Sinyar language

Shemya (tàar ʃàmɲà) is the language of the Sinyar people. It is a Central Sudanic language spoken in Chad and formerly in Darfur, Sudan. It is variously spelled Shamya, Shamyan, Shemya, Sinya, and known as Symiarta, Taar Shamyan, Zimirra.

Sinyar
Shemya
Native toChad
EthnicitySinyar
Native speakers
12,000 (2000)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3sys
Glottologsiny1243

The language is spoken in Goz Beïda, Chad and Foro Boranga, Sudan. There are two level tones and downstepped low tones. Word order is SVO.[2][3]

Dimmendaal leaves it as a language isolate, whereas Blench groups it with Formona.[4]

Doornbos records 18 Sinyar clans. The Kijaar clan, located close to the Kujargé, likely intermarried with the Kujargé.[5]

Lexicon

Sinyar appears to have a Bongo–Bagirmi superstratum and a non-Bongo–Bagirmi substratum. Some lexical items in Sinyar have cognates in Bongo–Bagirmi languages (particularly the neighboring Yulu-Gula group), while others do not.[6]

Sinyar numerals from Boyeldieu (2013):[7]

Numerals
1kàllà
2róò
3mùʈʈà
4ùssà
5mòy
6mìccà
7mòorsò
8màartà
9mànɖéy
10ʈìyà

Pronouns

Sinyar pronouns:[6]

Sinyar pronouns
GlossSinyar
1Smàalé, (màá)
2Sìllé
3Snàalé, (nàá)
1P.ducìngé
1P.ex?cìyé
1P.incèesá
2P?sìngé; sèesá
3Pnìngé

References
  1. Sinyar at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Boyeldieu, Pascal. 2013. Case alignment(s) in Sinyar. Paper presented at the Nilo-Saharan Linguistics Colloquium, 22-24 May, 2013.
  3. Boyeldieu, Pascal. 2015. Case alignment(s) in Sinyar. In Angelika Mietzner and Anne Storch (eds.), Nilo-Saharan: Models and Descriptions, 21-36. Cologne: Köppe.
  4. Blench, Roger. Central Sudanic overview.
  5. Blažek, Václav (2015). "On the position of Kujarke within Chadic". Folia Orientalia. 52. ISSN 0015-5675.
  6. Boyeldieu, Pascal. 2013. Sinyar and SBB (Central Sudanic): genetic relationship or contact? Paper presented at Linguistique diachronique et reconstruction : méthodes, acquis, avancées récentes. Labex EFL. 1-6 July 2013.
  7. Boyeldieu, Pascal. 2013. Sinyar numerals.
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