Gtaʼ language


The Gta language is a language spoken by the Didayi people of India. It is notable for its sesquisyllabic phonology and vigesimal numeral system.

Demographics

Gta is spoken by 3,000 people primarily in Malkangiri district, Odisha as well as adjoining areas of Koraput district.
Ethnologue reports the following locations.
The Gta language belongs to the South Munda subgroup of the Munda branch of the Austroasiatic language family. Within South Munda, Gta is generally considered to be the first branch off a node that also subsumes the Remo and Gutob languages; this subgroup of South Munda is known as Gutob–Remo–Gataq. It is phonologically and morphologically divergent within that branch.
Gta has two main varieties, namely Plains Gta and Hill Gta.

Grammar

Nouns

Nouns in Gtaʔ ordinarily have two forms, one a free full form, the other a bound short form. These latter occur only when the noun is compounded with some other stem for derivational 9 purposes, and are hence labeled "combining forms". Combining forms occurring with verb stems can be echoed independently of the verb stems; those occur? ring with noun stems either remain intact or change at par with the main stems.


Examples


Type 1: sur-cu to fry in oil > sur-ca, sur-ci, sar-ca, s?r-cf, sar-cu.


gag-bo? to tie onto the head


gag-ba?, gig-bT?, gag-bT?, gTg-ba?, gig-bo?.


"tur-t?a to graze cattle >


tar-ti, t?r-ti, tar-t?a, t?r-t?a.




Type 2: kula-re kinsman >


ka I a-re, k?I i-re.


sari-ja paddy flower >


sara-ja, s?ri-j?, si ri-ja.


ra-ko peacock feather >


bara-ka, bir?-k?, bir?-ko.


ult-so mango wood >


ala-sa, ?l?-sf, ala-so, Mi-so.


huQ-be baby bear >


har?-ba, h?tj-b?, harj-be, h?n-be.

Echo Formation

Rules of Formation


Rule# 1. Echo-words are formed by changing only the vowels of the base word.
Rule# 2. The echo-word must differ from the base word. The vowel of univocalic base words is reflected as either /a/ or /

Categories of Echo Forms

  1. A-forms, indicating gross variety;
  2. I-forms, indicating diminutive or tender variety ;
  3. U/a-forms, indicating variety different from a related category
  4. Partially changed forms, indicating inferior variety : a-forms, indicating grossness and ?-forms, indicating tenderness.

    Numeral System

Gta' numeral system is vigesimal.
Gta' Numeral system-
1. muiŋ21. mũikuɽi muiŋ /ekustɔra
2. mbar22. mũikuɽi mbar
3. ɲji23. mũikuɽi ɲji
4. õ24. mũikuɽi hõ
5. malʷe25. mũikuɽi malikliɡˀ
6. tur26. mũikuɽi turukliɡˀ
7. ɡul27. mũikuɽi gukliɡˀ
8. tma /aʈʈa28. mũikuɽi tomakliɡˀ / mũikuɽi tma
9. sontiŋ /nɔʈa29. mũikuɽi sontiŋkliɡˀ
10. ɡʷa / dɔsʈa30. mũikuɽi ɡʷa / tirisʈa
11. ɡʷamiŋ / eɡaʈa40. mbarkuɽi / calistɔra
12. ɡombar /baroʈa50. mbarkuɽi ɡʷa /pɔcas
13. ɡoɲji /teroʈa60. ɲjikuɽi / saʈe
14. ɡohõ /coudoʈa70. ɲjikuɽi ɡʷa / suturi
15. ɡomal / pɔndrɔʈa80. ōkuɽi
16. ɡotur / soloːʈa90. ōkuɽi ɡʷa
17. ɡogu / sɔtroʈa100. malkuɽi /soetɔra
18. ɡotma / aʈɾa
19. ɡososiŋ / unisʈa
20. ɡosolɡa /kuɽitɔra /kuɽeta


Neighboring Languages

Gtaʔ echo-formation shows some striking similarities with echo-formation in neighboring Munda languages such as Remo and Gorum as well as in the Desia dialect of Oriya spoken in the Koraput Munda region. The most conspicuous feature they have in common with Gtaʔ is that echo-words in all three of these languages are also derived from base words by changes in the vowels alone.