Khroskyabs language

Number

Khroskyabs dialects present two number markers, =ne for dual and =ɟi for plural: kɑpə̂=ne (book=du) "two books", kɑpə̂=ɟi (book=pl) "(more than two) books". Like many Asian languages, number markers are prohibited when a numeral is present:

kɑpə̂(*=ne)	jnæ̂
book(*=DU)	two
"two books"

kɑpə̂(*=ɟi)	çsə̂m
book(*=PL)	three
"three books"

Khroskyabs presents a rich array of classifiers. A non-exhaustive list of classifiers in the Wobzi dialects is shown below (with the numeral prefix ə̂- "one").

Vocative

Vocative is formed by assigning a high-falling tone to the penultimate syllable of a noun phrase.

Case marking

A series of enclitic case markers are attested in Khroskyabs. The Wobzi case markers are listed in the table below.

Compatibility

The superlative prefix sə̂_b- is compatible with stative verbs and only very few dynamic verbs: sə̂_b-tsʰa (SUPERL-be.good₁) 'best', but *sə̂_b-və (SUPERL-go₁).

Negative has four allomorphs. mə- is used when no other prefix precedes: mə-tsʰâ (NEG₁-be.good) (it is not good); mæ- is used when an orientational prefix precedes: næ-mæ-tsʰâ (IPFV.PST-NEG₂-be.good₁); mɑ- is used in perfective or past forms of a verb that prohibits the use of orientational prefixes in such situations: mɑ-vdé (NEG₃-see₂) '(s)he did not see' (vdê 'to see' does not allow any orientational prefix in past form); tə- is used in irrealis situations, imperative, jussive and conditional with ɑ̂- (not zə̂-): æ-tə-dzî-n (IMP-NEG₄-eat₁-2) 'Don't eat!'; ɑ̂-tə-dzi (JUSS-NEG₄-eat₁) 'Let her/him not eat. '

The interrogative prefixes ə̂- and ɕə- cannot coexist.

The irrealis prefix ɑ̂- and the conditional prefix zə̂- cannot coexist.

Causative s-

The causative prefix s- in Wobzi Khroskyabs undergoes various morphophonological processes, including voicing assimilation, lateral dissimilation, affrication, metathesis and lateral assimilation.

• Voicing assimilation: s- becomes voiced z- before voiced stops and stays voiceless before voiceless consonants and sonorants.

s- + kʰɑ̂ 'to give' → s-kʰɑ̂ 'to cause to give'

s- + gí 'to wear' → z-gí 'to cause to wear'

s- + mó 'to be hundry' → s-mó 'to cause to be hundry

• Lateral dissimilation: s- becomes l- or ɬ- (depending on the voicing of the following consonant) when it precedes dental fricatives and affricates.

s- + sɑ̂ 'to kill' → ɬ-sɑ̂ 'to cause to kill'

s- + dzî 'to eat' → l-dzî 'to cause to eat'

• Affrication: Affrication is not productive in Wobzi Khroskyabs. Its trace can be found in the causativisation of the verb rʑə̂ 'to wash', l-dʑə̂ 'to cause to watch', in which the fricative ʑ- becomes an affricate, dʑ-.

• Metathesis: There are two types of metatheses in Wobzi Khroskyabs, prefix ordering metathesis and vCVr metathesis.

The prefix ordering metathesis follows the sonority hierarchy of the preinitials. If the prefix s- is to be added to a verb stem already containing preinitials that ranks higher in the sonority hierarchy, it must be metathesised.

s- + ʁbɑ́ɣ 'to explode' → ʁ⟨z⟩bɑ́ɣ 'to cause to explode

s- + jbə̂v 'to be swollen' → j⟨z⟩bə̂v 'to cause to be swollen'

The preinitials l- and r-, N- and m- drop when the causative prefix s- is added, while the case is optional for the preinitials j- and v-.

s- + mkʰæ̂ 'to be expert' → m⟨s⟩kʰæ̂ → s-kʰæ̂ 'to cause to be expert'

s- + rlǽ 'to peel' → r⟨s⟩lǽ → s-lǽ 'to cause to peel'

s- + ɬqʰǽl 'to be dirty' → ɬ⟨s⟩qʰǽl → s-qʰǽl 'to cause to be dirty'

vCVr metathesis, as its name suggests, concerns verbs with v- as preinitial and -r as coda.

s- + vzɑ́r 'to be spicy' → l-zɑ́v 'to cause to be spicy'

vcVr metathesis is a Wobzi-specific process, not found in other Khroskyabs dialects.

• Some verbs with a falling tone undergo tone change into a high one when causative s- is applied. The process is not productive.

s- + tʰê 'to drink' → s-tʰé 'to cause to drink' s- + nɑ̂r 'to burn' → s-nɑ́r 'to cause to burn' s- + brê 'to be loud'→ z-bré 'to play (instrument)'

• The causative form of the verb çtə̂ 'to be short' is s-tə́m 'to shorten', with an additional -m coda, which may be the reflex of an old stem alternation.

Autobenefactive N-

Autobenefactive N- appears as an archiphoneme having several surface forms according to the phonological environment, especially the place of articulation.

N- + pʰó 'to cut' → m-pʰó 'to harvest'

N- + dʑə̂dʑə 'to drag' → n-dʑə̂dʑə 'to drag for oneself'

N- + cʰǽ 'to be big' → ɲ-cʰǽ 'to grow'

N- + kʰú 'to wear (shoe, sock)' → ŋ-kʰú 'to wear for oneself'

N- + qá 'to pull out' → ɴ-qá 'to pull out for one self'