Xamtanga language

Xamtanga (also Agawinya, Khamtanga, Simt'anga, Xamir, Xamta) is a Central Cushitic language spoken in Ethiopia by the Xamir people.

Xamtanga
Xamir
Pronunciation[ˈχamtaŋa]
Native toEthiopia
RegionNorth Amhara Region
speakersNative: 210,000 (2010)[1]
L2: 11,000[1]
Afro-Asiatic
Language codes
ISO 639-3xan
Glottologxamt1239

Sound system

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i ɨ u
Mid vowel ə
Low vowel a

The central vowels ə a/ have fronted and backed allophones, depending on the adjacent consonant(s).

Consonants

Labial Coronal Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
plainlabialized plainlabialized
Nasal m n ŋ ŋʷ
Plosive/
Affricate
voiceless t t͡ʃ k q
voiced b d d͡ʒ ɡ ɡʷ
ejective t͡ʃʼ kʷʼ
Fricative voiceless f s ʃ χ χʷ h*
voiced z
ejective
Lateral l
Tap ɾ
Semivowel j w

Gemination

In positions other than word-initial, Xamtanga contrasts geminate and non-geminate consonants. With most consonants, the difference between a geminate and a non-geminate is simply one of length, but the cases of /b t q/ are more complex. When not word-initial, non-geminate /b/ is realized as a bilabial [β] or labiodental fricative [v], and /t/ and /q/ are realized as affricates: [tθ qχ]. Their geminate equivalents may be realized as prolonged [bː qː], or can simply be short [b t q].

In word-initial position, geminate consonants do not occur, and /b t q/ are realized as plosives.

Notes

  1. Xamtanga at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) closed access

Bibliography

  • D.L. Appleyard (1987). "A Grammatical Sketch of Khamtanga—I". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 50 (2): 241–266. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00049028. S2CID 123007452.
  • D.L. Appleyard (1987). "A Grammatical Sketch of Khamtanga—II". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 50 (3): 470–507. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00039471. S2CID 246637332.
  • Appleyard, David L. (1988) "A Definite Article in Xamtanga", African Languages and Cultures 1/1, pp. 15–24.
  • Appleyard, David L. (2006) A Comparative Dictionary of the Agaw Languages (Kuschitische Sprachstudien – Cushitic Language Studies Band 24). Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.
  • Chloé Darmon, L'agäw xamtanga : une langue couchitique en contact avec l'amharique, In Pount. Cahiers d'études : Corne de l'Afrique - Arabie du Sud, 4, pp. 169–195, 2010


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.