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2021-06-05 02:48:54 -04:00
---
title: Tengan (tté ŋa)
...
<style>
.script table { border: none; }
</style>
<center style="margin-top: 2em">
<img src=tte1ga.svg height=100>
</center>
[SVG]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalable_Vector_Graphics
# Phonology
## Vowels
Front Central Back
------- ---------- ----------- ----------
Close «i» #/i/ «y» #/ʉ/ «u» #/u/
Mid «e» #/ɛ/ «o» #/ɔ/
Open «a» #/ɑ/
------- ---------- ----------- ----------
There are three tones, indicated by diacritics:
- High, with an acute accent «á» #/ɑ˥/
- Low, with no accent «a» #/ɑ˩/
- Falling, with a grave accent «à» #/ɑ˥˨/
Vowels can be nasalised, which is indicated by an «n» following the vowel (and
offglide if there is one).
## Consonants
  Labial Alveolar Retroflex Velar
----------------- ----------- --------------- --------------- -----------
Plosive «p ph pp» «t th tt» «d dh dd» «k kh kk»
#/p pʰ pʼ/ #/t tʰ tʼ/ #/ʈ ʈʰ ʈʼ/ #/k kʰ kʼ/
Click «px» «tx lx» «dx»
#/ᵏʘ/ #/ᵏǀ ᵏǁ/ #/ᵏǃ/
Affricate «ts tsh tts» «dz dzh ddz»
#/ts tsʰ tsʼ/ #/ʈʂ ʈʂʰ ʈʂʼ/
Lateral Affricate «tl tlh ttl» «dł dłh ddł»
#/tɬ tɬʰ tɬʼ/ #/ʈꞎ ʈꞎʰ ʈꞎʼ/
Fricative «f» «s sh» «z zh» «h»
#/f/ #/s sʰ/ #/ʂ ʂʰ/ #/χ/
Lateral Fricative «l» «ł»
#/ɬ/ #/ꞎ/
Nasal «m» «n» «ņ» «ŋ»
#/m/ #/n/ #/ɳ/ #/ŋ/
Nasal Click «mx» «nx nlx» «ņx»
#/ɴʘ/ #/ɴǀ ɴǁ/ #/ɴ!/
----------------- ----------- --------------- --------------- -----------
* Between two vowels or glides, non-aspirated pulmonic consonants become voiced:
#/ɬ ꞎ/ become #[l ɭ].
* Before #/i j/, #/x/ becomes #[ç]; before #/ɔ u w/ it becomes #[ɸ].
* The phoneme #/χ/ changes based on the following vowel or glide:
+ to #[ç] before #/i/ or #/j/, or
+ to #[ɸ] before #/o/, #/u/, or #/w/.
The rest of the time it is _uvular_, not velar.
* Syllable-final #/p t k/ are unreleased.
- \#/ᵏǀj/ and #/ᵏǃj/ are pronounced #[ᵏǂ], and #/ɴǀj ɴ!j/ as #[ɴǂ].[^nc]
[^nc]: This is not true of #/ǁ/ because I can't hear any difference whatsoever between #[ǁ] and #[ǂˡ]. This might be why the latter doesn't have a symbol of its own.
# Writing system
Tengan has a featural writing system similar to Hangul, called #|twén phỳk ná|, or 'syllable writing'. Each syllable is written in a block indicating different features of each part of the syllable.
## Initials
Initials are classed first into six basic shaped based on place of articulation. Laterals are counted as distinct places.
<figure class=script>
------- ------- -------
#|pa| #|da| #|la|
#|ta| #|ka| #|ła|
------- ------- -------
</figure>
Other consonants are built by systematically adding modifiers above these bases. For example, for #|ta|:
<figure class=script>
-------- -------- --------- ---------
#|tha| #|tta| #|txa| #|tsa|
#|sa| #|sha| #|tsha| #|ttsa|
#|na| #|nxa|
-------- -------- --------- ---------
</figure>
## Glides
Glides look the same before and after a vowel, and also when it is the initial consonant.
<figure class=script>
-------- -------- -------- -------- ------- --------
#|tja| #|twa| #|taj| #|taw| #|ja| #|wa|
-------- -------- -------- -------- ------- --------
</figure>
## Vowels
The vowel symbols have no further internal structure.
<figure class=script>
------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------
#|ta| #|ti| #|te| #|tu| #|to| #|ty|
------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------
</figure>
## Tones and nasalisation
The nasalisation is written below the offglide, and the tone after that.
<figure class=script>
-------- -------- --------
#|ta| #|tá| #|tà|
#|tan| #|tán| #|tàn|
-------- -------- --------
</figure>
## Coda consonants
Coda consonants are the same as their initial counterparts, but are usually written slightly narrower.
<figure class=script>
------- -------- -------- --------
#|ta| #|tat| #|tak| #|tap|
------- -------- -------- --------
</figure>
# Pronouns
There is an distinction between 'we' inclusive and exclusive of the listener(s).
  Singular Plural
-- ---------- -----------------
1 #|fa| #|ŋa|, #|khwi|
2 #|thò| #|dyt|
3 #|zéj| #|ņaw|
4 #|han| #|kkù|
\#|ŋa| is the inclusive pronoun and #|khwi| the exclusive.
Third and fourth person pronouns are used as determiners ('this' and 'that'); fourth for new information in the conversation, and third for old.
Honorific forms of non-first person pronouns add #|txiw| afterward. Humble first person pronouns add #|lok|. (#|ŋa| doesn't allow either.)
# Verbs
## Aspect
Tense in Tengan is not expressed explicitly. The adverb #|dxop| 'earlier' is frequently used to emphasise an action took place in the past, but is not mandatory, and more specific time phrases are also common. The perfective aspect is marked using #|zú| after the modality marker.
## Modality
The main verb of each clause requires a modality marker of some sort after it.
### Evidentials
The indicative mood is split into six evidentiality levels, indicating why and how strongly the speaker believes the information to be true:
* first-hand direct sensory information with #|sa|;
* inferred with #|ddzé|;
* assumed with #|kwé| (weaker than #|ddzé|);
* reported (second-hand) with #|phàj|;
* reported _dubious_ information with #|mot|;
* \#|tow| for hypotheticals.
When telling a story from the third person, #|phàj| is used.
### Interrogative
Yes-no questions are marked with #|maj|. Content questions, e.g., with #|fon| 'what', do not also use #|maj|.
### Imperative
The imperative, with #|łó|, is used both for commands and plural propositions. The subject is not dropped in imperatives.
<figure class=glosses>
```tgloss
Pzò łó ŋa!
pzò łó ŋa
go IMP 1PL
Let's go!
```
```tgloss
Pzò łó thò!
pzò łó thò
go IMP 2SG
Go!
```
</figure>
## Auxiliary verbs
* \#|dxùn| fail
* \#|hék| not
* \#|jat| repeatedly
* \#|khéw| begin
* \#|kzun| may
* \#|mxá| try
* \#|nỳ| must
* \#|pojn| decide
* \#|tsap| finish
* \#|ttjò| stop, abandon
* \#|zwèp| want
* \#|kkjaw| can
<figure class=glosses>
```tgloss
Fa khéw nak ddzé zú.
fa khéw nak ddzé zú
1SG begin sleep inferred PF
I must have fallen asleep.
```
```tgloss
Fa jat mxá tlo sa fa zéj.
fa jat mxá tlo sa zéj
1SG repeatedly try call first_hand 3SG
I keep trying to call him.
```
</figure>
# Attitude particles
Attitude particles can come before any word to indicate the speaker's feelings
toward that referent or action. #|sén| is commonly attached to
compliments, and #|kkow| or #|dùp| to excuses.
* \#|dùp| regret
* \#|kkow| disappointment
* \#|sén| approval
* \#|dxák| disgust (vulgar)
* \#|ppwa| surprise
<figure class=glosses>
```tgloss
Thò hej sén lon phján!
thò hej sén lon phján
2SG do approval well piano
Wow, you play the piano well!
```
```tgloss
Thò dxák hej dxák fon?!
thò dxák hej dxák fon
2SG disgust do disgust what
What the __ did you __ing do?!
```
</figure>
# Causatives
The verb #|phyn| is used to make a causative sentence, for example:
<figure class=glosses>
```tgloss
Zéj phyn sa zú fa ma sa zín!
zéj phyn sa zú fa ma sa zín!
3SG cause FHW PRF 1SG have FHW fear
It frightened me!
```
</figure>
- - -
- SVO