Iha

Timothy Usher, Santa Fe Institute

Situation

[under construction]

Sources

[under construction]

Phonology

[under construction]

Donohue (2013, 2015: 405-406) gives 17 or 18 consonants and 7 vowels for Iha as follows:

m
p q kp
mb n̪d̪ ɴɢ ŋmgb
β [dʒ] ʁ
ħ
w ɽ j
i u
e o
ɛ ɔ
a

Donohue suggests that affricate [dʒ] may be better analysed as a sequence /d̪j/ rather than as a unit phoneme.

The realization of the phoneme give in (2013) as /ɣ/ and in (2015) as /ʁ/ varies between velar and uvular non-stops [ɣ ʁ].

Donohue (2103) states that voiceless stops /p t̪ q kp/ can be lenited to [β ð ɣ ~ ʁ w], athough the lenition of /b q/ is mandatory while that /t̪ kp/ is uncommon. In at least one example, the rare medial prenasalized labiovelar /ŋmgb/ has been heard as a nasalized rounded non-stop [w̃].

The difference between high-mid and low mid-vowels /e ɛ/ and /o ɔ/ respectively is not indicated in Donohue's orthography. They are said to contrast only in open syllables, while in closed syllables only low mid /ɛ ɔ/ are found.


Flassy and Animung (1992: 10-79) …



Pronouns

Flassy and Animung (1992: 68-69) give pronouns for Iha in four case forms as follows:

subjectreflexive a reflexive b possessive
-kɛ [-kɛ ~ -gɛ]-ja ~ [-ja ~ -ma]
1 sg. ɔn ɔn-kɛ ɔn-ma -ɔn
2 sg. kɔ-gɛ kɔ-ja -kɔ
3 sg. mi mi-gɛ mi-ja -mɔ
1 pl. excl mbi mbi-gɛ
1 pl. incl.in in-kɛ -in
2 pl. ki ki-gɛ ki-ja -ki
3 pl. wat wat-kɛ -mi

… Donohue (2015: …) …

… Donohue (2015: 409-412) … undergoer prefixes. These mark patients of transitive verbs and subjects of intransitive verbs alike. No distinction is drawn in number, nor between second persons and the first person plural inclusive:

undergoer
1 sg./pl. ni-
2/1+2 sg./pl.qi-
3 sg./pl. ø-

Verbal morphology

[under construction]



… Donohue (2015: 408-410) … subject desinences … yesterday past … /wˈħo-/ “go”, /qˈn̪o-/ “see” and /ħoˈkpow-/ “fall” … No distinction is drawn between third persons singular and plural or between exclusive and inclusive first person plural subjects:

go see fall
wˈħo- ~ [wˈħe-]qˈn̪o- ~ [qˈn̪e-]ħoˈkpow-
1 sg. -mb-on̪wˈħo-mb-on̪ qˈno-mb-on̪ ħoˈkpow-mb-on̪
2 sg. -mb-e wˈħo-mb-e qˈno-mb-e ħoˈkpow-mb-e
3 sg./pl. -mb-iħ wˈħe-mb-iħ qˈne-mb-iħ ħoˈkpow-mb-ih
1 pl. excl./incl.-mb-op wˈħo-mb-op qˈno-mb-op ħoˈkpow-mb-op
2 pl. -mb-i wˈħo-mb-i qˈno-mb-i ħoˈkpow-mb-i

… Donohue (2015: 415-417) … first person singular … five tenses … six verbs ….

future past today past yesterday pastremote past
laugh ˈjet̪- ˈjet̪-aɴɢen̪ ˈjet̪-en̪ ˈjet̪-en̪ ˈjet̪-mb-on̪ ˈjet̪-n̪oɴɢon̪
fly puˈɽun̪-puˈɽun̪-jaɴɢen̪puˈɽun̪-ewen̪puˈɽun̪-en̪puˈɽu-mb-on̪ puˈɽu-n̪oɴɢon̪
swim ˈnoɽowk-
hear qmon-
split woodkpˈɽeħ-
hit kpak-