Chepang is a language spoken by approximately 37,000 people in South-Central Nepal.[2] The people are known as Chepang. Randy LaPolla (2003) proposes that Chepang may be part of a larger "Rung" group. Another group who speaks Chepang, living across the Narayani river, call themselves Bujheli.
Research suggests that Chepang may have had a three vowel system at one point in time.[2] Those vowels being /i/ /u/ and /ə/, this is uncommon for a three vowel system as commonly they consist of /a/ /i/ and /u/ as seen in Classical Arabic, Greenlandic and Quechua.
Syntax
Chepang can be described as having a basic word order of Subject Object Verb (SOV) with some alterations due to context. The text below provides an example:
ʔuyhle
Formerly
kəsyaʔ-ʔl
deer-AG
manta-kay
person-DO
mayʔ
meat
jeʔ-ʔo
eat-NMZ
kheʔ-to
be
ʔuyhle kəsyaʔ-ʔl manta-kay mayʔ jeʔ-ʔo kheʔ-to
Formerly deer-AG person-DO meat eat-NMZ be
Formerly, deer used to eat people
But it is difficult to define a subject and object for the language in Chepang and may be more accurately described as a verb-final language. The verb does, for the most part, follow its related noun phrases and other constituents. Though it is not uncommon to see the NP follow the verb used as an afterthought.
chepang, language, chepang, language, spoken, approximately, people, south, central, nepal, people, known, chepang, randy, lapolla, 2003, proposes, that, chepang, part, larger, rung, group, another, group, speaks, chepang, living, across, narayani, river, call. Chepang is a language spoken by approximately 37 000 people in South Central Nepal 2 The people are known as Chepang Randy LaPolla 2003 proposes that Chepang may be part of a larger Rung group Another group who speaks Chepang living across the Narayani river call themselves Bujheli ChepangChyo bangRegionNepalEthnicityChepangNative speakers49 000 2011 census 1 Language familySino Tibetan ChepangicChepangWriting systemDevanagariLanguage codesISO 639 3 a href https iso639 3 sil org code cdm class extiw title iso639 3 cdm cdm a Glottologchep1245ELPChepangChepang is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World s Languages in Danger Contents 1 Phonology 1 1 Consonants 1 1 1 Phonetic Realizations 1 2 Vowels 2 Syntax 3 Geographical distribution 4 References 5 External linksPhonology EditConsonants Edit Chepang consonants 3 Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar GlottalNasal m n ŋStop Voiceless p t t s kVoiced b d d z gFricative s hApproximant l j wPhonetic Realizations Edit 2 The glottal stop is realized in some contexts though usually not as a full closure and is instead presented as falling pitch laryngealization re articulation or by lengthening of the segment before Some example of possible occurrences are listed below Syllable Initial Full closure ʔ at the beginning of words ʔ Re articulation lt at the beginning of words lt Laryngealization after a vowel and a glottal stop ʔ Vʔ Lengthening of previous segment after non glottal consonants C glottal Syllable Final Full closure at the end of words ʔ or when following a vowel and preceding a voiceless consonant ʔ V C voice Laryngealization following a vowel and preceding a glottal stop V ʔ And falling pitch in all other contexts 2 The glottal fricative h is realized in many ways and it is much more predictable in the environments that realizations occur For example In the case of two contiguous segments if at the beginning of a word the first phoneme becomes voiceless If at the end of a word then the second phoneme becomes voiceless the word aal meaning the track or scent of an animal is phonemically transcribed as ḁal and the word samm meaning fuzz of bamboo is phonemically transcribed as samm Strong aspiration occurs on voiceless obstruents the word phek meaning broom is phonemically transcribed as phek Breathy voice on the initial part of the syllable in the environment of voiced obstruents the word gaŋ meaning hole is transcribed as ɡ a ŋ h may become s in fast speech when following j and preceding k h may also become x when contiguous to j and preceding ʔ The voiceless alveolar sibilant s is also realized as ʃ before front vowels 2 w when directly next to front vowels is realized as the labio dental approximant ʋ 2 Vowels Edit Chepang vowels 3 Front Central BackClose i uMid e e oOpen aResearch suggests that Chepang may have had a three vowel system at one point in time 2 Those vowels being i u and e this is uncommon for a three vowel system as commonly they consist of a i and u as seen in Classical Arabic Greenlandic and Quechua Syntax EditChepang can be described as having a basic word order of Subject Object Verb SOV with some alterations due to context The text below provides an example ʔuyhleFormerlykesyaʔ ʔldeer AGmanta kayperson DOmayʔmeatjeʔ ʔoeat NMZkheʔ tobeʔuyhle kesyaʔ ʔl manta kay mayʔ jeʔ ʔo kheʔ toFormerly deer AG person DO meat eat NMZ beFormerly deer used to eat peopleBut it is difficult to define a subject and object for the language in Chepang and may be more accurately described as a verb final language The verb does for the most part follow its related noun phrases and other constituents Though it is not uncommon to see the NP follow the verb used as an afterthought budhl kaywife DOjan ʔaka nscold PST AGbudha ʔlhusband AGbudhl kay jan ʔaka n budha ʔlwife DO scold PST AG husband AGHe scolded his wife the husband did Geographical distribution EditChepang is spoken in the following districts of Nepal Ethnologue Makwanpur District Bagmati Province Chitwan District Bagmati Province Southern Dhading District Bagmati Province Southern Gorkha District Gandaki ProvinceDialects are Western Chepang and Eastern Chepang References Edit Chepang at Ethnologue 18th ed 2015 subscription required a b c d e f Caughley Ross C 1982 The Syntax and Morphology of the Verb in Chepang Melbourne Pacific Linguistics p 1 a b Moran Steven McCloy Daniel Wright Richard 2012 Revisiting population size vs phoneme inventory size Language 88 4 877 893 doi 10 1353 lan 2012 0087 hdl 1773 25269 ISSN 1535 0665 S2CID 145423518 External links EditThe Chepang Language Linguistics research and language documentation The Leopard and the Cat Chepang Audio Recording This Sino Tibetan languages related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chepang language amp oldid 1137212616, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
