Tocharian D

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Tocharian D
Täma Wiθan
Pronunciation[/təma wiθan/]
Created byUser:Ogogogouy
Date2022
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Tocharian D is a language that was spoken until around the 6th century in the region straddling southeastern Kazakhstan and northern Kyrgyzstan (Kurguzstan). It is classified in the Tocharian branch of the Indo-European language family. The language is known to have had an agglutinative character. It is one of the dead languages. Johann S. Munchausen, a researcher of Tocharian D, claims that it is the language of Wusun, which existed around Lake Issyk (present-day Kyrgyzstan). A manuscript dating from 300-500 A.D., written in the Greek-like Wusun script and the Brahmi-like Tocharian script, has been found in the ruins of a fortress at the bottom of Lake Balhash and in the remains of a city at the northern foot of the Tien Shan Mountains.

Phonology

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e ä o
Open a

Tocharian D also has the diphthongs, ay, ey, oy, uy, äy

Consonants

  Bilabial Dental Alveolar Alveolo-palatal Palatal Velar
Plosive p /p/ t /t/   c /tɕ/   k /k/
Affricate     ts /ts/      
Fricative f /f/ θ /θ/ s /s/ ś /ɕ/   h /h/
Nasal m /m/ n /n/     ñ /ɲ/  
Trill     r /r/      
Approximant w /w/       y /j/  
Lateral approximant     l /l/   ly /ʎ/  

Morphology

Unlike Tocharian A and B, Tocharian D has largely inherited the Indo-European ancestral language system.

Noun

In addition to the six cases inherited from the Proto Indo-European Language (nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, instrumental, vocative), secondary cases are formed by suffixes. For example, the Tocharian D word yähwa "horse" < PIE *eḱwos is declined as follows:

Case Tocharian D
w:Suffix Singular w:Plural
Nominative yähwa yähwi
Vocative yahw
Accusative yähwa yähwan
Genitive yähway yähwan
Dative yähway yähwama
Instrumental yähwa yähwami
Perlative -sa yähwasa yähwantsa
Comitative -aśśäl yähwaśśäl yähwanaśśäl
Allative -ś(c) yähwaś(c) yähwanś(c)
Ablative -äś yähwaś yähwanäś
Locative -ne yähwane yähwanne
Causative yähwañ yähwanñ

Verb

Tocharian D verbs are conjugated in the following categories:

  • Mood: indicative, subjunctive, imperative.
  • Tense: present, past.
  • Voice: active, passive.
  • Person: 1st, 2nd, 3rd.
  • Number: singular, dual, plural.
  • Non-finite: active participle, passive participle.

An example verb: ñämana "to take"

Indicative Subjunctive Imperative
Active Passive Active Passive Active
Present 1st sing ñäma ñämay ñämo ñämay
2nd sing ñämiś ñämasayäso ñämays ñämayäso päñäm
3rd sing ñämic ñämasayäto ñämayt ñämayäto päñämato
1st dual ñämaw ñämantay ñämayäw ñämayänto
2nd dual ñämac ñämayäc päñämac
1st plur ñämama ñämayäm
2nd plur ñämi ñämay päñämi
3rd plur ñämanc ñämayanc päñämanto
Past 1st sing naf ñemi
2nd sing nafs ñemis
3rd sing naft ñemit
1st dual ñemu ñemiw
2nd dual ñemäc ñemic
1st plur ñemäm ñemim
2nd plur ñemu ñemi
3rd plur ñemänc ñeminc
Infinitive ñämana
Present Participle ñäma
Past Participle nmana

Comparison to other Indo-European languages

Tocharian vocabulary (sample)
English Tocharian D Tocharian A Tocharian B w:Ancient Greek Sanskrit w:Latin Proto-Germanic Gothic w:Old Irish Proto-Slavic Proto-Indo-European
one aynä sas ṣe heîs, hen sa(kṛ́t) semel *simla simle samail *sǫ- *sḗm> PToch *sems
two way wu wi dúo dvā́ duo *twai twái *dъva *dwóh₁
three θŕä tre trai treîs tráyas trēs *þrīz þreis trí *trьje *tréyes
four fidär śtwar śtwer téttares, téssares catvā́ras, catúras quattuor *fedwōr fidwōr cethair *četỳre *kʷetwóres
five fim päñ piś pénte páñca quīnque *fimf fimf cóic *pętь *pénkʷe
six śäh ṣäk ṣkas héx ṣáṣ sex *sehs saihs *šestь *swéḱs
seven śäp ṣpät ṣukt heptá saptá septem *sebun sibun secht *sedmь *septḿ̥
eight ahto okät okt oktṓ aṣṭáu, aṣṭá octō *ahtōu ahtau ocht *osmь *oḱtṓw
nine ño ñu ñu ennéa náva novem *newun niun noí *dȅvętь *h₁néwn̥
ten cäh śäk śak déka dáśa decem *tehun taihun deich *dȅsętь *déḱm̥t
hundred hwänta känt kante hekatón śatām centum *hundą hund cét *sъto *ḱm̥tóm
father facer pācar pācer patḗr pitṛ pater *fadēr fadar athair *ph₂tḗr
mother macer mācar mācer mḗtēr mātṛ māter *mōdēr mōdar máthair *màti *méh₂tēr
brother pracer pracar procer phrā́tēr bhrātṛ frāter *brōþēr brōþar bráthair *bràtrъ *bʰréh₂tēr
sister śyäscer ṣar ṣer éor svásṛ soror *swestēr swistar siur *sestrà *swésōr
horse yähwa yuk yakwe híppos áśva- equus *ehwaz aiƕs ech (Balto-Slavic *áśwāˀ) *h₁éḱwos
cow ku ko keu boûs gaúṣ bōs *kūz (OE ) *govę̀do *gʷṓws
voice wahma vak vek épos vāk vōx *wōhmaz (Du gewag) foccul *vikъ *wṓkʷs
name nam ñom ñem ónoma nāman- nōmen *namô namō ainmm *jь̏mę *h₁nómn̥
to milk milkana mālkā mālkant amélgein mulgēre *melkaną miluks bligid (MIr) *melzti *h₂melǵ-eye

Sample

Schleicher's fable in Tocharian D:

scepa špä yähwimpa
scepa, kuse ñä wälla hafacet, yähwan šehwt; ayna swerana wakna waht, ayna mitsälana perpent, ayna kwämanu ramer waht. scepa yähwan sascet: “mina tsärta mik smircac, ente yähwan tŕipa kwämanu šähwa .” yähwi satsetanc: “pähluš, scep! wänšära tsärti wä smircanc ente θana šähwama: ente kwäma, käššä, scepay wälla yäna warmana wetsice skapic. špä scepa ñä wälla hapic.” ente θa hoša, scepa mišanë floht.
vocabulary
Toch. D meaning Toch. B
scepa nom.(a-stem) sheep(cognite of PGm *skēpą) śaiyye, eye
yähwa nom.(a-stem) horse(< PToch yäkwe) haye, yakwe
kuse REL that(relative pronoun) kuce
wälla nom.(ō-stem) wool yok
ñä no, not any
hapia v.(weak) have ?
šähwa v.(Strong class5) see(*sehwaną) läk-, pälk-
ayna nom.(a-stem) one še
swera adj. heavy(*swēraz) kramartstse
wakna nom.(a-stem) wagon kleńke, kokale
yäka v.(strong class5) pull yärtt-
mitsälana adj. big, large orotstse
perpent nom.(root-stem) load, burden calle, perpette, talle
kwäma nom.(an-stem) man, human śaumo
ramer adv. quickly, suddenly ramer, ñatke
satsa v.(weak) say we-
yak/mik/mina/mi pron.1.sg. ñaś
tsärta nom.(an-stem) heart arañce
smirta v.(strong class3) hurt, pain mi-
tŕipa v.(strong class1) drive āk-, kälts-
hluša v.(strong class2-u) listen, hear klyaus-
wi/wä/wänšära/wänš pron.1.pl. wes
käššä nom.(i-stem) teacher, master käššī, upādhyāye
yä/yäna/yä/yämay pron.3.sg.m. su
warma adj. warm emalle
wetsä nom.(i-stem) garment, clothes wastsi, yesti
skapa v.(strong class6) make, create klutk-, yām-, ritt-
θa/θana/θa/θamay pron.3.sg.n. te, tu
hoši v.(weak) listen, hear klyaus-
miša nom.(a-stem) plain, field mīše, keta, šito (?)
flyoha v.(strong class2-e) flee, escape mlutk-