Notes on Ü-tsang Spoken Tibetan
Posted: 29 Jan 2020 04:42
I've been reading about Modern Spoken Central Tibetan (Ü-tsang) and am teaching myself a little, so I am posting some things I find interesting. As I learn more, this may be an AMA.
PHONETICS:
Tone is only distinguised on monosyllabic words and the first syllable of polysyllabics. There are two tones- high and low. Low tone almost never occurs on syllabals with a aspirated consonant in intial position.
The only codas are /p̚ m k̚ ŋ ʔ/, but in low registers /k̚/ will fuse with /ʔ/. High registers may replace long vowels with a normal vowel + /ɹ/ or /l/ rhyme
Only front vowels may be long (or in high registers have a /ɹ/ or /l/ coda) or nasalized. In registers that distinguish coda /k̚/ and /ʔ/, coda /ʔ/ is more common after front vowels.
Morphosyntax:
Ü-tsang is SOV, ergative, and agglutinating. Allomorphy is common.
Verbs have two stems: Past and Non-Past. There might be an honorific non-past stem. Aspect and mood postclitics combine with the stem to form TAM.
Person and Number are not normally marked on the verb, except person is marked:
For the copula- /ɹèʔ/ for 3P and plain 2P; /yĩ̀/ for 1P and Honorific 2P
The honorific non-past stem is normally used only for 2P.
More on Morphosyntax will be posted soon.
PHONETICS:
Tone is only distinguised on monosyllabic words and the first syllable of polysyllabics. There are two tones- high and low. Low tone almost never occurs on syllabals with a aspirated consonant in intial position.
The only codas are /p̚ m k̚ ŋ ʔ/, but in low registers /k̚/ will fuse with /ʔ/. High registers may replace long vowels with a normal vowel + /ɹ/ or /l/ rhyme
Only front vowels may be long (or in high registers have a /ɹ/ or /l/ coda) or nasalized. In registers that distinguish coda /k̚/ and /ʔ/, coda /ʔ/ is more common after front vowels.
Morphosyntax:
Ü-tsang is SOV, ergative, and agglutinating. Allomorphy is common.
Verbs have two stems: Past and Non-Past. There might be an honorific non-past stem. Aspect and mood postclitics combine with the stem to form TAM.
Person and Number are not normally marked on the verb, except person is marked:
For the copula- /ɹèʔ/ for 3P and plain 2P; /yĩ̀/ for 1P and Honorific 2P
The honorific non-past stem is normally used only for 2P.
More on Morphosyntax will be posted soon.