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Austroasiatic language From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Gtaʼ language (also Gataʼ, Gataʔ, and Gtaʔ), also known as Gta Asa, Didei or Didayi (IPA: [ɖiɖaːj(i)]), is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Didayi people of southernmost Odisha in India.
It is notable for its sesquisyllabic phonology[2] and vigesimal numeral system.
Gtaʼ is spoken by 3,000 people primarily in Malkangiri district, Odisha as well as adjoining areas of Koraput district.[2] According to Anderson (2008), it is spoken by less than 4,500 people.
Ethnologue reports the following locations:
The Gtaʼ language belongs to the South Munda subgroup of the Munda branch of the Austroasiatic language family.[1] Within South Munda, Gtaʼ is generally considered to be the first branch off a node that also subsumes the Remo and Gutob languages; this subgroup of South Munda is known as Gutob–Remo–Gataq. It is phonologically and morphologically divergent within that branch.[3]
Gtaʼ has two main varieties, namely Plains Gtaʼ and Hill Gtaʼ.
Gtaʼ has the 5 canonical vowels /a, e, i, o, u/, and sometimes a sixth vowel /æ/. To this can be added several nasalized counterparts: /ã, õ, ũ/ and sometimes /ĩ/. Gtaʼ has the following consonants:[2]
Nouns in Gtaʼ are primarily marked for case, number and possession.[4]
Nouns also have two forms, one a free full form, the other a bound short form. These latter occur only when the noun is compounded with another noun or a verb for derivational purposes, and are hence labeled "combining forms". The combining form usually involves removing an affix or shortening the noun in some way.
Free form | Combining form | Gloss |
---|---|---|
ncu | -cu- | oil |
gsi | -si- | louse |
gbe | -be- | bear |
gnar | -gar- | bamboo strip |
remwa | -re- | person |
Gtaʔ is also notable for its use of echo words. There are four broad categories of echo forms:[5]
The phonological rules for deriving one type of echo word are as follows:[5]
Combining forms of nouns occurring with verb stems can be echoed independently of the verb stems; those occurring with noun stems either remain intact or change at par with the main stems.
Gta' numeral system is vigesimal.[6]
1. muiŋ | 21. mũikuɽi muiŋ / ekustɔra |
2. mbar | 22. mũikuɽi mbar |
3. ɲji | 23. mũikuɽi ɲji |
4. õ | 24. mũikuɽi hõ |
5. malʷe | 25. mũikuɽi malikliɡˀ |
6. tur | 26. mũikuɽi turukliɡˀ |
7. ɡul | 27. mũikuɽi gukliɡˀ |
8. tma / aʈʈa | 28. mũikuɽi tomakliɡˀ / mũikuɽi tma |
9. sontiŋ / nɔʈa | 29. mũikuɽi sontiŋkliɡˀ |
10. ɡʷa / dɔsʈa | 30. mũikuɽi ɡʷa (20 + 10) / tirisʈa |
11. ɡʷamiŋ / eɡaʈa | |
12. ɡombar / baroʈa | |
13. ɡoɲji / teroʈa | |
14. ɡohõ / coudoʈa | 40. mbarkuɽi (2 × 20) / calistɔra |
15. ɡomal / pɔndrɔʈa | 50. mbarkuɽi ɡʷa / pɔcas |
16. ɡotur / soloːʈa | 60. ɲjikuɽi (3 × 20) / saʈe |
17. ɡogu / sɔtroʈa | 70. ɲjikuɽi ɡʷa / suturi |
18. ɡotma / aʈɾa | 80. ōkuɽi (4 × 20) |
19. ɡososiŋ / unisʈa | 90. ōkuɽi ɡʷa |
20. ɡosolɡa / kuɽitɔra / kuɽeta | 100. malkuɽi (5 × 20) / soetɔra |
Gtaʼ echo-formation shows some striking similarities with echo-formation in neighboring Munda languages such as Remo and Gorum as well as in the Desia dialect of Oriya spoken in the Koraput Munda region. The most conspicuous feature they have in common with Gtaʼ is that echo-words in all three of these languages are also derived from base words by changes in the vowels alone.[5]
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