Kämpya: Difference between revisions

It has since spread to other parts of the continent, aided by the spread of a religion called Laikyâr (although far from all Kämpya speakers follow the Laikyâr religion). Indeed there is a special register of the language that is only used in religious contexts. There are also a number of regional dialects. However, this page describes what could be termed the "standard" dialect.

==Brief Description==

It is usually written using a script based on the Burmese alphabet.

==Phonology==

The vowel system is quite simple, with 5 monophthongs and 4 diphthongs.

====Monophthongs====

| Low || || /a/ ||

|}

====Diphthongs====

The following diphthongs are found /ai/, /au/, /ei/ and /ou/.

===Consonants===

# [ʍ] is underlyingly /hw/.

# [ⱱ] and [ʋ] are in free variation.

===Phonotactics===

In stressed syllables, codas can also be /ⱱ/, /ɾ/ or /h/, as long as the vowel is a monophthong and not a diphthong.

===Consonant Neutralisations===

If a nasal coda occurs before /h/, an approximant, or at the end of a word, it is simply pronounced as nasalisation of the preceding vowel e.g. /áˈlòṳn/ - "everyone" is pronounced [áˈlòṳⁿ]. But likewise it is still present underlyingly, as can be seen when combined with the genitive clitic /jà/ to form /áˈlòṳnjà/ - "everyone's (alienable)", which is pronounced [áˈlòṳnjà].

===Stress and Phonation===

One syllable in each word bears stress. Vowel phonation is phonemic on stressed syllables but not elsewhere. The phonations are harsh <â> [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harsh_voice], breathy <ä> [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breathy_voice], and glottalised <á>. Harsh and breathy vowels are pronounced long, glottalised vowels are pronounced short, and with glottalisation of the following consonant (or with a glottal stop [ʔ] in the case of word final syllables).

===Allophones of /h/===

/ˈbóhsòut/ - "bauxite", can be pronounced either [ˈbóʡsòut] or [ˈbósʰòut].

===Tone Patterns===

'''Class 3'''

This is used for adverbs and non-restrictive adjectives.

====Stressed Syllables====

| Class 3 || High Pitch + Tense Voice || Rising Pitch + Faucalised Voice || High Pitch + Glottal Stop

|}

====Unstressed Syllables====

| all + Genitive / Ergative clitic /ja/ || áˈlòṳnjà || áˈlòṳnjá || àˈlǒṳnjà

|}

== Morphology==

Being an isolating language, Kämpya only has a few morphological processes.

===Pronouns===

As you can see above, the emphatic forms all have Low Tone with Harsh Phonation (i.e. belong to Tone Class 2), while all the other forms have High Tone with no phonation (i.e. modal phonation).

===Transitivity===

There is also a morphological process to derive transitive verbs from intransitive ones. It affects the onset of the stressed syllable. What exactly happens depends on the first consonant of the stressed syllable.

====Aspirated Consonants====

For intransitive verbs where the stressed syllable begins with an aspirated consonant, the consonant loses its aspiration and <Vh> (where V is a high toned reduplication of the next vowel, except that only the first element of a diphthong is copied) is infixed immediately after it (and before any second consonant in the cluster). So from /pʰláuʔt/ - "float (intransitive)", we can derive /páˈhláuʔt/ - "to float (transitive)".

====Voiceless Nasals====

If the stressed syllable begins with a voiceless nasal, then they behave similar to the aspirated consonants, losing their voicelessness and take the infix /Vh/ immediately after them e.g. /m̥â̰n/ - "to be correct" -> /máˈhâ̰n/ - "to make something correct".

====Unaspirated Obstruents====

If the stressed syllable begins with unaspirated /p/, /t/, /k/ or /s/, then it is aspirated e.g. /sjáuʔk/ - "to walk (intransitive)" -> /sʰjáuʔk/ - "to walk (transitive)", or /pjḛ̂/ - "to come loose" -> /pʰjḛ̂/ - "to loosen".

====Voiced Nasals and Approximants====

If the stressed syllable begins with a voiced nasal, then the transitive form is derived by making it voiceless e.g. /ˈnwḛ̂bò/ - "to be new" -> /ˈn̥wḛ̂bò/ - "to make new, to refresh", or /mjíʔŋ/ - "to rise" -> /m̥jíʔŋ/ - "to raise".

====Clusters of /h/ + Approximant====

If the stressed syllable begins with /h/ followed by /l/, /w/ or /j/, then they rearrange to become sequences of Approximant + /Vh/ e.g. /hwéʔg/ - "to be fun" -> /wéˈhéʔg/ - "to make fun", or /hljḭ̂ŋ/ - "to be possible" -> /líˈhjḭ̂ŋ/ - "to make possible".

====Approximants====

If the stressed syllable begins with an approximant (or sequence of /l/ + another approximant, then /h/ is inserted immediately before the approximant(s) e.g. /là̤ⱱ/ - "to laugh" -> /hlà̤ⱱ/ - "to make laugh".

====Plain /h/====

If the stressed syllable begins with plain /h/, /á/ is inserted immediately before the /h/ e.g. /hàṳŋ/ - "to be old" -> /áˈhàṳŋ/ - "to age (transitive)".

====No Onset====

If there are no onset consonants in the stressed syllable, then /h/ is inserted e.g. /è̤/ - "to be cold" -> /hè̤/ - "to chill (transitive)".

====Other cases====

In other cases, /Vh/ is infixed immediately after the first consonant of the stressed syllable e.g. /ˈdò̤mì/ - "to rest (intransitive)" -> /dóˈhò̤mì/ - "to rest (transitive)".

===Reciprocal Voice===

If the onset of the first syllable contains a voiceless nasal, the it becomes voiced in the reduplication e.g. /ˈm̥wéʔɾè/ - "to kill" -> /méˈm̥wéʔɾè/ - "to kill each other". Likewise, if the onset of the first syllable contains /h/, it is lost in the reduplication e.g. /hlà̤ⱱ/ - "to make laugh" -> /lá ˈhlà̤ⱱ/ - "to make each other laugh".

==Syntax==

Kämpya has topic comment syntax [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topic-prominent_language], and is also syntactically ergative [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syntactic_ergativity#Syntactic_ergativity] and secundative [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secundative_language].

===Copula===

If there is no pronoun in the sentence, then tense is not marked e.g.

/ˈsíʔtà ˈḛ̂nèmì/

The guardian is / was / will be the enemy.

===Intransitive Sentences===

/ˈḛ̂nèmì áˈlôṵn/

The enemy is / was / will be '''alone'''.

as well as

The '''enemy''' is / was / will be alone.

Note that intransitive sentences are not marked for TAM.

====Constituent Deletion====

He / She / It / They is / are / was / were / will be alone.

====With Postpositional Phrases====

These all mean "The enemy set off / sets off / will set off from ˈkʰóʔnàt". However sentences like */kúʔn ˈkʰóʔnàt m̥à ˈḛ̂nèmì/ are ungrammatical i.e. Kämpya does not permit the word order Intransitive Verb - Postpositional Phrase - Subject.

====With Pronouns====

You are departing from ˈkʰóʔnàt.

===Transitive Sentences===

In transitive sentences without pronouns, the basic word order is SVO, with the subject marked with the ergative clitic /-ja/ e.g.

====Topicalisation====

However, Kämpya speakers very often topicalise either the subject or the object. The object is topicalised by moving it in front of the subject (i.e. making the sentence OSV) e.g.

The subject of a transitive sentence is topicalised by deleting the ergative marker e.g.

====Subject Pronouns====

The tensed pronouns discussed earlier can also be the subject of transitive verbs, with no restrictions other than the time of the action must be made clear (on the pronoun) e.g.

As before, the object can be fronted as a topic e.g.

However, using one of these pronouns makes the verb intransitive i.e. the subject will be unmarked (in the absolutive case) and can come either before or after the verb e.g.

or

====Subject Deletion====

It is perfectly acceptable to delete the subject of a transitive sentence e.g.

kill guardian

This carries no ambiguity, because the guardian is always in the absolutive case.