Pazeh language
Pazeh (also spelled Pazih, Pazéh) is an extinct language of the Pazeh, a Taiwanese aboriginal people. It was a Formosan language of the Austronesian language family. The last remaining native speaker of Pazeh proper, Pan Jin-yu,[4] died in 2010 at the age of 96.[1] Before her death, she offered Pazeh classes to about 200 regular students in Puli and a small number of students in Miaoli and Taichung.[5] Kulun (sometimes also spelled Kulon) was a dialect that became extinct earlier. The insulting name "fan" was used against Plains Aborigines by the Han Taiwanese, and the Hoklo Taiwanese speech was forced upon Aborigines like the Pazeh.[6] Hoklo Taiwanese has replaced Pazeh and driven it to extinction.[7] Aboriginal status has been requested by Plains Aboriginals.[8]
Pazeh | |
---|---|
Native to | Taiwan |
Ethnicity | Pazeh people |
Extinct | 24 October 2010, with the death of Pan Jin-yu[1] |
Austronesian
| |
Dialects |
|
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | uun |
Glottolog | kulo1237 [2] |
(pink, northwest) Saisiyat, Pazeh proper, and Kulon. Some Chinese-language sources designate the white area in the northwest as a Kulon area, as opposed to the small pink circle on this map.[3] | |
Phonology
Pazeh has 17 consonants, 4 vowels, and 4 diphthongs (-ay, -aw, -uy, -iw).[9]
Labial | Coronal1 | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | n | ŋ | ||
Stop | p b | t d | k ɡ3 | (ʔ)2 | |
Fricative | s z4 | x | h5 | ||
Rhotic | ɾ | ||||
Approximant | l | j | w |
- /t/ and /d/ do not actually share the same place of articulation; /d/ is alveolar or prealveolar and /t/ (as well as /n/) is interdental. Other coronal consonants tend to be prealveolar or post-dental.
- The distribution for the glottal stop is allophonic, appearing only between like vowels, before initial vowels, and after final vowels. It is also largely absent in normal speech
- /ɡ/ is spirantized intervocalically
- /z/ is actually an alveolar/prealveolar affricate [dz] and only occurs as a syllable onset.[11]
- /h/ varies between glottal and pharyngeal realizations ([ħ]) and is sometimes difficult to distinguish from /x/
Although Pazeh contrasts voiced and voiceless obstruents, this contrast is neutralized in final position for labial and velar stops, where only /p/ and /k/ occur respectively (/d/ is also devoiced but a contrast is maintained). /l/ and /n/ are also neutralized to the latter.[12] Voiceless stops are unreleased in final position.
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | u | |
Mid | (ɛ) | ə | (o) |
Open | a |
Mid vowels ([ɛ] and [o]) are allophones of close vowels (/i/ and /u/ respectively).
- Both lower when adjacent to /h/.
- /u/ lowers before /ŋ/. [u] and [o] are in free variation before /ɾ/
- Reduplicated morphemes carry the phonetic vowel even when the reduplicated vowel is not in the phonological context for lowering.
- /mutapitapih/ → [mu.ta.pɛ.taˈpɛh] ('keep clapping').[14]
/a/ is somewhat advanced and raised when adjacent to /i/. Prevocally, high vowels are semivocalized. Most coronal consonants block this, although it still occurs after /s/. Semivowels also appear post-vocally.[15]
Phonotactics
The most common morpheme structure is CVCVC where C is any consonant and V is any vowel. Consonant clusters are rare and consist only of a nasal plus a homorganic obstruent or the glide element of a diphthong.[12]
Intervocalic voiceless stops are voiced before a morpheme boundary (but not following one) .[16] Stress falls on the ultimate syllable.[12]
Sound changes
The Pazih language merged the following Proto-Austronesian phonemes (Li 2001:7).
- *C, *S > s
- *D, *Z > d
- *k, *g > k
- *j, *s > z
- *S2, *H > h
- *N, *ñ > l
- *r, *R > x
Pazih also split some Proto-Austronesian phonemes:
- *S > s (merged with *C); *S2, *H > h
- *w > ø, w
- *e > e, u
Grammar
Like Bunun, Seediq, Squliq Atayal, Mantauran Rukai, and the Tsouic languages,[17] Pazeh does not distinguish between common nouns and personal names, whereas Saisiyat does (Li 2000). Although closely related to Saisiyat, the Pazeh language does not have the infix -um- that is present in Saisiyat.
Morphology
Pazeh makes ready use of affixes, infixes, suffixes, and circumfixes, as well as reduplication.[18] Pazeh also has "focus-marking" in its verbal morphology. In addition, verbs can be either stative or dynamic.
There are four types of focus in Pazeh (Li 2000).
- Agent-focus (AF): mu-, me-, mi-, m-, ma-, ∅-
- Patient-focus (PF) -en, -un
- Locative-focus (LF): -an
- Referential-focus (RF): sa-, saa-, si-
The following affixes are used in Pazeh verbs (Li 2000).
- -in- 'perfective'
- -a- 'progressive'
- -ay 'actor focus, irrealis', -aw 'patient focus, irrealis'
- -i 'non-agent-focused imperative'
The following are also used to mark aspect (Li 2000).
- Reduplication of the verb stem's first syllable – 'progressive'
- lia – "already"
Affixes
The Pazih affixes below are from Li (2001:10–19).
- Prefixes
- ha-: stative
- ka-: inchoative
- kaa-: nominal
- kai-: to stay at a certain location
- kali- -an: susceptible to, involuntarily
- m-: agent focus
- ma- (ka-): stative
- ma- (pa-): to have (noun); agent-focus
- maa[ka]- (paa[ka]-): – mutually, reciprocal
- maka- (paka-): to bear, bring forth
- mana- (pana-): to wash (body parts)
- mari- (pari-): to bear, to give birth (of animal)
- maru- (paru-): to lay eggs or give birth
- masa-: verbal prefix
- masi- (pasi-): to move, to wear
- mata-: (number of) times
- mati- (pati-): to carry, to wear, to catch
- matu- (patu-): to build, erect, set up
- maxa- (paxa-): to produce, to bring forth; to become
- maxi- (paxi-): to have, to bring forth; to look carefully
- me-, mi- (pi-), mi- (i-): agent-focus
- mia- (pia-): towards, to go
- mia- which one; ordinal (number)
- mu- (pu-): agent-focus (-um- in many other Formosan languages); to release
- pa-: verbalizer; causative, active verb
- paka-: causative, stative verb
- papa-: to ride
- pu-: to pave
- pu- -an: locative-focus, location
- sa- ~saa-, si-: instrumental-focus, something used to ..., tools
- si-: to have, to produce; to go (to a location)
- si- -an: to bring forth, to have a growth on one's body
- ta-: agentive, one specialized in ...; nominal prefix; verbal prefix
- tau-: agentive
- tau- -an: a gathering place
- taxa-: to feel like doing; to take a special posture
- taxi-: to lower one's body
- taxu-: to move around
- ti-: to get something undesirable or uncomfortable
- tu-: stative
- xi-: to turn over, to revert
- Infixes
- -a-: progressive, durative
- -in-: perfective
- Suffixes
- -an: locative-focus, location
- -an ~ -nan: locative pronoun or personal name
- -aw: patient-focus, future
- -ay: locative-focus, irrealis
- -en ~ -un: patient-focus
- -i: patient-focus, imperative; vocative, address for an elder kinship
- CV- -an: location
Syntax
Although originally a verb-initial language, Pazeh often uses SVO (verb-medial) sentence constructions due to influence from Chinese.
There are four case markers in Pazeh (Li 2000).
- ki Nominative
- ni Genitive
- di Locative
- u Oblique
Pazeh has the following negators (Li 2001:46).
- ini – no, not
- uzay – not
- kuang ~ kuah – not exist
- mayaw – not yet
- nah – not want
- ana – don't
Pronouns
The Pazeh personal pronouns below are from Li (2000). (Note: vis. = visible, prox. = proximal)
Type of Pronoun |
Neutral | Nominative | Genitive | Locative |
---|---|---|---|---|
1s. | yaku | aku | naki | yakuan, yakunan |
2s. | isiw | siw | nisiw | isiwan |
2s. (prox.) | imini | mini | nimini | iminiyan |
3s. (vis.) | imisiw | misiw | nimisiw | misiwan |
3s. (not vis.) | isia | sia | nisia | isiaan |
1p. (incl.) | ita | ta | nita (ta-) | itaan |
1p. (excl.) | yami | ami | nyam(i) | yamian, yaminan |
2p. | imu | mu | nimu | imuan |
2p. (prox.) | yamini | amini | naamini | yaminiyan |
3p. (vis.) | yamisiw | amisiw | naamisiw | yamisiwan |
3p. (not vis.) | yasia | asia | naasia | yasiaan |
Numerals
Pazeh and Saisiyat are the only Formosan languages that do not have a bipartite numerical system consisting of both human and non-human numerals (Li 2006).[19] Pazeh is also the only language that forms the numerals 6 to 9 by addition (However, Saisiyat, which is closely related to Pazeh, expresses the number 6 as 5 + 1, and 9 as 10 − 1.)
- 1 = ida adang
- 2 = dusa
- 3 = turu
- 4 = supat
- 5 = xasep
- 6 = 5 + 1 = xaseb-uza
- 7 = 5 + 2 = xaseb-i-dusa
- 8 = 5 + 3 = xaseb-i-turu
- 9 = 5 + 4 = xaseb-i-supat
The number "five" in Pazeh, xasep, is similar to Saisiyat Laseb, Taokas hasap, Babuza nahup, and Hoanya hasip (Li 2006). Li (2006) believes that the similarity is more likely because of borrowing rather than common origin. Laurent Sagart considers these numerals to be ancient retentions from Proto-Austronesian, but Paul Jen-kuei Li considers them to be local innovations. Unlike Pazeh, these Plains Aboriginal languages as well as the Atayalic languages use 2 × 4 to express the number 8. (The Atayalic languages as well as Thao also use 2 × 3 to express the number 6.) Saisiyat, Thao, Taokas, and Babuza use 10 − 1 to express 9, whereas Saisiyat uses 5 + 1 to express 6 as Pazeh does.[20] The Ilongot language of the Philippines also derives numerals in the same manner as Pazeh does (Blust 2009:273).[21]
Furthermore, numerals can function as both nouns and verbs in all Formosan languages, including Pazeh.
References
Notes
- Li, Ren-gui.( 李壬癸),/Academician of the Academia Sinica (Taipei) (中央研究院院士(台北市)),"下一個消失的語言是? (Which language will be extinct next in Taiwan?)", United Daily News,2010.10.29/01:39am. (in Chinese)
- Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Kulon-Pazeh". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
- "臺灣原住民平埔族群百年分類史系列地圖 (A history of the classification of Plains Taiwanese tribes over the past century)". blog.xuite.net. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
- Blust (1999:322)
- Loa, Iok-sin (26 June 2008). "Pazeh poets honored at ceremony". Taipei Times.
- Hua, Meng-ching; Pan, Jason (15 June 2014). "Pazeh writers get awards for preserving language". Taipei Times.
- Loa, Iok-sin (26 June 2008). "Pazeh poets honored at ceremony". Taipei Times.
- Loa, Iok-sin (15 July 2014). "Pingpu activists demand government recognition". Taipei Times.
- Blust, Robert (1999). "Notes on Pazeh Phonology and Morphology". Oceanic Linguistics. 38 (2): 321–365. doi:10.1353/ol.1999.0002.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Blust (1999:325–329)
- Blust (1999:328)
- Blust (1999:324)
- Blust (1999:329–332)
- Blust (1999:330)
- Blust (1999:329)
- Blust (1999:326)
- Li, Paul Jen-kuei. 1997. "A Syntactic Typology of Formosan Languages – Case Markers on Nouns and Pronouns." In Li, Paul Jen-kuei. 2004. Selected Papers on Formosan Languages. Taipei, Taiwan: Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica.
- Blust (1999:340)
- Li, Paul Jen-kuei (2006). "Numerals in Formosan Languages". Oceanic Linguistics. 45 (1): 133–152. doi:10.1353/ol.2006.0014. JSTOR 4499950.
- 台灣南島語言的奧秘 (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-27
- Blust, Robert. 2009. The Austronesian Languages. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. ISBN 0-85883-602-5, ISBN 978-0-85883-602-0.
General references
- Li, Paul Jen-kuei. 2000. Some Aspects of Pazeh Syntax. Oceanic Linguistics Special Publications, No. 29, Grammatical Analysis: Morphology, Syntax, and Semantics (2000).
- Li, Paul Jen-kuei and Tsuchida, Shigeru. 2001. Pazih Dictionary (巴宰語詞典). Taipei, Taiwan: Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica.
Bibliography
- Blust, Robert (1999). "Notes on Pazeh Phonology and Morphology". Oceanic Linguistics. 38 (2): 321–365. doi:10.1353/ol.1999.0002.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Further reading
- Li, R., & Tsuchida, S. (2002). Pazih Texts and Songs. Taipei: Institute of Linguistics (Preparatory Office), Academia Sinica. ISBN 957-671-888-0
External links
Pazeh language test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator |