Tsimulh languages
The Tsimulh languages (Eevo: bo brits Tsimyx, Rhythoed: fi imbrits Tsimăł, from Sacred Swutsim tsiməσ, from *cim 'tribe', pl. of *ʔim 'tribesman') are a Trician language family mainly spoken in Txapoalli. The proto-language is Proto-Tsimulh, which is inspired by Caucasian languages, Tlingit, and the Salish languages.
Todo
- -s: past tense, genitive
- -əσ: some adjectival suffix
- t-...-t for abstract nouns
- -iyad = augmentative
- Reduplication
- relativizer/relative forms for verbs
- m n > Sf. v dh? (-tsiv in Talman Swutsim ~ Tsimulh?)
- dtüžo = water (as a liquid) - Sf. tüdjo
- čtüžo = body of water - Sf. tjtüdjo
More Caucasian phonology?
CVCVCV...
tone > breathy voice > Devoiced vowels?
Phylogeny
- Proto-Tsimulh
- Sacred Swutsim
- Talman Swutsim
- Naquian Swutsim
- Sjowaazhéñ Swutsim?
- Bjeheondian Swutsim?
- Hetomic
- Pelhyys
- Idosic
- Sacred Swutsim
Urheimat
Somewhere in Txapoalli
Phonology
Phonotactics
Tsimulh phonotactics is dominated by CV syllables. Coda consonants are only allowed word-finally.
Any vowel may occur in roots, while vowels in prefixes and suffixes are restricted to /a ə i u/.
Consonants
A lot of consonants, but no liquids!
Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
central | lateral | plain | labialized | plain | labialized | |||||
Nasal | m | n | ||||||||
Stop | plain | p | t | k | kʷ | q | qʷ | ʔ | ||
voiced | b | d | g | gʷ | ɢ | ɢʷ | ||||
ejective | pʼ | tʼ | kʼ | kʷʼ | qʼ | qʷʼ | ||||
Affricate | plain | c | ξ | č | ||||||
voiced | z | ž | ||||||||
ejective | cʼ | ξʼ | čʼ | |||||||
Fricative | s | σ | š | x | xʷ | χ | χʷ | h | ||
Approximant | y | w |
Vowels
6 or 7 vowels
i ü u e ə o a /i ü u e ə o a/
i u a are rather reduced.
Tone
Every syllable had either high or low tone.
Morphology
Nouns
Noun classes
Proto-Tsimulh had a noun class system like the Bantu languages. There were 12 noun classes, which are numbered as follows:
- ʔə-, pl. cə- = humans, spirits
- bu-, pl. də- = animals and other things that move on their own
- p-, pl. əpi- = plants and mushrooms; things that grow
- s-, pl. dus- = collections or large things: scʼaσ 'forest'
- ut-, pl. pσə- = roughly round, compact objects
- ma-, pl. əwə- = long objects; tools, instruments, devices
- č-, pl. abi- = places, locations, slots
- gu-, pl. n- = various... including fluids (powder, water, liquids, fire, light, waves, wind, ...)
- σi-, pl. wi- = time periods; events; things that are temporary (e.g. ice)
- t- = abstractions, manner, way
- t’im- = infinitives, verbal nouns
- pda- = -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 Swutsim)
- Type B: Traditional with general animate concords (e.g. Pelhyys)
- Type C: Animacy-based SG/PL-marking (e.g. Talman Swutsim)
- Type D: SG/PL-marking only
- Type E: No concords at all
Cases
- Nominative: -0
- Genitive: -s
Verbs
Noun class prefixes
- I = kʷə-
- you (sg) = xʷə-
- we = wə-
- you (pl) = cu-
- Noun class prefixes:
- ʔə-, pl. cə-
- bu-, pl. də-
- p-, pl. əpi-
- s-, pl. dus-
- ut-, pl. pσə-
- ma-, pl. əwə-
- č-, pl. abi-
- gu-, pl. n-
- σi-, pl. wi-
- t-, no plural
- t’im-, no plural
- pda- (common for abstract nouns), no plural
Tense affixes
-s - past tense
Numbers
The numerals 1-9 inflected for noun class; 10 and higher units did not.
1: *-an
2: *-xʷiš
3: *-ʔiyəm
4: *-udzuq
5: *-t'u
6: *-čaydž
7: *-buč'oh
8: *-gwiməʔ
9: *-anay
10: *-kʷ'in