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Habyela: Difference between revisions
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Habyela (pronounced [xæ̀bʲɛ̀ɫɑ̀] is another language spoken in my far-future Antarctic conworld. It is descended from a mixture of languages spoken around the NE Indian Ocean area, with the greatest influence coming from Amharic. Other languages that heavily influenced Habyela were Swahili, Arabic, Urdu and Bengali. Later on, it received areal influence from surrounding languages, which can be seen in its simple phonotactics, vertical vowel system, | Habyela (pronounced [xæ̀bʲɛ̀ɫɑ̀] is another language spoken in my far-future Antarctic conworld. It is descended from a mixture of languages spoken around the NE Indian Ocean area, with the greatest influence coming from Amharic. Other languages that heavily influenced Habyela were Swahili, Arabic, Urdu and Bengali. Later on, it received areal influence from surrounding languages, which can be seen in its simple phonotactics, vertical vowel system, and by how it distinguishes alienable and inalienable possession. However, it retains some features that are atypical for the area, such as SOV word order. | ||
==Phonology== | ==Phonology== | ||
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For example, the word for "leaf" is /paɴtaj/. When it takes the possessive suffix /-mà/ - "her", the result is /paɴtamʲà/ - "her leaf". The /j/ has assimilated with the /m/ to become /mʲ/. But, when the same suffix is attached to /banàw/ - "beach", the result is /banàmà/ - "her beach", since there is no consonant */mʷ/. However, when /banàw/ - "beach" is combined with the diminutive suffix /-jɨtə/, the result is /banàɥɨtə/ - "little beach", since /j/ can labialise to /ɥ/. | For example, the word for "leaf" is /paɴtaj/. When it takes the possessive suffix /-mà/ - "her", the result is /paɴtamʲà/ - "her leaf". The /j/ has assimilated with the /m/ to become /mʲ/. But, when the same suffix is attached to /banàw/ - "beach", the result is /banàmà/ - "her beach", since there is no consonant */mʷ/. However, when /banàw/ - "beach" is combined with the diminutive suffix /-jɨtə/, the result is /banàɥɨtə/ - "little beach", since /j/ can labialise to /ɥ/. | ||
If a suffix begins with a glottal stop, a preceding /j/ or /w/ simply replaces the stop e.g. /paɴtaj/ - "leaf" and /banàw/ - "beach" combines with the first person plural possessive suffix /- | If a suffix begins with a glottal stop, a preceding /j/ or /w/ simply replaces the stop e.g. /paɴtaj/ - "leaf" and /banàw/ - "beach" combines with the first person plural possessive suffix /-ʔaɴʈɨnə/ to become /paɴtajaɴʈɨnə/ - "our leaf" and /banàwaɴʈɨnə/ - "our beach" respectively. | ||
===Timing=== | ===Timing=== | ||
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If a process such as affixation would result in more than one accented mora, the first accented mora determines the pitch pattern of the word, and the others are ignored. For example, /paɴtamʲà/ - "her leaf" is pronounced with the pitch pattern High-High-High-Low, with the pitch only dropping on the final vowel /a/. However, /banàmà/ - "her beach" is pronounced with the pitch pattern High-Low-Low (not High-High-Low). | If a process such as affixation would result in more than one accented mora, the first accented mora determines the pitch pattern of the word, and the others are ignored. For example, /paɴtamʲà/ - "her leaf" is pronounced with the pitch pattern High-High-High-Low, with the pitch only dropping on the final vowel /a/. However, /banàmà/ - "her beach" is pronounced with the pitch pattern High-Low-Low (not High-High-Low). | ||
Word-final coda /w/ and /j/ can also bear accent, for example in the word / | Word-final coda /w/ and /j/ can also bear accent, for example in the word /qaẁ/ - "chief". When these words take a suffix (which deletes the /w/ or /j/), the accent shifts onto the first mora of the suffix e.g. /qaɥɨ̀tə/ - "minor chief". | ||
==Nouns== | |||
Nouns have a suffixing, mostly agglutinating morphology. The template for nouns is: Root - [Possessive Suffix] - [Plural] - [Case Suffix] | |||
===Possession=== | |||
Where English would use a possessive pronoun such as "my" or "his", Habyela uses suffixes. These are: | |||
1st person singular /-ʎə̀/ | |||
1st person plural /-ʔaɴʈɨnə/ | |||
2nd person singular /-mə̀/ | |||
2nd person plural /-ʔaɴʈɨxʷɨ̀/ | |||
3rd person male singular /-wɨ/ | |||
3rd person female singular /-mà/ | |||
3rd person plural / nonhuman /-ʔaɴʈa/ | |||
These suffixes are used no matter whether or not an explicit possessor phrase is used. For example, /ɖəwə̀-wɨ/ means "his ear", and /qaẁ ɖəwə̀-wɨ/ means "the chief's ear". In both cases, the noun /ɖəwə̀/ takes the 3rd person male singular suffix /-wɨ/. | |||
====Contractions==== | |||
Many nouns have special abbreviated forms when they are combined with possessive suffixes. For example, the word for "leg" by itself is /ʔɨʀəʔə̀/, however when combined with possssive suffixes, it becomes: | |||
/ʔɨʀəjə̀/ - "my leg" (not */ʔɨʁəʔə̀-ʎə̀/) | |||
/ʔɨʀəʔàɴʈɨnə/ - "our leg" (not */ʔɨʁəʔə̀-ʔaɴʈɨnə/) | |||
/ʔɨʀəʔə̀mə̀/ - "your (sg.) leg" | |||
/ʔɨʁəʔàɴʈɨxʷɨ̀/ - "your (pl.) leg" | |||
/ʔɨʀəwɨ̀/ - "his leg" | |||
/ʔɨʀəʔə̀mà/ - "her leg" | |||
/ʔɨʀəʔàɴʈa/ - "their leg / its leg". | |||
====Alienable Possession==== | |||
Like most Antarctican languages, Habyela makes a distinction between alienable and inalienable possession https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inalienable_possession. Alienable possession is marked by adding the suffix /-qa/ to the possessor, while keeping the same possessive suffixes on the possessed noun e.g. | |||
/qənə̀bə-qa ʔasətɨ̀-ʔaɴʈa/ | |||
dog-GEN bone-3PS.NONHUMAN | |||
The dog's bone (that it is chewing on / has buried etc.) | |||
Compare the above to the inalienable equivalent: | |||
/qənə̀bə ʔasətɨ̀-ʔaɴʈa/ | |||
dog bone-3PS.NONHUMAN | |||
The dog's bone (in its body) | |||
===Pluralisation=== | |||
Pluralisation is marked with the suffix /-wəɴ/ e.g. /ʔasətɨ̀/ - "bone", /ʔasətɨ̀-wəɴ/ - "bones". | |||
====Contractions===== | |||
Like with possessive constructions, there are many cases when plural forms are contracted e.g. | |||
/ʔɨʀəʔə̀/ - "leg", /ʔɨʀəwə̀ɴ/ - "legs" (not */ʔɨʀəʔə̀wəɴ/) | |||
/qənə̀bə/ - "dog", /qənə̀bəɴ/ - "dogs" (not */qənə̀bəwəɴ/) | |||
When the plural suffix /-wəɴ/ comes after the second person plural possessive suffix /-ʔaɴʈɨnə/, they fuse to become /-ʔaɴʈɨnəɴ/, (not */-ʔaɴʈɨnəwəɴ/) e.g. | |||
/ʔasətɨ̀ʔaɴʈɨnəɴ/ - "your (pl.) bones" (not */ʔasətɨ̀ʔaɴʈɨnəwəɴ/) | |||
===Case=== | |||
There are only two cases, nominative (unmarked) and genitive (marked with the suffix -qa). The genitive case also functions as an ergative marker. | |||
==Adjectives== | |||
Adjectives always precede the noun. They are marked for[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrictiveness Restrictiveness]. Restrictive adjectives end in /-(w)aw/, and descriptive adjectives end in /(t)aɴ/. | |||
For example, the restrictive form of the adjective meaning "black" is /qanʷə̀-waw/, while the descriptive form is /qanʷə̀-taɴ/. To say "the black dog" (selecting one out of a group of dogs containing ones with other colours), a Habyela speaker would say /qanʷə̀waw qənə̀bə/. However, in other cases, they would say /qanʷə̀taɴ qənə̀bə/. When an adjective is used predicatively (e.g. to say "the dog is black"), the suffix /çà/ is used for singular subjects, and /çàɴ/ for plural subjects e.g. /qənə̀bə qanʷə̀-çà/ - "the dog is black", or /qənə̀bəɴ qanʷə̀-çàɴ/ - "the dogs are black". | |||