Tsakxa: Difference between revisions
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'''Tsakxa''' is a language isolate, or dialect continuum, spoken by the Tsakxa people of central Siberia. | '''Tsakxa''' (IPA: [tʃɑkǃa]) is a language isolate, or dialect continuum, spoken by the Tsakxa people of central Siberia. | ||
== Phonology == | == Phonology == | ||
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== Grammar == | |||
Tsakxa is an agglutinative, topic-prominent language with active alignment. | |||
=== 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). | |||
Revision as of 11:33, 15 October 2010
Tsakxa (IPA: [tʃɑkǃa]) is a language isolate, or dialect continuum, spoken by the Tsakxa people of central Siberia.
Phonology
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | u | ||
| Mid | e | ||
| Open | a |
Allophony
Vowel allophony is not very advanced in most Tsakxa dialects. Before the alveolar 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.
| Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n nǀ | ŋ ŋǃ ŋǀ | |||
| Plosive | p | t | k kǃ ǀk | ʔ | ||
| Fricative | f | s | ʃ | ç | h | |
| Approximant | l | j | w |
Grammar
Tsakxa is an agglutinative, topic-prominent language with active alignment.
Nouns
- Main article: 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).
