Ngadha language: Difference between revisions

'''Ngadha''' ({{IPA-|ru|ŋaᶑa|IPA}}, also spelled '''Ngada''', '''Ngad{{hamza}}a''' or '''Nga{{hamza}}da'''<ref name=DjawanaiGrimes>{{cite book |last1=Djawanai |first1=Stephanas |last2=Grimes |last2first2=Charles E. |year=1985 |chapter=Ngada |editor=Darrell T. Tryon |title=Comparative Austronesian Dictionary: An Introduction to Austronesian Studies |location=Berlin |publisher=Mouton De Gruyter |pages=593–599 |doi=10.1515/9783110884012.1.593}}</ref>) is an [[Austronesian language]], one of six languages spoken in the central stretch of the [[Indonesia]]n island of [[Flores]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Introduction |url=http://rspas.anu.edu.au/linguistics/projects/iwa/Web-Pages/RonggaPRoject%20-%20Home.htm |url-status=dead |website=Rongga Documentation Project |access-date=2006-12-19 |archive-date=2006-08-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060824204757/http://rspas.anu.edu.au/linguistics/projects/iwa/Web-Pages/RonggaPRoject%20-%20Home.htm }}</ref> From west to east these languages are Ngadha, Nage, Keo, Ende, Lio, and Palu'e. These languages form the proposed Central Flores group of the [[Sumba–Flores languages]], according to Blust (2009).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Blust |first=Robert |date=2008 |title=Is There a Bima-Sumba Subgroup? |journal=Oceanic Linguistics |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=45–113 |doi=10.1353/ol.0.0006 |jstor=20172340|s2cid=144311741 }}</ref>

The sound system of Ngadha is as follows.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Djawanai |first=Stephanus |title=Ngadha Text Tradition: The Collective Mind of the Ngadha People, Flores |date=1983 |publisher=Australian National University |series=Pacific Linguistics Series D – No. 55 |location=Canberra |doi=10.15144/PL-D55 |hdl=1885/145062 |isbn=978-0-85883-283-1 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>

|+Ngadha vowels{{sfn|Djawanai|1983|p=115}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|i}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|u}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|e}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|ə̆}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|o}}

|{{IPAlinkIPA link|a}}

The short vowel {{IPA|/ə̆/}} is written {{angbr|e}} followed by a double consonant, since phonetically a consonant becomes [[Gemination|geminate]] after {{IPA|/ə̆/}}.{{sfn|Djawanai|1983|p=115}} It is never stressed and does not form sequences with other vowels except where glottal stop has dropped (e.g. {{lang|nxg|limaessa}} 'six', from {{lang|nxg|lima}} 'five' and {{lang|nxg|'essa}} 'one').

Within vowel sequences, [[Epenthesis|epenthetic]] {{IPA|[j]}} may appear after an unrounded vowel (e.g. in {{IPA|/eu/}}, {{IPA|/eo/}}) and {{IPA|[w]}} after a rounded vowel (e.g. in {{IPA|/oe/}}, {{IPA|/oi/}}). Double vowels are sequences. Vowels tend to be voiceless between voiceless consonants and pre-pausa after voiceless consonants.

Stress is on the penultimate syllable, unless that contains the vowel {{IPA|/ə̆/}}, in which case stress is on the final syllable.{{sfn|Djawanai|1983|p=120}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|m}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|n}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|ŋ}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|b}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|d̪}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|dʒ}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|ɡ}}

| rowspan="2" | {{IPAlinkIPA link|ʔ}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|pʰ}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|tʰ}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|kʰ}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|ɓ}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|ᶑ}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|v}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|z}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|ɣ}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|f}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|s}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|x}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|l}}

| {{IPAlinkIPA link|r}}

The implosives have been spelled {{angle bracket|b{{hamza}} d{{hamza}}}}, {{angle bracket|{{hamza}}b {{hamza}}d}} and {{angle bracket|bh dh}}. The [[Velar consonant|velar]] fricatives[[fricative]]s are spelled {{angle bracket|h, gh}}.<ref name=DjawanaiGrimes/>

The [[Trill consonant|trill]] is short, and may have only one or two contacts.

Glottal stop contrasts with zero{{Clarify|date=June 2024|reason= The source is comprehensible, this here is not. One of the questions that it brings is: "What does "zero" stands for?" When that is answered, the rest may (or may not) become clearer.}} in initial position, as in {{lang|nxg|inu}} 'drink', vsor {{lang|nxg|'inu}} 'tiny'. In rapid speech it tends to drop intervocalically{{Clarify|date=June 2024|reason= again, the source is comprehensible but this is not. Please note that using language more complicated than that of the source does not make it better, quite the contrary.}}.{{sfn|Djawanai|1983|p=118}}

Phonetically {{IPA|[#C̩CV]}} words are analyzed as having an initial [[Mid central vowel|schwa]]. In initial position the consonant is always voiced (otherwise the schwa remains){{clarify|date=June 2024|reason=This statement lacks logic / is contradictory with the one in the preceding sentence: there is an intitial schwa, but somehow there isn't if it is preceded by a consonant? And if it is not preceded by a consonant, is it still a schwa (defined as a "mid central vowel")?}}. Examples are {{lang|nxg|emma}} {{IPA|[mma]|lang=nxg}} 'father', {{lang|nxg|emmu}} {{IPA|[mmu]|lang=nxg}} 'mosquito', {{lang|nxg|enna}} {{IPA|[nna]|lang=nxg}} 'sand', {{lang|nxg|Ennga}} {{IPA|[ŋŋa]|lang=nxg}} (name), {{lang|nxg|ebba}} {{IPA|[bba]|lang=nxg}} 'swadling sling', {{lang|nxg|ebbu}} {{IPA|[bbu]|lang=nxg}} 'grandparents', {{lang|nxg|Ebbo}} {{IPA|[bbo]|lang=nxg}} (name), {{lang|nxg|erro}} {{IPA|[rro]|lang=nxg}} 'sun' – also in medial position with voiceless consonants, as in {{lang|nxg|limaessa}} {{IPA|[limassa]|lang=nxg}} 'six'.{{sfn|Djawanai|1983|p=118-119}}