SafekipediaNganasan language
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
The Nganasan language is a special and rare way of speaking used by a very small group of people called the Nganasan people. These people live in a cold, faraway place called the Taymyr Peninsula in northern Siberia. Most of them live in small villages such as Ust-Avam, Volochanka, and Novaya, with a few others in towns like Dudinka and Norilsk.
Only about 30 people still speak the Nganasan language today, making it what experts call a moribund language, which means it is slowly disappearing. This language is very interesting because it has unique features that make it different from other languages in the same family, known as the Samoyedic languages. These languages are part of an even larger group called the Uralic languages.
The Nganasan language used to have many more speakers, but as time passed and people moved or changed how they communicated, fewer and fewer kept using it. Today, it is important for scientists and historians to study this language to learn about the culture and history of the Nganasan people and to try to help keep this special way of speaking alive.
Classification
The Nganasan language is very different from other languages in the Samoyedic branch of the Uralic language family. It has two main dialects: Avam and Vadeyev. Some of its words come from an unknown source, which makes it even more special compared to languages like Nenets or Enets. This unknown source might be from an old language once spoken on the Taymyr Peninsula that is no longer used today.
Phonology
Nganasan has 10 vowel sounds and 21 consonant sounds.
Vowels
Some vowel sounds can be put together in two-sound groups.
The groups /ⁱai/ and /iu/ also appear, but only when word parts join together.
The vowels /e/ and /o/ only appear at the start of a word part.
Vowels are grouped in pairs based on how they sound: front /ⁱa e i y/ compared to back /a o ɨ u/, and unrounded /ⁱa e i ɨ/ compared to rounded /a o y u/. The backness harmony rule only affects high vowels.
Front vowels do not come after certain first letters in words.
/ə ɨ u/ do not come after specific letters, changing to /e i y/, but this mostly happens at the start of words.
/ⁱa/ does not come after specific letters, becoming just /a/ instead.
/o/ does not come after certain letters, changing to /ə/ in that place.
Consonants
One special feature of Nganasan is consonant gradation, where certain consonant sounds like /h, t, k, s/ switch with sounds like /b, d, g, ɟ/ and their nasal pairs /ŋh, nt, ŋk, ns/ with /mb, nd, ŋg, ɲɟ/.
- /h/ adds a lip shape [hʷ] before /a/ and /ə/
- /b/ can sound like [p] before other consonants, which some think is a special form of /h/
- /ɟ/ sounds like [j] when it is not before a vowel
- /d/ becomes softer [ð] between vowels
| Second Vowel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Mid | Low | ||
High First Vowel | i- | ii | iə | ia |
| y- | yy | yə | ya | |
| ɨ- | ɨɨ | ɨə | ɨa | |
| u- | uu | uə | ua | |
| -i | -y | -u | -ə | -a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| e- | ei | ey | |||
| ə- | əi | əy | əu | əə | |
| o- | oi | ou | oa | ||
| a- | ai | ay | au | aa |
Orthography
The Nganasan language uses a writing system based on the Cyrillic alphabet. This system was created in the 1990s to help write and share the language.
Morphology
Nouns
Nganasan nouns change to show number (single, two, or many), case (like location or belonging), and if they are owned by someone. They do not have special words to say if something is known or unknown, but they can show ownership to make this clear.
Pronouns
Nganasan has different kinds of pronouns, such as words for "I", "you", and "they", as well as words to point to things, ask questions, say "no", and show certainty. The pronouns for "I", "you", and "they" do not change form, but other pronouns change like nouns.
Verbs
Verbs in Nganasan match their subjects in who is doing the action and how many there are. They also have three ways of conjugating, or changing form. Nganasan verbs can show if the action is finished or still happening.
Conjugation
There are three types of verb conjugation: one used when there is no object or the object is important, one used with actions that have an object, and one used for some actions that do not have an object. Each type has its own endings.
Mood
Nganasan verbs can show different moods, like asking questions, giving commands, or showing what might happen. There are nine ways to show mood, and most use special endings. All moods except commands share the same personal endings. Tenses like past and future are shown in some moods.
Aspect and tense
Most verbs that show ongoing actions and finished actions share the same root, but sometimes they are different. The difference between ongoing and finished actions is important in meaning. In some cases, ongoing actions can also show future time. The proper past and future tenses include past, past perfect, future, and future in the past.
Non-finite verb forms
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Ø | -KƏJ | -ʔ |
| Accusative | Ø ~ (-M) | -KI | -J |
| Genitive | Ø ~ (-Ŋ) | -KI | -ʔ |
| Dative | -NTƏ | - | -NTI-ʔ |
| Locative | -NTƏ-NU | - | -NTI-NU |
| Ablative | -KƏ-TƏ | - | -KI-TƏ, ~KI-TI-ʔ |
| Prolative | -MƏ-NU | - | -ʔ-MƏ-NU |
| Nom, Gen, Acc | Lative | Locative | Elative | Prolative | Personal pronouns + clitics | Personal emphatic pronouns | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sg1 | mənə | nanə | nanunə | nagətənə | namənunə | mɨlʲianə | ŋonənə |
| Sg2 | tənə | nantə | nanuntə | nagətətə | namənuntə | tɨlʲiatə | ŋonəntə |
| Sg3 | sɨtɨ | nantu | nanuntu | nagətətu | namənuntu | sɨlʲiatɨ | ŋonəntu |
| Du1 | mi | nani | nanuni | nagətəni | namənuni | mɨlʲiani | ŋonəni |
| Du2 | ti | nandi | nanunti | nagətəndi | namənundi | tɨlʲiati | ŋonənti |
| Du3 | sɨti | nandi | nanunti | nagətəndi | namənundi | sɨlʲiati | ŋonənti |
| Pl1 | mɨŋ | nanuʔ | nanunuʔ | nagətənuʔ | namənunuʔ | mɨlʲianɨʔ | ŋonənuʔ |
| Pl2 | tɨŋ | nanduʔ | nanuntuʔ | nagətənduʔ | namənunduʔ | tɨlʲiatiʔ | ŋonəntuʔ |
| Pl3 | sɨtɨŋ | nanduŋ | nanuntuŋ | nagətənduŋ | namənunduŋ | sɨlʲiatɨŋ | ŋonəntuŋ |
| Subjective | Objective | Objectless | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| singular object | dual object | plural object | |||
| 1Sg | -m | -mə | -kəi-j-nə | -j-nə | -nə |
| 2Sg | -ŋ | -rə | -kəi-j-tə | -j-tə | -ŋ |
| 3Sg | ø | -tu | -kəi-j-tu | -j-tu | -ʔ or -tə |
| 1Du | -mi | -mi | -kəi-j-ni | -j-ni | -ni |
| 2Du | -ri | -ri | -kəi-j-ti | -j-ti | -nti |
| 3Du | -kəj | -ði | -kəi-j-ti | -j-ti | -nti |
| 1Pl | -muʔ | -muʔ | -kəi-j-nuʔ | -j-nuʔ | -nuʔ |
| 2Pl | -ruʔ | -ruʔ | -kəi-j-tu | -j-tu | -ntuʔ |
| 3Pl | -ʔ | -tuŋ | -kəi-j-tuŋ | -j-tuŋ | -ntəʔ |
| Formation | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| Present participle | S1'-NTUə(-NCx)(-Px) | koðutuə "which kills ~ which is killed" |
| Preterite participle | S1-SUə-Dʲəə(-NCx)(-Px) | kotudʲüədʲəə "which killed ~ which was killed" |
| Future participle | S1'-ʔSUTə(-NCx)(-Px) | koðuʔsutə "which will kill ~ which will be killed" |
| Future-in-the-past participle | S1'-ʔSUTə-Dʲəə(-NCx)(-Px | koðuʔsutədʲəə "which was to kill ~ which was to be killed" |
| Abessive participle | S1-MəTUMA̩ʔ(-NCx)(-Px) | kotumətumaʔa "which does not kill ~ which is not been killed" |
| Preterite abessive participle | S1-MəTUMA̩ʔA̩̥-Dʲəə(-NCx)(-Px) | kotumətumaʔdʲəə "which did not kill ~ which was not killed" |
| Passive participle | S1-Məə(-NCx)(-Px) | kotuməə "killed" |
| Preterite passive participle | S1-Məə-Dʲəə(-NCx)(-Px) | kotuməədʲəə "which was killed" |
| Formation | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal adverb | S1-SA | kotudʲa 'having killed', nʲisɪ̈ kotudʲa "having not killed" |
| Verbal adverb of immediate precedence | S1-KAJ-SA | kotugasʲa "having just killed" |
| Conditional-temporal verbal adverb | S1-HÜʔ(-Px4) | kotubüʔ "(if ~ when) to kill', kotubɪ̈nə 'if ~ when I kill", etc. |
| Preterite temporal verbal adverb | S1-HÜʔ-ə(-Cx))-Px) | kotubüʔə "when killed', kotubüʔəmə "when I killed", etc. |
| Future conditional verbal adverb | S1-HÜʔ-NÜ-Px2 | kotubününə "if I will kill" |
| Formation | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| Imperfective verbal noun | S1-MUN(-Cx)(-Px) | kotumu sG kotumunə hireə "worth killing" sLat niimsiəm kotomundə "I was afraid to kill" sEla + s1 kotumu(ng)ətənə "so that I do not kill", etc. |
| Perfective verbal noun | (S3/S1')-ʔMUə(-Cx)(-Px) | koðaʔmuə ~ koðuʔmuə sLoc + s1 koðaʔmuəntənunə "where I killed", etc. |
| Preterite verbal noun | S1'-NTU(-Cx)(-Px) | koðutu sLat koðutundə "when killed" koðutundənə "when I killed" |
| Supine | S1'-NAKə(-Px2) | kotunakə s3 kotunagətu "in order that he killed", etc. |
Syntax
The Nganasan language mainly follows a subject-object-verb order, like other Samoyedic languages. However, it allows more flexibility in word order than others in its group. This flexibility helps speakers emphasize certain parts of a sentence.
In phrases, descriptions usually come before the noun they describe. Numbers and describing words match the noun they describe in certain ways. Nganasan does not use prepositions; instead, it uses special word parts that change based on the description. Possession is shown using special word endings or constructions.
Nganasan often leaves out pronouns when the verb shows who is doing the action. Negation, or saying something is not true, uses a special helper word followed by the main verb in a specific form. There are also a few other special words for negation, but they are used less often.
When joining ideas together, Nganasan mainly uses tone of voice. Sometimes special words can act like connecting words, such as a word that means "also". This way of connecting ideas may be changing due to influence from Russian.
Education
Before the 1930s, Nganasan children did not have to go to school, so most people could not read or write. Few Nganasans spoke Russian well, often using a simple mix of words called Taimyr Pidgin Russian or Govorka.
The first school opened in Dudinka in 1920, and later, other villages also got schools. These schools taught Russian as the main language. This happened because the government wanted to Russify the people, and because the Nganasan language was mainly spoken, not written, until the 1980s.
Today, some schools have materials to help students learn, but it varies. For example, children in Volochanka learn their heritage language just twice a week, while pupils in Ust'ye Avam no longer have this class since their school closed after a fire in 2012.
Media
In 2019, a professor named Beáta Wagner-Nagy shared information about media in the Nganasan language. A radio station called Radio Taimyr, also known as Radio Rossii Taimyr, has been broadcasting in the Nganasan language every day since 1990. However, these broadcasts are only 10 to 15 minutes long. About 24 percent of Nganasan people listen to these programs, and some others would like to but do not have a radio. There are no television shows in the Nganasan language. Since 1993, a newspaper from Taimyr has sometimes included news and stories in Nganasan.
Literature
Here are some important books and papers about the Nganasan language:
- Gusev, V. (2015) talked about how the Nganasan language says "no" in a big book about Uralic languages.
- Helimski, Еugene wrote about the sounds and word changes in Nganasan in 1994 and 1998.
- Katzschmann, Michael and Labanauskas, Kazis I. made a book in 2008 with Nganasan texts, translations, and a dictionary.
- Kortt, I. R. and Simčenko, Ju. B. created a word list for the Nganasan language in 1985.
- Tereščenko, N.M. wrote several books about the Nganasan language from 1973 to 1986.
- Wagner-Nagy, B. has written many papers and a big grammar book about Nganasan from 2002 to 2018.
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