Lau language

Last updated
Lau
Law
Wĩ̄ Lâwmã̄
Native to Nigeria
Region Lau LGA, Taraba State
Language codes
ISO 639-3 None (mis)
Glottolog None
Lâw
PeopleWĩ̄ Lâw
LanguageWĩ̄ Lâwmã̄

Lau (Law) is a Jukunoid language of Lau LGA, Taraba State, Nigeria. Lau speakers claim that their language is mutually intelligible with the Jukunoid language varieties spoken in Kunini, Bandawa, and Jeshi. They also live alongside the Central Sudanic-speaking Laka (Hausa name: Lakawa), who live in Laka ward of Lau LGA. [1]

Contents

Lau had been previously misclassified as a Mbum language along with Laka. [1] [2]

Laru is a Niger-Kordofanian language (Schadeberg 1981) in the Heiban group, with three main dialects: Yilaru, Yïdündïlï, and Yogo'romany. The Laru region's geographical features, such as mountains and hills, influence the language, particularly in terms of locatives that indicate location and direction. Locatives in Laru are encliticised or follow various word classes, including nouns, adjectives, demonstratives, possessive pronouns, verbs, and an accompaniment postposition.

Phonology

Consonants

Consonant Phonemes
bilabialdentalalveolarpalatalvelarlabialised velar
voiceless plositivespttckkw
voiced plosivesbd⁴  ɖɟɡgw
nasalsmnɲŋŋw
prenasalized plosivesmbndɲɟŋɡŋgw
approxiamantsw lj
flap ɽ
trill r

    (Consonant Phonemes in Laru Locatives, adapted from Abdalla 2015:2)

The table shows the consonant phonemes of a language, categorized by their place of articulation (bilabial, dental, alveolar, palatal, velar, and labialised velar). Each category has rows for different types of consonants, such as voiceless plosives, voiced plosives, nasals, prenasalized plosives, approximants, flap, and trill. Some cells in the table are empty, indicating that the language does not have a phoneme in that category.

The language has six places of articulation for consonants. The language has voiceless and voiced plosives in all six categories. The language has nasals in four categories, with two different phonemes for the alveolar category.The language has prenasalized plosives in five categories, with two different phonemes for the labialised velar category. The language has approximants in four categories, with one phoneme for each category. The language has a flap phoneme in the alveolar category.The language has a trill phoneme in the alveolar category.

The table provides a comprehensive overview of the consonant phonemes in the language, organized by place of articulation and type of consonant. The presence or absence of certain phonemes in each category can give insights into the phonological patterns of the language. The table can be used as a reference for linguists studying the language or for language learners trying to understand its phonology.

The highlighted text contains a table that shows the vowel inventory of a language. The table has two rows for ATR (Advanced Tongue Root) feature, one for [-ATR] and the other for [+ATR]. The table also has three columns for vowel height, namely high, mid, and low, and three rows for vowel backness, namely front, central, and back. “The [+ATR] vowel quality is dominant in Laru, spreading to both prefixes and suffixes from both noun and verb roots, as well as spreading from verb suffixes to the root .”(Abdalla 2012).

Vowel

Vowel Insertion
aɡ-ɲɛn     →  ɡɪɲɛ̀n'CM-dog'
bɡ-bəɽu    →  ɡɪbəɽu'CM-cloud'
cɡ-ɛn      →  ɡɛn'CM-mountain'

(Vowel Insertion in Laru Locatives, adapted from Abdalla 2015: 3)

Vowel insertion occurs in the language when a consonant-only prefix joins a consonant-initial root, resulting in a short /ɪ/ vowel being inserted between the adjacent consonants.

Vowel Elision

A linguistic phenomenon called "vowel elision" in the language being studied. Vowel elision occurs when two vowels are joined through affixation, which means adding a prefix or suffix to a word.The language does not allow vowel sequences, which means that two vowels cannot appear next to each other in a word. To prevent a sequence of two vowels from occurring, the first of the two vowels is elided, which means it is deleted or omitted from the word.

Examples: Vowel Elision:

a. daɽɪ  -  ala →  daɽala  ‘on the tree’
b. ɡʊlʊ  - ala →   ɡʊlala  ‘on the fence’ (Abdalla 2015:3)

It appears to be a list of phonetic transcriptions of words in a language, with the abbreviation "CM" likely referring to a particular morpheme or word root. The "VIR" mentioned may refer to a process of vowel insertion or alternation in the language. Without further context or knowledge of the language in question, it is difficult to provide more insights or conclusions.

Vowel elision is a common feature in many languages, and it often occurs to avoid the repetition of sounds or to simplify pronunciation. In some cases, vowel elision can also be used to indicate a specific grammatical function or to distinguish between different forms of a word. In the examples given, the elision of the vowel sound in "daɽɪ" and "ɡʊlʊ" helps to create a smoother and more natural-sounding combination with the locative enclitic "ala". It is important to note that vowel elision is not always predictable or consistent, and it can vary depending on the specific language, dialect, or context.

Locatives

Locatives
LocativeGlossMeaning
-ala'on.above'above the ground level
-alu'on.level'on the ground level
-anʊ'under, inside'under the ground level, inside
nɔnɔ'around'around the ground level

(Locatives in Laru Locatives, adapted from Abdalla 2015: 3)

The locatives specify geographical locations and positions in relation to the ground level. The locative clitics -ala, -alu, -anu, and nən indicate above the ground level, on the ground level, under or inside the ground level, and around the ground level, respectively. this text is introducing the topic of locatives and providing some basic information about the different types of locatives that will be discussed in more detail later on.

Laru has a noun class system with nine classes that categorize different types of objects, including big things, hollow and round things, small and thin things, liquids and abstract concepts, and relational nominals like pronouns and kinship terms. This system consists of nine classes, which are categorized based on five areas of semantic identification(Kuku 2015:4). The first and second classes are used for big things like people, trees, and animals.The third and fourth classes are used for hollow and round things. The fifth and sixth classes are used for small, thin, long, or pointed things.The seventh class is used for liquids and abstract things or ideas. Lastly, the eighth and ninth classes are used for relational nominals such as pronouns and kinship terms.

This noun class system is important in understanding the grammar and syntax of Laru, as it affects how words are formed and used in sentences.

Grammar

Noun Classes

Noun Classes
ClassClass markersSingualrPluralGlossSemantic area
1-2d-/ŋʷ-dìɟìŋʷùɟìpersonbig things
3-4l-/ŋʷ-ləbləⁿdíŋʷəbləⁿdíriflehollow, round things
5-6ɡ-/j-ɡìɟìjìɟìchildsmall, thin, long, pointed things
7j-jáʷwaterliquids, abstract things
8-9-0/-ŋəmə́məŋə́grandmotherrelational terms

(Noun Classes in Laru Locatives, adapted from Abdalla 2015: 4)

The table shows different class markers, singular and plural forms, gloss, and semantic areas for different categories of objects in a language.

The language has 9 classes of objects, each with its own class marker.

The plural form of class 1-2 is formed by adding the sound "nw" to the singular form.

The plural form of class 8-9 is formed by adding the sound "y" to the singular form.

The table provides information on the different categories of objects in the language and how they are classified into different classes.

The table shows how the plural form of some classes is formed.

The table provides gloss and semantic area information for each class.

Noun Roots

The table shows minimal and contrastive pairs of noun roots in Laru language.

vowelsLaruEnglishLaruEnglish
ɪ-ɛd-ìl‘horn’d-ɛ̀l‘well'
dˈ-ɽɪ́k.o.stickg'-ɽɛ́‘k.o.tree'
d-ìrà‘lion’g-ɛ̀rá‘girl’
g-ìlíɲ‘k.o.mushroom'd-ɛ̀lɛ́ɲ‘chief
d'-l:í‘shoulder'ǀˈ-ǀːɛ́‘grinding  stone’
ɛ-aj-ɛ̀n‘mountains’j-àn‘milk’
g'-ɽɛ̀‘tree'gˈ-ɽà‘head’
ɡ-ɛ̀rá‘girl’g-ɛ̀rɛ́‘sky’
d-ɔ̀rɛ́‘basket'd-ɔ̀rá‘anus’
g-ɔ̀ɽɛ̀‘shelter'g-ɔra‘k.o.wood'
a-ɔj-àn‘milk’j-ɔn‘grain
ɔ-ʊd-ɔ̀ɽá‘thresher'd-ʊ̀ɽà‘winder'
d-ɔ̀rá‘anus’d-ʊ̀rà‘magic stick
g-ɔ̀bɔ̀‘temple'g-ʊ̀bʊ̀‘compound’
g-ɔ̀ʈà‘k.o.fruit’g-ʊ̀dá‘k.o.fruit'
g-ɔ̀ɲ‘thingg-ʊ̀ɲ‘veranda’
ɪ -id-ìrìɲ'waistd-ìrìɲ‘boar'
a-əd-àmà‘locust’d-ə̀mə̀‘wound'
d-ádáɲ‘knife’d-ə́də́ɲ‘cave lizard’
g-áɲá‘grassd-ə̀ɲə̀'vegetables
d'-ráɲ‘k.o.grass’dˈ-rə́ŋ‘seal of bee'
g'-ɽà‘head’g'-ɽə́‘bird’
ʊ -ug'-lʊ̀‘clayd'-lù‘smoke'
g'ɟʊ̀r‘stream’d'-ɟúr‘rock’
g'-bʊ̀ŋ'hole in tree'g'-bùŋ‘pool’
d-ʊ̀wà‘buffalo’d-úwə́‘moon’
g-úwá‘root’g-úwə́‘he-goat’

(Noun Roots in Laru Vowel Harmony from Abdalla 2012: 28)

The table shows minimal and contrastive pairs of noun roots in Laru language. Laru language has 8 vowels in noun roots.The class marker prefix is separated from the root by a hyphen.The table provides examples of noun roots with different vowel combinations, such as "d-11" for "hom" and "d-t" for "well".

The table also shows examples of noun roots with different consonant combinations, such as "d^{\prime} \cdot t^{\prime}" for "k.e. stick" and "g^{\prime} \cdot d" for "k.o. tree".

The table demonstrates the importance of vowel and consonant combinations in distinguishing between different noun roots in Laru language.

Affixes of Nouns

Affixes of Nouns
Direction
Marker
Class
Marker
Accuative
Marker
Locative
ɡ-d-Root-ala
ⁿd-ɡ--u-alʊ
C lengthl-
j-
-anʊ
ŋʷ-

(Affixes of Nouns in Laru Locatives, adapted from Abdalla 2015:7)

The table highlights the complexity of Laru language and the importance of understanding its unique features for effective communication.

The table shows different affixes that can be added to nouns in the language being studied. The Direction Marker column shows two affixes: "g-" and "nd-". The Class Marker column shows five affixes: "d-", "g-", "l-", "j-", and "g"-". The Accusative Marker column shows two affixes: "Roo T" and "-u". The Locative column shows three affixes: "-ala", "-alu", and "-anu". The affixes in the Direction Marker column indicate the direction of the noun, while the affixes in the Class Marker column indicate the class of the noun.

The Accusative Marker column shows two different markers that can be used to indicate the accusative case of the noun. The Locative column shows three different markers that can be used to indicate the locative case of the noun.

Verbs

Affixes of verbs

Affixes of verbs
Subject
Agreement
Finite
Markers
Derivational
Morphemes
Locative
Enclitics
ɡ-ROOT-di(transitive continuative)-nɪ (REF)-ala 'on.above'
ɡw--ti(transitive perfective)- ni (PASS)-alu 'on.level'
l--u(default)-ɟɪ (MAN)-anu 'inside, under'
ŋw--dɪ (REC)
d--cɪ (DIR)
-tɪ (SIM)
-ʈɪ (REP)
-jɪ (CAU)

(Affixes of verbs in Laru Locatives, adapted from Abdalla 2015: 14)

The table has five columns: Subject Agreement, Finite Markers, Derivational Morphemes, Locative Enclitics, and Locative Enclitics.

The table shows different subject agreement prefixes (ɡ-, ɡʷ-, l-, ɡʷ-, d-) that can be combined with finite markers (-di, -ti, -u) and derivational morphemes (-nI, -ni, -jI, -di, -cI, -ti, -ti, -ji) to form different verb forms.The locative enclitics (-ala, -alu, -anu) can be added to these verb forms to indicate geographical locations and positions in relation to the ground level. The table provides a comprehensive overview of the different morphemes and enclitics used in locative constructions in the language.The table can be used as a reference for researchers and linguists studying the language and its grammar.

Derived Verb Forms

Derived Verb Forms
SuffixFunctionInfinitive verbDerived verb
-nɪreflexive (REF)èŋɡá'to see'èŋɡà-nɪ́'to look at oneself'
-nipassive (PASS)lɛŋɛ́'to know'lɛŋɛ-ní'to be known'
-ɟɪmanipulative (MAN) rʊ́'to be'rʊ̀-ɟɪ́'to make to be'
-dɪreciprocal (REC)'to beat'pɪ̀-dɪ́'to fight each other'
-cɪdirective (DIR)mànɪ́'to cook'mànɪ̀-cɪ́'to cook for someone'
-tisimultaneous (SIM) lʊ́'to dig'lʊ̀-tí'to dig'
-ʈirepetitive (REP)ùɽí'to cut'ùɽì-ʈí'to cut several times'
-jɪcausative (CAU)rɪ̀tɪ́'to play'rɪ̀tɪ̀-jɪ́'to cause something to play'

(Derived Verb Forms in Laru Locatives, adapted from Abdalla 2015:13)

The table includes columns for the suffix, function, infinitive verb, gloss, derived verb, and gloss. The table shows different types of verb suffixes, including reflexive, passive, manipulative, reciprocal, directive, simultaneous, repetitive, and causative.

Each suffix is demonstrated with an example of an infinitive verb and a derived verb, showing how the suffix changes the meaning of the verb.

For example, the reflexive suffix "-nI" changes the verb "èngá" (to see) to "èygà-ní" (to look at oneself). By using these suffixes, speakers can convey more nuanced meanings and actions in their speech. The table also highlights the complexity of the language's grammar and syntax, as well as the importance of understanding these features for effective communication.

Names

Names for the Lau language, people, and town: [1]

Sample words

Some sample words in Lau from Idiatov (2017): [1]

EnglishLau
animalnɛ̃́wkũ̂
cownâw
chickenzǟw
manjĩ̂nə̀nwò
medicinegâj

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crow language</span> Missouri Valley Siouan language of Montana, US

Crow is a Missouri Valley Siouan language spoken primarily by the Crow Nation in present-day southeastern Montana. The word Apsáalooke translates to "Children of the Large Beaked Bird", which was later incorrectly translated into English as 'Crow'. It is one of the larger populations of American Indian languages with 4,160 speakers according to the 2015 US Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Choctaw language</span> Muskogean language spoken in US

The Choctaw language, spoken by the Choctaw, an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, USA, is a member of the Muskogean language family. Chickasaw is a separate but closely related language to Choctaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halkomelem</span> Shalishan language

Halkomelem is a language of various First Nations peoples of the British Columbia Coast. It is spoken in what is now British Columbia, ranging from southeastern Vancouver Island from the west shore of Saanich Inlet northward beyond Gabriola Island and Nanaimo to Nanoose Bay and including the Lower Mainland from the Fraser River Delta upriver to Harrison Lake and the lower boundary of the Fraser Canyon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonkawa language</span> Native American language

The Tonkawa language was spoken in Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico by the Tonkawa people. A language isolate, with no known related languages, Tonkawa has not had L1 speakers since the mid 1900s. Most Tonkawa people now only speak English, but revitalization is underway.

Argobba is an Ethiopian Semitic language spoken in several districts of Afar, Amhara, and Oromia regions of Ethiopia by the Argobba people. It belongs to the South Ethiopic languages subgroup, and is closely related to Amharic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plains Cree language</span> Algonquian language spoken in North America

Plains Cree is a dialect of the Algonquian language, Cree, which is the most populous Canadian indigenous language. Plains Cree is considered a dialect of the Cree-Montagnais language or a dialect of the Cree language that is distinct from the Montagnais language. Plains Cree is one of five main dialects of Cree in this second sense, along with Woods Cree, Swampy Cree, Moose Cree, and Atikamekw. Although no single dialect of Cree is favored over another, Plains Cree is the one that is the most widely used. Out of the 116,500 speakers of the Cree language, the Plains Cree dialect is spoken by about 34,000 people primarily in Saskatchewan and Alberta but also in Manitoba and Montana.

Wintu is a Wintu language which was spoken by the Wintu people of Northern California. It was the northernmost member of the Wintun family of languages. The Wintun family of languages was spoken in the Shasta County, Trinity County, Sacramento River Valley and in adjacent areas up to the Carquinez Strait of San Francisco Bay. Wintun is a branch of the hypothetical Penutian language phylum or stock of languages of western North America, more closely related to four other families of Penutian languages spoken in California: Maiduan, Miwokan, Yokuts, and Costanoan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Pomo language</span> Pomoan language

Eastern Pomo, also known as Clear Lake Pomo, is a nearly extinct Pomoan language spoken around Clear Lake in Lake County, California by one of the Pomo peoples.

Tariana is an endangered Maipurean language spoken along the Vaupés River in Amazonas, Brazil by approximately 100 people. Another approximately 1,500 people in the upper and middle Vaupés River area identify themselves as ethnic Tariana but do not speak the language fluently.

The Yimas language is spoken by the Yimas people, who populate the Sepik River Basin region of Papua New Guinea. It is spoken primarily in Yimas village, Karawari Rural LLG, East Sepik Province. It is a member of the Lower-Sepik language family. All 250-300 speakers of Yimas live in two villages along the lower reaches of the Arafundi River, which stems from a tributary of the Sepik River known as the Karawari River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiipai language</span> Yuman language spoken in Mexico and US

Tiipai (Tipay) is a Native American language belonging to the Delta–California branch of the Yuman language family, which spans Arizona, California, and Baja California. As part of the Yuman family, Tiipai has also been consistently included in the controversial quasi-stock Hokan. Tiipai is spoken by a number of Kumeyaay tribes in northern Baja California and southern San Diego County, California. There were, conservatively, 200 Tiipai speakers in the early 1990s; the number of speakers has since declined steadily, numbering roughly 100 speakers in Baja California in a 2007 survey.

Classical Kʼicheʼ was an ancestral form of today's Kʼicheʼ language, which was spoken in the highland regions of Guatemala around the time of the 16th-century Spanish conquest of Guatemala. Classical Kʼicheʼ has been preserved in a number of historical Mesoamerican documents, lineage histories, missionary texts, and dictionaries. Most famously, it is the language in which the renowned highland Maya mythological and historical narrative Popol Vuh is written. Another historical text of partly similar content is the Título de Totonicapán.

Central Alaskan Yupʼik is one of the languages of the Yupik family, in turn a member of the Eskimo–Aleut language group, spoken in western and southwestern Alaska. Both in ethnic population and in number of speakers, the Central Alaskan Yupik people form the largest group among Alaska Natives. As of 2010 Yupʼik was, after Navajo, the second most spoken aboriginal language in the United States. Yupʼik should not be confused with the related language Central Siberian Yupik spoken in Chukotka and St. Lawrence Island, nor Naukan Yupik likewise spoken in Chukotka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nukak language</span> Endangered indigenous language of Colombia

The Nukak language is a language of uncertain classification, perhaps part of the macrofamily Puinave-Maku. It is very closely related to Kakwa.

Ugaritic is an extinct Northwest Semitic language. This article describes the grammar of the Ugaritic language. For more information regarding the Ugaritic language in general, see Ugaritic language.

Laro, also Laru, Aaleira, Ngwullaro, Yillaro, is a Niger–Congo language in the Heiban family spoken in the Nuba Mountains in Kordofan, Sudan.

The Kwaio language, or Koio, is spoken in the centre of Malaita Island in the Solomon Islands. It is spoken by about 13,000 people.

Maia is a Papuan language spoken in the Madang Province of Papua New Guinea, and is a member of the Trans-New Guinea language family. It has a language endangerment status of 6a, which means that it is a vigorous and sustainable language spoken by all generations. According to a 2000 census, there are approximately 4,500 living speakers of the language, who are split between twenty-two villages in the Almani district of the Bogia sub-district.

Nuaulu is a language indigenous to the island of Seram Island in Indonesia, and it is spoken by the Nuaulu people. The language is split into two dialects, a northern and a southern dialect, between which there a communication barrier. The dialect of Nuaulu referred to on this page is the southern dialect, as described in Bolton 1991.

Guosa is a constructed interlanguage originally created by Alex Igbineweka in 1965. It was designed to be a combination of the indigenous languages of Nigeria and to serve as a lingua franca to West Africa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Idiatov, Dmitry, Mark Van de Velde, Tope Olagunju and Bitrus Andrew. 2017. Results of the first AdaGram survey in Adamawa and Taraba States, Nigeria . 47th Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics (CALL) (Leiden, Netherlands).
  2. Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.