Plains Apache language: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 05:31, 21 February 2020

Revision as of 05:38, 21 February 2020

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===Syllable Structure===

The Plains Apache syllable is maximally (C)(C)V(CCV:)(C), e.g. ''stłèèh'' "pants", though initial clusters are rare and must co-occur with a long vowel, making most syllables (C)V(:)(C), e.g. ''xòòš'' "cactus" and ''séé'' "dust". All consonants may appear in the syllable onset, although ''l'' and a null onset are not permitted word-initially; only ''d, g, ʔ, s, z, š, ž, h, l,'' and ''ł'' may appear in the syllable coda, whether word-final or not.

=== Tone ===

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Some of these forms require further explanation. The indefinite third person may be used when the possessor is unknown, and is similar in meaning to "someone's" (e.g. ''ʔí-bą̀ą̀s'' "a hoop owned by some unknown person"). The fourth person is reserved for possessors who are deemed to be in some way remote from the speaker, usually socially; compare ''bí-bą̀ą̀s'', which would refer to a hoop belonging to someone who the speaker is familiar with and interacts with frequently and informally, and ''góó-bą̀ą̀s'', used for someone who the speaker has a purely formal relationship with and does not know well.

The noun bases to which these prefixes can be added are of one of three classes: primary, compound, and nominalized. Primary noun bases are mostly monosyllabic stems such as ''t'èèš'' "charcoal," though a few of them seem to consist of an unidentified prefix and a stem (e.g. ''dèè-éh'' "antelope"), and some others are simply unanalyzable polysyllables, perhaps originally onomatopoeic (e.g. ''ʔą̀ą̀ʔą̀ʔ'' "magpie"). Many of the stem nouns have multiple different forms depending on their morphological context, with an absolute form when unpossessed, an inflected form when possessed, and a combining form in compounds or nominalized phrases. The formation of these is generally irregular, although certain patterns do exist, such as initial ''x'', ''s'', and ''ł'' becoming ''ɣ'', ''z'', and ''l'' when inflected (e.g. ''sàà'' > ''bí-zàà'' "his cactuslanguage") and a final V:h becoming Vʔ (e.g. ''t'ààh'' > ''bí-t'áʔ'' "his feather").

Some stem nouns, especially those referring to body parts, are [[Inalienably possessed noun|inalienably possessed]], i.e. they cannot occur without a possessor prefix (e.g. ''bí-dààh'' "his lips," but not *''dààh''). In these cases the indefinite prefix must be used if one wishes to talk about the object without specifying the possessor (''ʔí-dààh'' "lips"). In order to indicate [[alienable possession]] of these nouns, a second possessor prefix can be attached before the indefinite prefix, yielding forms like ''bí-ʔí-k'àʔ'' "his fat (which comes from the body of something or someone else, but is now in his posession)" contrasting with ''bí-k'àʔ'' "his fat (which is a part of his own body)." Some of these nouns may change their meaning when preceded by ''ʔí-'', such as ''ʔí-bèʔ'' "milk" versus ''bí-bèʔ'' "her breast"; lastly, some can only take the indefinite prefix, effectively turning them into regular alienably possessed nouns starting with ''ʔí-'' (e.g. ''ʔí-dààh'' "enemy," but ''bí-ʔí-dààh'' "his enemy," not *''bí-dààh'').