Siye Dialects

None of the dialects participate in the recent (2248/49) voicing changes of Standard Siye

Siye (Susu)

The dialect of Siye dismissively known as Susu has as its principal feature the collapse of the affricates into the fricatives. This creates surprisingly few problems, so much so that some broad-minded Simayamka consider Susu 'barely a dialect' (a compliment). The main grammatical feature of Susu is the replacement of the directional suffix /tu/ [su], now homophonous with the directional suffix /su/ [su], with [sa].

[tʃ] > [ʃ] /kilu/ 'fortress', Standard [ʧʰi.lu], Susu [ʃi.lu]

[ts] > [s] /kutum/ 'hudzu-priest', Standard [xu.dzʊⁿ], Susu [xu.sʊⁿ]

[tç] > [ç] /pimuyamka/ 'wisemen', Standard [tçʰi.mu.jæⁿ.ka], Susu [çi.mu.jæⁿ.ka]

Siye (Tsishi)

The Tsishi dialect features the coalescence of the high vowels and the creation of new phonemes from allophones.

l > ʎ/_i /lusili/, 'town, city' Standard [lu.ʃi.li], Tsishi [li.ʃi.ʎi]

n > ɲ/_i /omnuni/ 'lustful(ly)', Standard [ɔⁿ.nu.ni], Tsishi [ɔⁿ.nu.ɲi]

u > i

Changes in Tsishi

Recent (2250) changes in the Tsishi dialect have produced geminate consonants and closed oral syllables.

ʧ > ʃʃ [-ʃʃi] INS vs [-ʃi] INCL

ʦ > ss [-ssi] DAT vs [-si] ALL vs [-s◌̃ɪ] ABL

ʎ > ll [ʃilli] 'house', [ʧili] 'fort' [liʃillisi] 'to the town'

ɲ > nn [-nni] COM [-ni] DIR.SUB

Siye (Tsushi)

Tsushi is a newly (2250) recorded dialect or sub-dialect of Tsishi. Hypercorrection of the consonants preceding Tsishi i < u, i has resulted in:

[xi] for /ki/ [tʃi]

[ɸi] for initial /pi/ [tç]

[ʃu] for non-initial /pu/ [ɸu]

[si] for /si/ [ʃi]

Ye

Ye has two variations, rural and urban. Urban Ye has restored the Standard Siye vowels, but Rural Ye has kept the original vowel changes.

Cases	Case Number	Case Suffix	Notes
Nominative	1, 1a	-0
Absolutive	1, 1b	-0
Accusative	2	-[ɔ]
Ergative	3	-[nɔ]
Vocative	20	-i	alleged from restored Tide -ŋi (the lost Case 4.); actually an adoption of Rural Ye -i from Early Siye Equative -pu
Genitive	4	-ne, (etym.) -e	from Tide -ŋe/i, Thide -ke/i
Possessive	5	-me	possibly from Tide definite pronoun /me/, Thide /me/
Ablative	6	-sum	from Tide -suŋ
Locative	7	-kem	from Tide -ke/iŋ
Allative-Dative	8	-su	from Tide -su
Dative-Benefactive	9	-tu	from Tide -tu
Instrumental	10	-ki	from Thide -gi
Comitative	13	-ni	from Tide -ŋe/i, Thide -ke/i
Adverbial	11	-ku	from Tide -ku, Thide -ku
Equative	12	-pu	from Tide -bu
Animate Instrumental	14	-neki	from Siye -ne + eki, instrumental postposition from instrumental case of inanimate pronoun 'e'
Elative	15	-nemsum	from Siye -ne + emsum, analogical ablative of emtu 'inner' from emtu 'innards'
Inessive	16	-nemkim	from Siye -ne + emkim, analogical locative of emtu 'inner' from emtu 'innards'
Illative	17	-nemtu	from Siye -ne + emtu, locative postposition 'inner' from emtu "innards"
Abessive	18	-neto	from Siye -ne + to "without", from Thide tho "absence"
Causal	19	-neya	from -ne + eya, analogical causal of clause-final causal -ya

Urban Ye

s, ɸ, ʃ > h

tʃ > ʃ

ts > s

tç > ç

w, j > 0 /kiwa/ 'red' Standard [ʧʰi.ʋɑ], Urban Ye [xɑ:], Rural Ye [xɔ:]

h > 0 /eleyemputsuma/, Standard [e.le.jɛⁿ.ɸu.tsu.mɑ], Urban Ye [e.lɛⁿ:.ʔu.θu.mɑ], Rural Ye [e.lɛⁿ:.ʔy.θy.mɔ]

ʃ > x /kilusu/ 'towards the fortress' Standard [ʧʰi.lu.su], Urban Ye [xi.lu:]

s > θ /kamsutu/ 'cloak', Standard [kæⁿ.su.tsu], Urban Ye [kʰæⁿ.ʔu.θu]

ç > s /pitake/ 'beast', Standard [tçʰi.tɑ.ke], Urban Ye [si.tɑ.ke], Rural Ye [si.tɔ.ke]

Rural Ye

ɛⁿ > æⁿ /-kem/ loc., Standard [gɛⁿ], Rural Ye [gæⁿ]

ɑ > ɔ /pala/ 'what?', Standard/Urban Ye [pɑ.lɑ], Rural Ye [pɔ.lɔ]

æⁿ > ɪɘⁿ Mostly found in local words of pre-Siye origin - Rural Ye /ansa/ 'Martian duck' [ɪɘⁿ.sjɘⁿ]

Cæⁿ > Cjɘⁿ /kamsutu/ 'cloak', Standard [kæⁿ.su.tsu], Rural Ye [kʰjɘⁿ.y.θy]

ɔⁿ > ɒⁿ /omnum/ 'ecstasy', Standard [ɔⁿ.nʌⁿ], Rural Ye [ɒⁿ.nɛⁿ]

u > y /kilu/ 'towards the fortress', Standard [ʧʰi.lu.su], Rural Ye [xi.ly:]

ʌⁿ > ɛⁿ /omnum/ 'ecstasy', Standard [ɔⁿ.nʌⁿ], Rural Ye [ɒⁿ.nɛⁿ]