View source for Tsakxa

{{Language|
| English = Tsakxa
| native = Tsakxa <br> Тсакъа
| country = Russia
| nativecountry = Русэйa - ''Ruseya''
| universe = Earth
| speakers = ~1,500
| family =
| branch =
| subbranch =
| wordorder = SOV
| type = Agglutinative
| alignment = Fluid-S saliency-based
| author = Welshy
| date = 2010 C.E.
| background = white
| headingbg = #B5EAAA
| width = 50%
}}'''Tsakxa''' (Тсакъа, IPA: [tsɑkǃa]) is a language isolate, or dialect continuum, spoken by the [[Tsakxa people]] of eastern Siberia. Although typically written using Bokanovsky's Cyrillic alphabet, this and related articles will use Dawkins' romanised writing system.

== Phonology ==

=== Vowels ===

{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="4"
!
! Front
! Central
! Back
|-
! align="left" | Close
| align="center" style="font-size:120%" |
| align="center" style="font-size:120%" |
| align="center" style="font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[u] <nowiki><u у></nowiki>}} 
|-
! align="left" | Mid
| align="center" style="font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[e] <e э>}}
|align="center" style="font-size:120%" | 
| align="center" style="font-size:120%" |
|-
! align="left" | Open
| 
| align="center" style="font-size:120%" | {{IPA|[a] <a>}}
|
|}

=== Allophony ===

Vowel allophony is not very advanced in most Tsakxa dialects. Before the dental click, /e/ is usually realised as allophonic [ɤ] in stressed syllables or [ɘ] in unstressed syllables and /a/ as, almost universally, [ɑ].

== Consonants ==

Tsakxa is most notable for its system of clicks, which are otherwise unknown outside of the continent of Africa and the ritual languages of Australia. Its click system is not particularly advanced, however.

{| class="wikitable"
! &nbsp;
!Labial
!Dental
!Alveolar
!Palatal
!Velar
!Glottal
|-
! Nasal
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|[m]&nbsp;<m м>}}
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPA|[n]&nbsp;<n н>&nbsp;[nǀ]&nbsp;<nx нъ>}}
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|[ŋ]&nbsp;<ng ң>&nbsp;[ŋǃ]&nbsp;<ngx ңъ>&nbsp;[ŋǀ]&nbsp;<ngq ңь>}}
| &nbsp;
|-
!Plosive
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|[p]&nbsp;<nowiki><p п></nowiki>}}
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPA|[t]&nbsp;<t т>}}
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|[k]&nbsp;<k к>&nbsp;[kǃ]&nbsp;<kx къ>&nbsp;[ǀk]&nbsp;<kq кь>}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|[ʔ]&nbsp;<ʔ ъ>}}
|-
!Fricative
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|[ɸ]&nbsp;<f ф>}} 
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|[s]&nbsp;<nowiki><s с></nowiki>}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|[ʃ]&nbsp;<sh ш>}} 
| &nbsp;
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|[ç]&nbsp;<q щ>}} 
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|[h]&nbsp;<h x>}}
|-
!Approximant
| &nbsp;
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPA|[l]&nbsp;<l л>}}
| &nbsp;
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|[j]&nbsp;<y й>}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|[w]&nbsp;<w в>}}
| &nbsp;
|-
!Trill
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPA|[r]&nbsp;<r р>}}
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|}

== Grammar ==

Tsakxa is an agglutinative, topic-prominent language with active alignment.

=== Pronouns ===
{{Main|Tsakxa pronouns}}

=== Nouns ===
{{Main|Tsakxa nouns}}

Tsakxa nouns are inflected by number into singular, dual and plural and, it is sometimes argued, for case (there are a large number of morphemes analysed variously as clitics and case inflection).

=== Verbs ===
{{Main|Tsakxa verbs}}

Tsakxa verbs are inflected for aspect and mood. Certain verbs can also inflect, to a very restricted degree, to show person, but this is non-productive, erratic and irregular.

=== Syntax ===
{{Main|Tsakxa syntax}}

=== Animacy ===
{{Main|Tsakxa animacy}}

=== Lexicon and derivative morphology ===
{{Main|Tsakxa lexicon}}

[[Category:Tsakxa]]