Taman language (Sino-Tibetan)

Language shift

Classification

• negative prefix
• ‘put’
• ‘go, walk’
• ‘sun’ as a compound word that includes ‘eye’

Phonology

• Vowels: a, e, ɛ, i, ɨ, ɐ, o , u, ə
• Consonants: p, ph, t, th, c , k, m, n, ŋ, r, l, s, ʃ, x, h, w, y

  Sound changes

• raising of low vowels
• fricativization of velar stops in word-initial positions
• loss of velar stops in word-final positions
• addition of velar stops after high vowels
• affrication of *gry-

  Lexicon

Phrases and transcribed song

• hɔ əna, hɔ təyauŋ ' went over there.'
• kʰam sɔ-nə-kɔ 'Did eat?'
• sɔ-kɛʔ 'already ate'
• ʔə-sɔ-wɛʔ 'did not eat '
• sɔ-nə-kɔ-ya 'ate; finished eating'
• tʰitum ŋɔ lɔ 'Where is the water?'
• ʔəyɔ pe 'Where did I put it?'
• wa dɔ 'Come!'
• pi 'firewood'
• məla 'tea'
• məla sɔ nɔ 'Please drink tea.'

• ʔi ʔələyaŋ ʔi ʔələyaŋ: exclamation introducing the song
• nənum təhɔ ʔina hɔ: 'The child went.'
• məceiʔcɔ he: 'Where is the child?'
• lɔcɔ ci:
• məceiʔcɔ, ʔina: 'I told the child'
• nam ha mina: 'Where did you go?'
• hɔ pi cɔ: 'I went outside.'

• kʰam 'food, cooked rice'
• tʰi 'water'
• məla 'tea'
• pi 'firewood'
• tum 'container'
• məceiʔcɔ 'child'
• ʔə- 'negative prefix'
• sɔ 'to eat'
• hɔ 'to go'
• wa 'to come'
• pe 'to place, put'