Dessian
Natively known as: Zarana /zɑˈrɑnɑ/
u fe mu zasa tuxe turu u nuyi ’u mu shese ixi tube
Pronunciation: /u fɪ mu ˈzɑsɑ tuˈxɪ ˈturu u ˈnuji ʔu mu ˈʃɪsɪ ˈixi ˈtubɪ/
Zaranan word order: and he his hat holding stood and the wind to his wet face turned
Geographical Distribution
Phonology
Spelling & Phonology
Consonant inventory: /b d f h j k l m n q r s t w x z ɣ ʃ ʔ θ/
| ↓Manner/Place→ | Bilabial | Labiodental | Dental | Alveolar | Palato-alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labio-velar | Uvular | Glottal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ||||||||
| Stop | b | t d | k | q | ʔ | |||||
| Fricative | f | θ | s z | ʃ | x ɣ | h | ||||
| Approximant | j | w | ||||||||
| Trill | r | |||||||||
| Lateral approximant | l |
Vowel inventory: /i u ɑ ɪ/
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| High | i | u |
| Near-high | ɪ | |
| Low | ɑ |
Stress pattern: No fixed stress
Word initial consonants: b, d, f, h, j, k, l, m, n, q, r, s, t, w, x, z, ɣ, ʃ, ʔ, θ
Mid-word consonants: b, d, f, h, j, k, l, m, n, q, r, s, t, w, x, z, ɣ, ʃ, ʔ, θ
Word final consonants: N/A
Phonological rules (in order of application):
- l→ɫ / V_V
| Pronunciation | Spelling |
|---|---|
| j | y |
| ɑ | a |
| ɣ | x |
| ɪ | e |
| ʃ | sh |
| ʔ | ’ |
| θ | th |
Morphology
Derivational morphology
Adjective → adverb = Prefix mu-
Adjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = Prefix mu-
Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = Prefix nu-
Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = Prefix ɣu-
Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = Prefix fɪ-
Noun → verb (to create [noun]) = Prefix li-
Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = Prefix tɑ-
Verb → adjective (likely to do [verb]) = Prefix tu-
Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = Prefix tu-
Verb → noun that verb physically produces (e.g. build → building) = Prefix du-
One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = Prefix ɣi-
Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = Prefix bɪ-
Diminutive = Prefix ʃɑ-
Augmentative = Prefix nu-
Syntax
Grammar
Main word order: Subject-Oblique-Object-Verb. "Mary opened the door with a key" turns into Mary with a key the door opened.Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned before the noun.
Adposition: postpositions
Noun
| Singular | No affix
bifu /ˈbifu/ |
| Plural | Suffix -θu
bifuthu /biˈfuθu/ |
Nouns have two cases:
Nominative is the doer of a verb: dog bites man
Accusative is the done-to of a verb: man bites dog
| Nominative | No affix
bifu /ˈbifu/ |
| Accusative | Suffix -jɪ
bifuye /ˈbifujɪ/ |
Articles
| Definite | Indefinite | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | du /du/
the |
u /u/
a |
| Plural | si /si/
the |
ba /bɑ/
some |
Pronouns
| Nominative | Accusative | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | ba /bɑ/
I |
te /tɪ/
me |
| 2nd singular | za /zɑ/
you |
mu /mu/
you |
| 3rd singular masc | fe /fɪ/
he, it |
zu /zu/
him, it |
| 3rd singular fem | nu /nu/
she, it |
she /ʃɪ/
her, it |
| 1st plural | thi /θi/
we |
xi /ɣi/
us |
| 2nd plural | be /bɪ/
you (all) |
tu /tu/
you (all) |
| 3rd plural | si /si/
they |
ta /tɑ/
them |
Possessive determiners
| 1st singular | du /du/
my |
| 2nd singular | ri /ri/
your |
| 3rd singular masc | mu /mu/
his, its |
| 3rd singular fem | qu /qu/
her, its |
| 1st plural | za /zɑ/
our |
| 2nd plural | fe /fɪ/
your |
| 3rd plural | u /u/
their |
Verbs
Future tense is indicated with the word:
| Future particle | mu /mu/
future tense particle |
| Present | No affix
qishe /ˈqiʃɪ/ |
| Past | Suffix -zɪ
qisheze /ˈqiʃɪzɪ/ |
| Remote past | Prefix bɪ-
beqishe /ˈbɪqiʃɪ/ |
Imperfective aspect
The ‘imperfective’ aspect refers to ongoing actions, such as I am studying,
and habitual actions, such as I study (every night).
It is indicated with the affix:
| Imperfect | Suffix -mɑ
qishema /ˈqiʃɪmɑ/ |
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