Ofo language
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2014) |
Ofo | |
---|---|
Native to | Ofo people |
Extinct | early 20th century |
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | ofo |
Glottolog | ofoo1242 |
Distribution of Ofo language |
The Ofo language was a language spoken by the
In the 18th century, the Mosopelea were known under the names Oufé and Offogoula.
Phonology
Ofo follows a process similar to
The inventory is as follows:[4]
Labial Dental Palatal Velar Glottal Plosivetenuis p t t͡ʃ k aspiratedpʰ tʰ t͡ʃʰ kʰ Fricativetenuis f s ʃ x h aspirated fʰ sʰ Sonorant w l j b[clarification needed] d[clarification needed] Nasal m n
Vowels
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
High
|
i, iː ĩ, ĩː |
u, uː ũ, ũː | |
Mid | e, eː | ə | o, oː |
Low
|
a, aː ã, ãː |
All vowels, including /ə/, may bear stress.
Morphology
Ofo is considered to be a mildly polysynthetic language.[4]
Possession
Ofo distinguishes between alienable and inalienable possession by the use of a prefix for first-, second-, and third-person singular as well as first-person dual. That can be abbreviated to 1sg, 2sg, 3sg, and 1du, respectively. The alienable possessions include the following: 1sg {ba-, aba-}, 2sg {č-, ača-}, 3sg {}, 1du {ã-}. The inalienable possessions include the following: 1sg {mi-}, 2sg {čĩ-}, 3sg {ĩ-}, 1du {ã-}.
Negation
Ofo uses the enclitic suffix -ni, to demonstrate negation. That enclitic is usually after the predicate.
Pluralization
Ofo uses the enclitic suffix -tu to pluralize the subject, the object, or both.
Instrumental prefixes
Instrumental prefixes describe the manner in which an action is carried out. Some instrumental prefixes are below:
- atə- 'by extreme temperature'
- tu-, du- 'by pulling/hand'
- ta- 'by mouth'
- pa- 'by pushing'
- la- 'by foot'
- ka- 'by striking'
- pú- 'by pressure'
- po- 'by blowing/shooting'
Person
"mí̃ti, mí̃*te" 'I, me' | "čí̃*ti" 'you' |
"í̃*ti" 'he' | "á̃ti, á̃*ti" 'we' |
Gender
Ofo appears to have no grammatical gender.
Space, time, and modality
Irrealis mood consists of the suffix -abe. It is the equivalent to the future in English:
- óktat-,abe, 'he will kill you'
- tcóktat-abĕ, 'you will work'
- atcikthé-be, 'I will kill you'
Continuative aspect is formed using the word nóñki.
Iterative aspect is created by reduplication:
- è-te-te, 'sick, keep on suffering'
- šni-šni-we, 'itch, keep on itching'
- tó-fku-fku-pi, 'wink, blink, keep on winking or blinking'
Syntax
The documentation of Ofo does not provide enough information to develop a complete syntax of the language. However, structures also found in related languages have been found.[4]
Ofo appears to have a head-dependent ordering in sentences, which gives it an object-verb word order. The order of verbs may be described as being clause-final. Many cases appear to support that. An example can be seen below:
b-aphú̂ska
my-fist
a-tci-tp-ábe
I-you-hit-IRR
'I will hit you with my fist'
Case
Only some forms are known because of a lack of documentation.
tcilétci
your.tongue
ó̃tcĭku
me.you.give
'hold your tongue!'
athé
dress
ãtcókpe
me.you.put on
'you help me dress'
Complements and causatives
There is no information in the Ofo data to support Ofo having explicit complement clauses. However, it is apparent that embedded clauses precede the main clause.
détõ-ni
(he).go-COND
á-kiu-bĕ
I-come-IRR
'if he goes, I will come'
The causative is marked by the
ifphé-we
teach-CAUS
'to teach'
Sources
- Hodge, Frederick Webb (1911). Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution.
- Holmer, Nils, M., "An Ofo Phonetic Law," International Journal of American Linguistics, 1, no. 1, 1947.
- Moseley, Christopher and R. E. Asher, ed. Atlas of the Worlds Languages (New York:Routelege, 1994) Map 5
- Dorsey, J. Owen, and John R. Swanton. 1912. "A Dictionary of the Biloxi and Ofo Languages." Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 47. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
- Swanton, John R., ca. 1908. Ofo-English dictionary, Typed and Autographed Document, 613 cards. National Anthropological Archives, 2455-OFO, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.
- Swanton, John R. 1909. A New Siouan Dialect. "Putnam Anniversary Volume: Anthropological Essays Presented to Prederic Ward Putnam in Honor of His Seventieth Birthday," pp. 477–86. New York: G. E. Stechert.
References
- ^ Frederick Webb Hodge, Handbook of American Indians, p. 109.
- ^ Swanton, John Reed (1909). A new Siouan dialect. Cedar Rapids, Iowa: The Torch Press. p. 483.
- S2CID 224809424.
- ^ a b c Rankin, Robert. "The Ofo Language of Louisiana: Philological Recovery of Grammar and Typology". LAVIS III: Language Variety in the South: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. University of Alabama, 2004. PDF file.