌ] 'beverage'. These kinds of verb-noun pairs still exist in modern Saxuma, such as ''kalán'' 'to cry' vs. ''kálan'' 'tears', but many of them have been made less direct due to sound changes. For example, while 'to drink' is still ''kobá'', 'beverage' is now ''kō''. | ||
Additionally, in place of the stress and vowel reduction system, modern Saxuma uses pitch accent. There are three pitch levels, and all syllables are by default mid tone. | |||
* Monosyllabic words retain their mid tone pitch. For example, 'cold' ''kan'' [kan]. This is also true of monosyllabic words with long vowels and diphthongs, such as 'sheep' ''bō'' [boː] and 'why' ''gay'' [gai]. | |||
* If a short vowel is accented, it bears a high tone, e.g. 'lips' ''émin'' [ˈɛ̄.min]. If it is non-initial and preceded by a short vowel, the preceding syllable bears a low tone. For example, 'protector' ''xeyáyem'' [ɕɛ̠ˈjā.jem] and 'protector' ''zigará'' [zi.gɑ̠ˈrā]. | |||
==Other resources== | ==Other resources== | ||
Revision as of 01:57, 23 September 2024
Introduction
Saxuma ([sa.ɕu̠ˈmā], also romanized Sasiouma, historically known as Saras Wima ['sʌ.r̥as wi'ma]) is a language isolate spoken by approximately 5000 speakers on the Mediterranean island of Sasaois. It is notable for its split ergative alignment, flexible word order, and dynamic semantic gender.
Almost all residents of Sasaios speak Greek and English, but there is a strong movement to protect the cultural heritage of the language, with poetry, novels, and music produced in Saxuma, as well as dubbings of many foreign movies and television into the language.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasals | m | n | (ɲ) | (ŋ) | ||
| Plosives | Voiceless | p | t | c | k | <q> ʔ |
| Voiced | b | d | (ɟ) | g | ||
| Fricatives | Voiceless | <ff> (ɸ) | s⁓t͡s | <x> ɕ | <h> x⁓h | <f> hʷ |
| Voiced | v⁓β | z⁓d͡z | <j> ʑ⁓d͡ʑ | |||
| Approximants and Trill |
Voiceless | (ʍ) | r̥ | |||
| Voiced | w | l | <y> j | |||
- /n/ is realized as [ɲ] when adjacent to any palatal consonant, and as [ŋ] when preceding a velar plosive.
- Voiceless plosives are typically unaspirated, but are usually aspirated word-finally.
- All plosives are realized as [ʔ] when immediately followed by another plosive or a nasal of the same place of articulation.
- /ɸ/ appears only in loanwords, and may be instead pronounced as [hʷ]
- /s/, /z/, and /ʑ/ may be realized as their associated affricates when not intervocalic, but this is not obligatory.
- /hʷ/ may be realized as [ʍ] and /v/ as [β] intervocalically, but this is not obligatory.
- /x/ is mostly realized as /h/ when preceding a non-front vowel.
- The sequences /tj/ and /kj/ are realized as [c], /dj/ and /gj/ as [ɟ], /sj/ and /xj/ as [ɕ], and /zj/ as [ʑ].
Vowels
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| High | i iː | u uː |
| Mid | ɛ~e eː | o oː |
| Low | aː | a~ɑ |
| Diphthongs | <ay> ai, <oy> oi, <ew> eo, <aw> ɑo | |
- Stressed short vowels are indicated by an acute accent, unstressed long vowels are indicated by a macron, and stressed long vowels are indicated by a carat. Both long vowels and diphthongs may be pronounced instead as two vowels in hiatus. This is particularly common in song and when unstressed.
- Short /e/ is typically pronounced [e] when word-final and [ɛ] elsewhere.
- Short /a/ is typically pronounced as [a] when stressed and word-final, and [ɑ] elsewhere.
Phonotactics
The maximal syllable structure of Saxuma is (C)[yw]V(C). Only voiceless obstruents and nasals are allowed in codas, with the exception of /hw/, which does not.
Adjacent vowels epenthesize a semivowel - /j/ if the former vowel is /e/ or /i/, /w/ if /u/ or /o/. If the former vowel is /a/, then the latter vowel is used to determine the epenthesized semivowel in the same way.
The sequence /nn/ is allowed. One survey of speakers indicated that /mm/, /ss/, /zz/, /ɕɕ/, and /ʑʑ/ are all considered phonotactically licit, but no actual occurrences of any of these are attested. Identical plosives in sequence will have the former plosive morph to a glottal stop, e.g. */tt/ > [ʔt].
Pitch Accent
Stress is contrastive in Saxuma. Historically, different parts of speech were produced from the same stem by varying the stress (with verbs having ultimate stress and nouns and adjectives initial), and stress was reinforced by a system of vowel reduction. For example, kobá [kɔˈba] 'to drink' vs. kóba [ˈko.bʌ] 'beverage'. These kinds of verb-noun pairs still exist in modern Saxuma, such as kalán 'to cry' vs. kálan 'tears', but many of them have been made less direct due to sound changes. For example, while 'to drink' is still kobá, 'beverage' is now kō.
Additionally, in place of the stress and vowel reduction system, modern Saxuma uses pitch accent. There are three pitch levels, and all syllables are by default mid tone.
- Monosyllabic words retain their mid tone pitch. For example, 'cold' kan [kan]. This is also true of monosyllabic words with long vowels and diphthongs, such as 'sheep' bō [boː] and 'why' gay [gai].
- If a short vowel is accented, it bears a high tone, e.g. 'lips' émin [ˈɛ̄.min]. If it is non-initial and preceded by a short vowel, the preceding syllable bears a low tone. For example, 'protector' xeyáyem [ɕɛ̠ˈjā.jem] and 'protector' zigará [zi.gɑ̠ˈrā].
Other resources
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