User:Lesslypz/Kiliwa language

Consonants
The phoneme inventory of the Kiliwa language includes the consonants /p, β, m, w, t, d, s, n, r, l, t͡ʃ, ɲ, j, k, kʷ, x, xʷ, ɣ, ʔ, h, hʷ/.

Intervocalic allophones of /p, t, k, kʷ/ can occur as [β, ð, ɣ, ɣʷ]. An approximant sound such as a /j/ sound after a glottal /h/ can become devoiced as [j̊], as with a devoiced [w̥] sound being an allophone of /hʷ/.

The glottal /h/ will adopt a rounding feature when succeeded by a /u/, and palatalization when succeeded by /i/.

Vowels
There are three vowel qualities; /i, u, a/, that can also be distinguished with vowel length /iː, uː, aː/ or /ii, uu, aa/. It should be noted that these different portrayals of long vowels are interchangeable but each form serves different descriptive advantages. Close vowel sounds /i, u/ can range to mid vowel sounds as [e, o], and with vowel length as [eː, oː]. Stressed /u/ becomes [i] in closed syllables, syllables with consonants on either side.

An epenthetic schwa sound [ə] can occur within root-initial consonant clusters, often taking articulatory features of the surrounding consonants.

The suffix /u/ is added to indicate a plural subject, and this phoneme is no longer rounded when following the voiced labials /w, m/. A stressed /i, uː/ is pronounced as [u] when preceding a /w/.

Stress is usually placed on the second-to-last syllable.

Pitch Accents
Accents acute and grave over vowels /i, u, a/ denote pitch accents: high level, high-falling, and low level. Stressed long vowels, which are written with consecutive repetitions of these vowels, are written with accents to denote changes in tone and stress in the following ways: high level– ʔsaa [ʔǝsáá] ‘yucca cactus fruit’, high-falling– ʔsaa [ʔǝsáà] ‘juniper’, low level– ʔsee [ʔǝsèè] ‘vulture, buzzard’.

Alphabet
The Kiliwa language is written using a modified Roman alphabet, as the language's culture has historically been unwritten and entirely oral. It consists of 15 consonants: / b /, /ch/, /g/, / h/, / j /, / k /, / l /, / m /, / n /, / ñ /, / p /, / s /, / t /, / w /, and / y /. * The digraph ⟨ch⟩ represents the affricate /tʃ/.

** The use of letter / h / is only used in certain words such as mouth (boca) – ha’ and yes (si) – ’haa.

*** The phoneme / w / is similarly pronounced as “gu."

There are also 5 silent and 5 long vowels: / a /, / a: /, / e /, / e: /, / I /, / i: /, /o /, /o: /, / u /, and /u: /. These are represented in the chart below. Other digraphs used in the Kiliwa language include: gu, hu, ju, ku, and xu. They are shown in the chart below. The inclusion of /, / is used as a brief pause, such as that in Spanish.

Numbers
Numbers in Kiliwa can be expressed up to several thousands without the use of Spanish loanwords. Counting is done using both fingers and toes. There is a resemblance of the Kiliwa word ‘sal’ which is the root for ‘finger/hand’. The following numbers are formed by using the form for the ten's place 'chipam' followed by its multiplier digit (the digits of those listed above from 1-9). The hundreds are formed by using the expression ‘chipam msig u’ kun yuu chipam’ followed by the multiplier digits found in that of numbers 1-9. Lastly, the thousands are formed by using the expression ‘chipam msig u’ kuetet’ before using the multiplier digits once again.

Singular and Plurals
In Kiliwa there are multiple ways of pluralizing words. There are several to differentiate it from the singular form. The most common affixes are t, cháu,m, u y si’waa. There are also some instances in which the plural form changes the vowels, for example: Kill! (kiñii); Kill them! (keñoot); Grab! (kiyuu); Grab them! (kiyeewi);  Stand! (ku’um); All of you stand! (ke’ewi).

Adverbs
Used in adjectives or nouns to denote a superlative degree of meaning.

Examples: Other adverbs include: Mgaay(better), Mák(here), Paak(there), Psap mí(today), J’choom(yesterday), Kiis i’bem(later), Mat pi’im kún(never)

Examples:

Adjective
-Tay: something of a big/great size for animals and objects or someone obtains a higher power/status due to profession.

Examples: Suffix P is used to signify something of a smaller degree for several adjectives.

Examples:

Conjunctions
Conjunctions are connect two or more ideas into a single sentence.There are also disjunctive conjunctions to separate two or more mutually exclusive options presented in a sentence.

Examples: /and/ translates to in Kiliwa to  é.

Verbs

 * Verbs are more complicated than nouns in Kiliwa language
 * There is more verb prefixes present, and less within suffixes and infixes
 * The prefixes demonstrate more structure within the grammar

Conjugation of the verbs
The conjugation allows us to tell what the action is doing and taking place in the verb


 * Example in Kiliwa: Conjugation of Verb Tmaa (eat)

Past & Present
Example: "I" presented Past Future

Nouns
In the Kiliwa language they are marked by the definite and indefinite



Determiner NP

The kiliwa has 3 degree of distance that appear in the third person pronoun

Examples:

The demonstrative NP
Kiliwa language is also  measured in the independent third-person pronoun in the demonstrative Np

Examples:

Mi-čaw → ‘these;they’ → (near speaker)

paa-čaw → ‘those;they → (near hearer)

ñaa-čaw → “those;they → (far from both)

mi-t čam ‘This/(s)he leaves (it)’

mi-čaw-t čaam-u → ‘These/they leave (it)’

mi-m ʔ-saaw   ‘I see this one/him/her’

mi-čaw=m=xwaq-m ʔ-čam → ‘I leave with these/them’

mi-čaw-l ʔ-saaw    ‘I looked into these one/them’

Gender Markers
When referring to a male human or animal one adds Kumeey

When referring to a female human or animal one adds Kekoo

Axis
Example: kumeey is male and kekoo is femlae