Old Tow Language

Tow is a language spoken in Southeastern Exhpazixh, in the area near Putvå Iāltuxhe. It is spoken by the Tow, who are a minority group whose origins are separate from those of the Rumzquze people with whom they have had close contact for many years.

Overview

Tow is largely isolating and tonal, with up to six contour distinctions depending on dialect.

Phonology

Consonants

	Bilabial	Alveolar	Alveopalatal	Palatal	Velar
Nasal	m	n		ŋʲ	ŋʷ
Plosive		t		kʲ ŋgʲ	k ŋg
Fricative	ɸ	s	ɕ		x
Approximant		l		j	w

• /kʷ ŋgʷ/ are rare and generally found only in loan words.

Vowels

/i e ɛ a ə ɔ o u/ < i e eh a uh oh o u>

Syllabic Consonants /m̩ ʑ̩/ <mm zz>

Tones

• Low-flat (11) flat bar below (m̱m)
• Mid-high-flat (44) flat bar above (m̄m)
• Mid-falling (31) grave accent below (m̖m)
• High-falling (51) grave accent above (m̀m)
• Low-rising (14) acute accent above (ḿm)
• Mid-contour (254) circumflex above (m̂m)
• Rising (previous, previous+1) none (mm)

Phonotactics

(C)V(F,A,N)(P)

• final plosives can only be present if a (F,A,N) consonant precedes it.
• final plosives cannot be palatals, and no prenasalized stops
• long vowels are present only in final syllables or in final syllables of compounds
• stress is final
• words containing syllablic consonants do not have codas
• Vowels are lowered before palatalized, palatal, and alveopalatal consonants.

Semantics

Nouns

Pronouns

Subject Pronouns

	Sing.	Dual	Plu.
1st Person	āx	āx ku̱h	āx m̀m
2nd Person	óhwk	óhwk ku̱h	óhwk m̀m
3rd Person	le̱h	le̱h ku̱h	le̱h m̀m

Object Pronouns

	Sing.	Dual	Plu.
1st Person	cān āx	cān km̖m āx	cān m̀m āx
2nd Person	cān óhwk	cān km̖m óhwk	cān m̀m óhwk
3rd Person	cān le̱h	cān km̖m le̱h	cān m̀m le̱h

Patient Pronouns

	Sing.	Dual	Plu.
1st Person	cìl āx	cìl kẕz āx	cìl z̄z āx
2nd Person	cìl óhwk	cìl kẕz óhwk	cìl z̄z óhwk
3rd Person	cìl le̱h	cìl kẕz le̱h	cìl z̄z le̱h

Samples

āx às wòhl cōìm̀m

1sg.SBJ TEMP eat person DIM PLU

I am eating children.

cōìm̀m às wòhl cānāx

person DIM PLU TEMP eat 1sg.ACC

Children are eating me.

āx núst tōhw e̱xt ca̱

1sg.SBJ have speak ability EVID

I can speak.

āx núst wòhl cōìm̀m e̱xt ca̱

1sg.SBJ have eat person DIM PLU ability EVID

I can eat children.

cōììm̀m āx às wòhl

person DIM DIM PLU 1sg.SBJ TEMP eat

I am eating babies.

cìlóhwk cōììm̀m às wòhl

2sg.PATIENT person DIM DIM PLU TEMP eat

Babies are eating you.

cītm̱m cōììm̀m às wòhl

Satan person DIM DIM PLU TEMP eat

Babies are eating Satan.