Coast Tsimshian dialect
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Tsimshian | |
---|---|
Sm'algyax | |
Native to | Canada, United States |
Region | northwest British Columbia, southeast Alaska |
Ethnicity | 8,162 Tsimshian |
Native speakers | 275 in Canada, 3 in the United States (2016 census, 2020)[1][2][3] |
Tsimshianic
| |
Official status | |
Official language in | Alaska[4] |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-2 | tsi |
ISO 639-3 | tsi (with Sgüüx̣s) |
Glottolog | coas1300 |
ELP | Sm̓algya̱x (Coast Tsimshian) |
People | Ts’msyan |
---|---|
Language | Sm'álgyax |
Country | La̱xyuubm Ts’msyen[5] |
Tsimshian, known by its speakers as Sm'álgyax,
The linguist Tonya Stebbins estimated the number of speakers of Tsimshian in 2001 as around 400 and in 2003 as 200 or fewer (see references below). Whichever figure is more accurate, she added in 2003 that most speakers are over 70 in age and very few are under 50. About 50 of an ethnic population of 1,300 Tsimshian in Alaska speak the language.
Phonology
Vowels
Next to transcriptions in the IPA are the conventional orthography in angle brackets.
Front | Back | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unrounded
|
Rounded
| |||||
short |
long
|
short | long | short | long | |
High
|
ɪ ⟨i⟩ | i ⟨ii⟩ | ɯ ⟨ü⟩ | ɯː ⟨üü⟩ | ʊ ⟨u⟩ | u ⟨uu⟩ |
Mid | ɛ ⟨e⟩ | e ⟨ee⟩ | ʌ ⟨a⟩ | ɔ ⟨o⟩ | ɔː ⟨oo⟩ | |
Low
|
æ ⟨a⟩ | æː ⟨aa⟩ | ɒ ⟨a̰⟩ |
The unrounded mid back vowel can either be the long [a] or the short and slightly raised [ʌ] depending on context. John Asher Dunn assumes this vowel as the schwa [ə].[7]
Underlining /a/ is optional for indicating the back long vowel, and fluent speakers will usually omit it.
Dunn's representation of the high back vowel seems to be slightly more forward than the IPA equivalent, since he uses the phonetic symbols [ɨ̈] or [ɪ̈].
Consonants
First symbol is IPA, then the conventional orthography equivalent is given in brackets.
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
plain | sibilant | lateral | plain | labial | ||||||
Plosive | voiceless | p | t
|
ts | c ⟨ky⟩ | k | kʷ ⟨kw⟩ | q ⟨ḵ⟩ | ʔ ⟨ʼ⟩ | |
ejective | pʼ ⟨ʼp⟩ | tʼ ⟨ʼt⟩
|
t͡sʼ ⟨'ts⟩ | kʼ ⟨ʼk⟩ | kʷʼ ⟨ʼkw⟩ | qʼ ⟨ʼḵ⟩ | ||||
voiced
|
b | d
|
dz | ɟ ⟨gy⟩ | ɡ | gʷ ⟨gw⟩ | ɢ ⟨g̲⟩ | |||
Fricative | s[a] | ɬ ⟨ɫ⟩
|
χ ⟨x⟩ | h | ||||||
Sonorant | plain | m | n
|
l
|
j ⟨y⟩ | ɰ ⟨ẅ⟩[b] | w | |||
glottalized | mˀ ⟨ʼm⟩ | nˀ ⟨ʼn⟩ | lˀ ⟨ʼl⟩ | jˀ ⟨ʼy⟩ | wˀ ⟨ʼw⟩ |
- ^ Both John Asher Dunn[7] and Franz Boas (as reported by A.C. Graf von der Schulenberg[8]) find that the fricative /s/ has two variants: [s] or [ʃ].
- ^ The velar glide /ɰ/ ⟨ẅ⟩ is a "w pronounced with lips unrounded".[7]
The glottalization diacritic ⟨ ' ⟩ may be switched to the other side of a velar segment depending on whether it falls pre-, post- or intervocalically. In speech, glottalized segments before a vowel will result in simultaneous realization of both, [kʼ]. Glottalized segments that follow vowels produce the glottalization first, then the consonant closure, [ʼk]. Intervocalically, the glottalization depends on where the stress falls. [ʼk] is pronounced after a stressed syllable, and [kʼ] is pronounced before a stress.
Syllable structure
Tsimshian utilizes (C)CV or (C)CVC(C)
)Examples:
- /hæj.mæː.dm/ "northeast wind"
- /n.læk/ "fireplace"
- /k’l.k’oːl/ plural of intransitive verb "dull"
Consonant clusters are common. Schulenberg reports finding /pt, pts, ptl, kts, qp, qtk, qtsc, qsk, nts, tɟ/ among many others, though only a smaller portion can occur in the
Examples (with other phonological changes):
- /ɟelq/ → [ɟelaɢ] "outside"
- /æːlks/ → [æːliks] "servant"
- /ʌʔʌjæːɰx/ → [æːjæːwɯx] "Aurora Borealis, Northern Lights"
Vowel pitch
The long vowels of Tsimshian must be pronounced in one of three distinct ways: with a sustained pitch /eː/ → [eː]; a "falling pitch and offglide"[7] /eː/ → [êə], or with the insertion of a glottal stop /eː/ → [eʔe]. In every day writing, the diacritical marks may be left out, so that the first two could be written ⟨ee⟩, whereas it is common to represent [eʔe].
Examples:
- (steady pitch) [kpiːl] "ten" (of abstract and round objects)
- (falling pitch) [nôsɯ] "wolverine"
- (glottal interruption) [χbæʔælʌ] "squall; storm from the south"
Stress
The primary stress generally falls on the last syllable of a word. In the case of a suffix or connective being added, then the stress falls on the penultimate syllable.
Phonological processes
There are a number of complex phonological processes that affect segments. The following is just a sample of some of the changes that may occur.
- Short vowels followed by /l/ often become long vowels with /l/-deletion.
- /wælp/ → /wæːp/ "house"
- Glottalized /k/ and /q/ between vowels are often shortened to just a glottal stop.
- /sɒk’æɬ/ → [sɒʔæɬ] "divide, settle an estate"
- At the ends of words /q/ may undergo lenition to /χ/.
- /iːmq/ → /imχ/ "beard"
- A short vowel may be lengthened if the primary stress falls on it.
- /χæ/ → /χæː/ "male slave"
- /l/ and /n/ may alternate in reduplication.
- /c’inˀæm/ → /c’ilc’inˀæm/ "give"
- Long vowels may become diphthongs.[a]
- /ɬoːl/ → /ɬoʊ̯l/ "push through the water"
Orthography
In the practical orthography, uvulars are indicated by underlining the velar letters, ⟨ḵ g̲⟩, and the position of the apostrophe before or after the consonant letter distinguishes glottalization.
The Tsimshian orthography in use today is based on that developed by Tsimshianicists since the 1960s. It originally stems from Bruce Rigsby's work on the
Another orthography, used only in Alaska, is taught by a private organization called Dum Baal-dum.[10]
Morphology
Tsimshian can be classified as a
Forming the plural
Reduplication
Tsimshian has an extensive system of
Pattern | Example | |
---|---|---|
Class I | /CVk-/ | yexɫ 'spit (verb)' → yikyexɫ 'spit (plural)' |
Class II | /CVx-/ | da’axɫk 'able' → daxda’axɫk 'able (plural)' |
Class III | /CVC-/ | dal 'fight' → dildal 'fights' |
Class IV | /CV-/ | siipk 'sick (verb)' → sipsiipk 'sick (plural)' |
Class V | /-V/ or /-VC/ (can be infixed or suffixed after primary syllable) |
yuutsk 'necklace' → yu’itsk 'necklaces' |
Distributives
Besides reduplication, plurals can also be formed by adding lexical
- goot 'heart'→ g̲agoot 'hearts'
- agwinübiip 'great uncle' → agwig̲anübiip 'great uncles'
Iteratives
The word gyik 'again' may be prefixed to form some plurals, especially those referring to time.
- suunt "summer"→ gyiksuunt "summers"
Intensives
The word for 'very' lu'kwil can be shortened to lu- and pre- or infixed onto some words to form the plural. This process may result in extremely divergent forms, because of phonological processes.
- hadiks 'swim' → la̰heediks 'swim (plural)'
Isomorphics and Suppletives
Finally, some plural forms are the same as the singular (lak "fire" → lak "fires") and some words have suppletive plurals, where there is no morphological relationship between the two: (waa "name" → uust "names").
Suffixes
Derivational Suffixes
There are ten
- Consequential: -x (sometimes -ḵ). The derived form is the consequence of or has been affected by the stem.
- ḵ'o'a̰l "forget" → ḵ'oolax "dull; warm one's back by the fire"
- Instrumental: -t. The derived form is a person or thing that uses the stem in some way.
- gyemk "sun, moon" → gyemga̰t "astronomer"
- Purposive: both -l and -n. These two suffixes indicate that the stem is the goal or intention of a person, thing or action.
- buu "blow, sound (of a whale)" → buul "warn"
- Singularly Qualitative: -k. The derived form shares a single quality with the root.
- gwisgwaas "bluejay" → gwisgwaask "blue"
- Plurally Qualitative: -s, -sk, -ts (sometimes -k). The derived form is in many respects similar to the root.
- yuutk "carry around the neck" → yuutsk "necklace"
- Metaphorical: -tk. The derived form has a metaphorical relationship with the stem.
- ɫoo "drift, swim (fish)" → ɫo'otk "clouds"
Lexical Suffixes
There are five lexically
- aks "water" → ts’ala̰ks "whirlpool" (ts’al "eye")
- g̲an "tree; wood; stick" → batsgn "arrive in a boat" (batsk "arrive")
- gyet "man" → gyitwaalgyit "raiders" (gyitwaal "attack")
- ban "belly" → waaybn "pregnant (for dogs and disparagingly for women)" (waay "paddle")
- diilmx "respond" This suffix is used to describe languages, so the language of the Haida would be haydmx
Proclitics
Below is a sample list of some of the many
Locative
- Stative
- lax- tangent, above, parallel
- t'm- tangent, above, perpendicular
- lag̲ax tangent, not above, bilateral
- ɫüü-, ɫüükɫi-, ɫüükwɫi- proximate, below
- na̰k- proximate, not below
- alo-, alu- remote, below
- Motional
- ksi-, ksa-, ksü-, xsa- internal source, efferent
- g̲aɫdik- internal source, efferent, ascending
- txa- internal source, efferent, descending
- bax- tangent source, tangent goal, ascending, parageographic
- dzag̲am- geographic, upstream
- uks- geographic, out to sea
- si-, sü-, su- beginning, inception
- adigul- continual, enduring
- huk- habitual
- gwüldm beforehand
- wil- subsequent
- ap-, a̰b- certain
- kbi-, xbi- not really, half
- liks-, lüks- different, strange
- sis-, süs- play, pretend
- sm- real genuine (as in sm'algyax "true language")
- Case
- ha- instrumental
- ha'ali- place or time for
- sa̰-, si-, sü-, s- causative
- xs- resemble
Lexical
Like the lexical suffixes, these proclitics derive from existing morphemes and can alter the stem meaning in various ways. Proclitics are much more common than suffixes; only a small list is provided.
- aam "good" → amadaalḵ "praise, worship" (daalg̲ "rebuke; scold")
- gwa̰s "blanket" → gwisg̲an "cedar bark mat coat; raincoat" (g̲an "tree")
- gyeɫk "to stab" → gyiɫts'ax "nose-ring" (ts'a̰ḵ "nose")
- ts'usk "little" → ts'übaa "lame (run a short distance)" (baa "run")
- 'wiileeks "big" → 'wiiḵ'ooli "one with long hair" (ḵ'ooli "scalp")
Syntax
Tsimshian is an
Intransitive | Transitive |
---|---|
ɫadm TEMP TEMP ḵ'ag̲a open VERB 'yuuta man ERG liksoog̲ada door ABS haḵ'ag̲a key.INS IO.INS/BEN/LOC "A man is about to open a door with a key."[12] |
Inversions to this order are permitted. To place specific emphasis on the ergative noun (
Verb phrase
The basic
- nah: (perfective) nah dzap "already made"
- dm: (future/progressive) dm dzap "will make", "is going to make", "is making"
- ɫa: (near to present) ɫa dzap "just beginning to make"
- wil: (sequentially following) wil dzap "and then made"
- yagwa: (present-only with action verbs) yagwa dzap "be making right now," "is now making"
Some combined temporal expressions:
- ɫa-dm dzap: "just about to start making"
- nah ɫa-wil dzap "and then just finished making"
- dm ɫa-wil dzap "and now just about to start making"
Noun phrase
The basic noun phrase is ordered as: NUMERICAL MARKER, adjective, noun, determinater, possessive. A numerical marker and a
Numbers
Similar to classifiers in other languages, there are seven different counting systems depending on what is being counted. Abstract entities, flat objects and animals, round objects and units of time, human beings, long objects, canoes and lastly, measurements, all must be counted differently.[8] The numeral gets an -a connective if it ends in a stop, affricate or fricative.
- gu'pl uwalp "two houses"
- t'apxaada guksɫüüsk "two shirts"
- t'apxaaduul hana'nax "two women"
- guladaada hana'nax "two women aboard (some conveyance)"
- g̲abeeltk g̲axsoo "two canoes"
Adjectives
Like numerals, adjectives appear before the noun they modify. They take an -m connective as well as match the noun in number (singular or plural). If both a numeral and an adjective appear together, the numeral always precedes the adjective.
- siipgm haasa "a sick dog"
- txalpxdool al'alg̲m smgyigyet "four angry chiefs"
Determiners
- gwa'a "here, close to speaker"
- gwasga "over there, that way"
- doni "over there"
- awaan "over there" (close to hearer)
- gwi definite ("the")
- ta'a for deceased kin only
Possessives
Possession is shown by placing the possessing noun after the object being possessed, which gets an -a connective. If the object being possessed is not considered to be closely connected to the owner in some way (body parts, clothing, kin) then the object also gets a na- prefix.
- gyigyeda huwaap "The color of the houses"
- nahoon 'yuuta "the man's fish"
Ergatives
If the verb is transitive then the agent of the verb is treated as an ergative and the object as an absolutive. In these cases, the temporal marker receives the suffix -t, the verb receives -da and the ergative noun itself has an -a suffix. (Proper nouns require variant suffixes.)
Yagwat
yagwa-t
TEMP
niisda
niits-da
see
ts'uu'tsa
ts'uu'ts-a
bird
laalt
laalt
worm
"The bird sees the worm."[13]
Transitive sentences in which the verb is closely related to the absolutive can actually allow the noun to be attached onto the verb, a process called incorporation. A verbal connector -m- is then used to suffix the noun onto the verb.
ɫawil
ɫawil
TEMP
aadmhoonu
aat-m-hoon-u
seine(verb)
CONN
fish(noun)
I
"And then I was just now seining for fish (fish-seining)."[14] Mismatch in the number of words between lines: 2 word(s) in line 1, 2 word(s) in line 2, 5 word(s) in line 3 (help);
Absolutives
When an intransitive verb is used, the agent of the verb is treated as an absolutive. If the absolutive directly follows the verb then the verb receives an -a suffix. (Proper nouns again require different suffixes.)
Pronominals
Much of the information appearing in a
Singular | Plural | |
---|---|---|
1st Person | -u | -m |
2nd Person | -n | -sm |
3rd Person | -t | -t |
If there is an (unmarked) ergative noun in the sentence along with the absolutive pronoun, the temporal marker also gets a suffixed -t.
Dunn has found that some temporal markers take a suffix and others do not. It seems to be "a matter of local and personal style".[7]
Ergative pronominals appear before the verb on the temporal marker as infixes or suffixes. Some tense markers call for different affixes. With the perfective tense nah, for instance, the ergative suffixes are identical to the absolutive suffixes. Below is the most common form of ergative affix.
Singular | Plural | |
---|---|---|
1st person | -n- | -dip- |
2nd person | -m- | -m-sm- |
3rd person | -t- | -t- |
ɫadipwil
TEMP
lu'niidza
we
ol
TEMP
awaan
see(PL)
bear
there.by.you
"And just now we have seen those bears by you."[citation needed] Mismatch in the number of words between lines: 4 word(s) in line 1, 6 word(s) in line 2 (help);
Both pronominals can occur in one sentence:
ɫan
TEMP
dzagwat
I
kill(SG)
it/him/her/they
"I am about to kill it/him/her/them."[citation needed] Mismatch in the number of words between lines: 2 word(s) in line 1, 4 word(s) in line 2 (help);
Linguists and other scholars who have worked on the Tsimshian language
- Margaret Seguin Anderson
- William Beynon
- Franz Boas
- John Asher Dunn
- Susan Marsden
- Jean Mulder
- Odille Morison
- Bishop William Ridley
- Fumiko Sasama
- Tonya Stebbins
- Marie-Lucie Tarpent
- Donna May Roberts
- Ahl'lidaaw Gitnack'angeak
- John Reese
- Victoria Mckoy
- David Lang
- The Haayk Foundation
See also
Notes
- ^ The existence of diphthongs is questionable. Schulenberg claims that Franz Boas "always heard the individual vowels pronounced separately."[8] Dunn, however, seems to believe that younger speakers will realize a diphthong.[7] There may have been a change in the pronunciation since Schulenberg's research in 1894 and Dunn's subsequent work starting in the 1968. In any event, diphthongs are rare.
References
- ^ "Language Highlight Tables, 2016 Census - Aboriginal mother tongue, Aboriginal language spoken most often at home and Other Aboriginal language(s) spoken regularly at home for the population excluding institutional residents of Canada, provinces and territories, 2016 Census – 100% Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada, Statistics. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
- ^ "Tsimshian". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
- ^ "2020 Biennial Report to the Governor and Legislature" (PDF). Alaska Native Language Preservation & Advisory Council.
- ^ Chappell, Bill (21 April 2014). "Alaska OKs Bill Making Native Languages Official". NPR.
- .
- ^ "Sm'álgyax: The Tsimshian Language". 13 April 2012. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Dunn 1995.
- ^ a b c d e Schulenberg 1992.
- ^ "Sm'algyax Living Legacy Talking Dictionary". University of Northern British Columbia.
- ^ "Orthography". Dum Baal-dum. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012.
- ^ Dunn 1995, pp. 36–37.
- ^ Dunn 1995, p. 62.
- ^ a b Dunn 1995, p. 60.
- ^ Dunn 1995, p. 61.
Sources
- Graf von der Schulenberg, A. C. (1992). Schulenberg's Tsimshian Grammar. Translated by Flaherty, Virginia Carroll. University of Colorado. Archived from the original on Jul 11, 2020.
- Boas, Franz (1911). "Tsimshian". Handbook of American Indian Languages, Part 1 (PDF). Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin. Vol. 40. Washington. pp. 283–422. Archived from the original on Oct 31, 2021.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - JSTOR j.ctv16sc9.
- Dunn, John Asher (1979). A Reference Grammar for the Tsimshian Language (PDF). National Museum of Man, Mercury Series, Ethnology Service Paper. Vol. 55. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 16, 2024.
- ISBN 9780295974194 – via Internet Archive.
- Mulder, Jean Gail (1988). Ergativity in Tsimshian (Sm'algyax) (PDF) (PhD thesis). Berkeley: University of California Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on Mar 3, 2022.
- Stebbins, Tonya (2001). "Emergent Spelling Patterns in Sm'algyax (Tsimshian, British Columbia)". Written Language and Literacy. 4 (2): 163–193. .
- Stebbins, Tonya (2020). Fighting Language Endangerment: Community Directed Research on Sm'algyax (Tsimshian) (2nd ed.). Melbourne: La Trobe University. ISBN 978-0-6484681-3-4.