Tserzou

Tserzou
Period	c. 0 YP
Spoken in
Total speakers	~2000
Writing system	unknown
Classification	unknown
Typology
Basic word order	SOV
Morphology	fusional
Alignment	unknown
Credits
Created by	User:Nort

Tserzou /tsʼɪɛχzɯə/ is a language spoken somewhere by some people.

Phonology

Labial	Dental	Alveolar	Lateral	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
p pʼ b	t tʼ d	ts tsʼ dz	tɬ tɬʼ dɮ <tl tlʼ dl>	k kʼ g	qʼ	ʔ <ʼ>
ɸ β <f w>		s z	ɬ l <lh l>	x ɣ <kh gh>	χ ʁ <‌q r>
m		n		ŋ <ng>

Front unrounded	Front rounded	Back unrounded	Back rounded	Short rounded	Short unrounded
i <ih>	y ɪu̯ <yh iu>	(ɯ <ou>)	u <uh>	ɪ	ʏ <y>
ɪɛ <ie>	ʏœ <yoe>	ɯə <ou>	uɔ <uc>
e <eh>	ø oɪ̯ <‌u oi>		o <oh>		ə <a>
ɛɪ <ei>	œʏ <oey>		ɔu <cu>
eɛ <ee>	øɶ wʌ <ua ov>	ʌ <v>	ɔ <c>	œ <oe>	ɛ <e>
æ <ae>	wæ <oae>	a <ah>	wa <oah>

[ɿ] only appears in open syllables after sibilants, [ɯ] only appears in open syllables after nonsibilants, and [ɯə] only appears in closed syllables, so these are treated as the same phoneme.

Syllable structure is CV(C). Permissible coda consonants are /n k ŋ χ ʔ/, and additionally in stressed syllables /p m/. Some word-internal clusters, e.g. in keisqaq candle and oahtqouj hammer, could be explained with final /s t/.

There are two tones, low and high. The low tone is written <j> except in syllables ending in /p k χ/, where <‌b g r> are written instead.

/β/ is written <v> word-initially.

Nouns

Nouns inflect for three binary oppositions - singular vs. plural, absolute vs. construct, and animate vs. inanimate - and four cases - nominative, accusative, lative, and ergative.

		DEF.SG		DEF.PL		INDEF.SG		INDEF.PL
		ANIM	INAN	ANIM	INAN	ANIM	INAN	ANIM	INAN
ABS	NOM	-zi		-ziq		-da		-daq
	ACC	-zaj	-zala	-zaq	-zalha	-daj	-da
	LAT	-zin	-zi	-zij		-den	-de	-dej
	ERG	-gan		-raj		-dan		-daj
CON	NOM	-goe		-roeq		-doe		-doeq
	ACC	-raj	-gala	-raq	-galha	-doej	-doe
	LAT	-goen	-goe	roej		-doen	-doe	-doej
	ERG	-(w)oen		-(w)oej		-boen		-boej

The voicing of the initial depends on the tone and final of the preceding syllable: it is voiced unless followed by a high-toned syllable ending in a plosive coda. (There is, of course, extensive phonetic variation.) Certain words undergo further transformations, for example TODO.

Example declensions for rahb- 'woman' and rohp- 'river'

		rahb-				rohp-
		DEF.SG	DEF.PL	INDEF.SG	INDEF.PL	DEF.SG	DEF.PL	INDEF.SG	INDEF.PL
ABS	NOM	rahbzi	rahbziq	rahbda	rahbdaq
	ACC	rahbzaj	rahbzaq	rahbdaj	rahbdaq	rohpsala	rohpsalha	rohpta	rohptaq
	LAT	rahbzin	rahbzij	rahbden	rahbdej	rohpsi	rohpsij	rohpten	rohptej
	ERG	rahbgan	rahbraj	rahbdan	rahbdaj	rohpkan	rohpqaj	rohptan	rohptaj

Cases

Nominative

The nominative case marks animate subjects of intransitive sentences:

saenzi

saen-zi

dog-DA.NOM

zeeloek

zeeloek

urinate

The dog is pissing.

As well as animate subjects of transitive sentences:

bijnihgoe

bij-nih-goe

2SG.POSS-mother-DC.NOM

seemdaq

seem-daq

goat-IA.ACC.PL

toemdloen

toem-dloen

fuck-PLUR

Your mother fucks goats.

The nominative is the citation form of animate nouns:

saenzi

saen-zi

dog-DA.NOM

dog

Accusative

The accusative case marks direct objects of transitive verbs:

zeezi

zee-zi

man-DC.NOM

uahtqcujden

uahtqcuj-den

hammer-IC.LAT

byn

byn

INS

vihjdahla

vihj-dahla

boulder-IC.ACC.PL

tlouk

tlouk

break

The man is breaking boulders with a hammer.

vee

vee

1SG

k'yoejdaj

k'yoej-daj

deer-IA.ACC:ANIM

k'imyng

k'im-Ing

shoot-A

I shot a deer.

Lative

Indirect Object Lative

vee

vee

1SG

vakeisqaqala

va-keisqaq-kala

1SG.POSS-candle-DC.ACC

k'yoejzin

k'yoej-zin

man-DA.LAT

khating

khat-Ing

give-A

I gave the man my candle.

Lative of Direction or Intention

Statements of direction or intention, other than 'to so.'s house' (which takes a final glottal stop and high tone), take the lative.

vee

vee

1SG

tl'oizi

tl'oi-zi

hill-DA.LAT

teing

teing

go

I'm going to the hill.

cf.:

vee

vee

1SG

vatihnga'

va-tihn-ga'

1SG.POSS-house-DC.???

teing

teing

go

I'm going home.

Postpositional Lative

Certain postpositions, including the instrumental =byn, take the lative.

vak'ahmjrohjzala

va-k'ahmjrohj-zala

1SG.POSS-bow_and_arrow-DC.LAT

byn

byn

INS

vee

vee

1SG

ts'uahjboen

ts'uahjboen

hunt

I hunt with a bow and arrow.

imk'ih,

imk'ih

next_day

ritl'utl'ujzi

ritl'utl'uj-zi

mockingbird-DC.NOM

rantsyn,

rantsyn

awaken

teibohnggan

teibohn-gan

sky-DA.PAR

t'yn

t'yn

LOC

qohjden

qohj-den

throat-DA.LAT

khoi

khoi

vomit

lucj

lucj

bring_forth\PLURACT

ts'ee

ts'ee

REL

'oequaraj

'oequa-raj

bird-IA.ACC

oung

oung

behold

the next day, the mockingbird woke up and saw in the sky a vomitous bird

Verbs

Pluractionality

Certain verbs take a separate form when either the action is habitual or the object is plural. Pluractional forms are occasionally suppletive, but are more commonly marked by lateralization of a consonant:

vee

vee

1SG

vohmzi

vohm-zi

hills-DA.LAT:INAN

ts'wahjboen

ts'wahpoen

hunt

I'm going hunting in the hills.

vee

vee

1SG

vohmzi

vohm-zi

hills-DA.LAT:INAN

ts'wahjdloen

ts'wahtloen

hunt\PLUR

I hunt in the hills.

Pluractionality may optionally be marked on verbs with no mutated form with the verbal suffix -dloen:

vee

vee

1SG

douj

douj

2PL

nihraq

nih-raq

mother-DC.ACC.PL

toemdloen

toem-dloen

fuck-PLUR

I fucked all your mothers.

Tense

Non-future vs. future.

The irrealis

Certain verbs are composed of a root and an absolute marker. This absolute marker is lost TODO

vee

vee

1SG

doenehq

doenehq

whole

seem-doe

seem-doe

goat-IC.CON:INAN

sim-boen

sin-boen

eat-A

I ate a whole goat.

vee

vee

1SG

doenehq

doenehq

whole

seem-doe

seem-doe

goat-IC.CON:INAN

sin

sin

eat\IRR

tuvq

tuvq

be_able_to

I could eat a whole goat.

Some verbs have irregular irrealis forms.

seemzi

seem-zi

goat-DA.NOM

tihnggan

tihn-gan

house-DA.ERG

ieqtl'ij

ieqtl'ij

yesterday

t'ucn

t'ucn

be_in

Yesterday the goat was in the house.

lee

lee

and

seemzi

seem-zi

goat-DA.NOM

tihnggan

tihn-gan

house-DA.ERG

ieqtl'ij

ieqtl'ij

yesterday

t'yhn

t'yhn

be_in\IRR

If the goat had been in the house yesterday...

Syntax

Noun phrase

The noun phrase is composed of a case-bearing element, optionally preceded by modifiers. The case-bearing element may be an independent pronoun or demonstrative, or a nominal with an article.

tsucda

tsuc-da

owl-IA.NOM

an owl

tl'ouj

tl'ouj

white

tsucda

tsuc-doe

owl-IC.NOM

a white owl

'oequa

'oequa

bird

keila

kei-la

DEM.DIST-DO

simboen

sim-boen

eat-A

ts'ee

ts'ee

REL

tl'ouj

tl'ouj

white

ts'ucgoe

ts'uc-goe

owl-DC.NOM

the white owl that ate that bird

Examples

Seven Kill Stele

duaj

duaj

great

teibohn-goe

teibohn-goe

sky-DC.NOM

kyoe'

kyoe'

hundred

quaqtoeq

quaq-toeq

mass-IC.DIR.INAN.PL

lucj

l\'ucj

PLUR\produce

lhaj

l\khaj

PLUR\give

k'yoejdej

k'yoej-dej

man-IA.LAT.PL

noeyn

noeyn

ANTIP.CONT.CONSTR

tucj

tucj

eat

k'yoejdaq

k'yoej-daq

man-IA.NOM.PL

fohm

fohm

good

q'ujdoe

q'uj-doe

thing0-IC.DIR.INAN.PL

duaj

duaj

great

teibohnggoen

teibohn-goen

sky-DC.LAT

dlehq

dl\rehq

PLUR\NEG.CONT

lucj

l\'ucj

PLUR\produce

teijp'vq

teijp'vq

kill

teijp'vq

teijp'vq

kill

teijp'vq

teijp'vq

kill

teijp'vq

teijp'vq

kill

teijp'vq

teijp'vq

kill

teijp'vq

teijp'vq

kill

teijp'vq

teijp'vq

kill