Tyap language

Tyap
Katab
Native to Nigeria
Region Kaduna State
Native speakers
 130,000 (1993)[1]
close to 500,000 with Jju
Language codes
ISO 639-3 kcg
Glottolog tyap1238[2]

Tyap, or Katab, is a regionally important dialect cluster of Plateau languages in northern Nigeria, named after its prestige dialect, also known as Sholyia̠ (or Sholio; Moroa in Hausa). Other dialects are Fantswam (Kafanchan), Gworok (Kagoro), Takat (Attakar), Tyap proper, Tyia̠cha̠rak (Kachechere) and Tyuku. According to Blench (2008), Jju, with an even larger number of speakers, appears to be a Tyap variety, though its speakers are ethnically distinct.

Geographical distribution

Native Tyap speakers are mostly found in the local government areas of Jema'a, Kaura and Zangon Kataf (although pockets of speakers are also found in Kachia and Kauru) in southern Kaduna, Nigeria.

Dialects

Tyap language (also Kataf or Katab by the Hausas) has many dialects such as:

Alphabet

The Tyap Alphabet has 39 basic letters, as drafted by the Tyap Literacy Committee (TLC).Zhwunzhwuo A̠lyem A̠tyap

A A̠ B Ch Chy D E F G Gb Gh Ghw Ghy H I I̠ J Jhy K Kh Kp L M N Ng Ny O P R S Sh Shy T Ts U V W Y Z

NB:

1. As you can see from above, there are two "A"s and "I"s. The second "A" and "I" are usually written with an underscore each i.e. as "A̠" and "I̠" respectively. The sound produced then becomes like the "a" in "about," and the "y" in "symbol" respectively.

2. The 39th letter (Z) is usually pronounced "dz." Tyap lacks the pure "z" sound, as found in English words such as "zebra" and "zero". Should a Tyap speaker pronounce those two English words, what you will hear shall be "dzebra" and "dzero."

3. The 25th letter (Ng) is same as the phonetic symbol "ŋ," and is found in English words such as "singer" and "king." The 26th letter of the Tyap alphabet how ever is the same as the phonetic symbol "ɲ," and is not found in English language.

4. The combined letters, "ch, chy, gb, gb, gh, ghw, ghy, jhy, kh, kp, ng, ny, sh, shy, ts," are pronounced as though a unit of sound, not separately.

Some Words Associated with the Alphabet:

A |a| [aba̠n] "welcome" (masculine)

A̠ |ə| [a̠gwam] "ruler/king/chief"

B |b| [bat] "wall"

Ch |tʃ| [chat; tsat in Sholyia̠, Tyuku] "to want" or "love"

Chy |tʃj| [chyat] "already-cut grass”

D |d| [dam] "to worry"

F |f| [faat] "to cut"

G |g| [gaat] "visitors' room"

Gb |g‿b| [gbang] "far"

Gh |g‿h| [ghan] "hurry"

Ghw |g‿hw| [ghwang] "drawing"

Ghy |g‿hj| [a̠ghyang; a̠yaan in Fantswam] "another"

H |h| [hyet] "arrow"

I |i| [ii] "yes"

I̠ |ɨ| [chi̠p] "to twist"

J |dʒ| [jem; zem in Sholyia̠] "hippopotamus"

Jhy |ʃdʒ| [jhyi] "to repair"

K |k| [kan] "medicine"

Kh |k‿p| [khap] "to cultivate"

Kp |x| [kpa] "to pound"

L |l| [li; ryyi in Jju] "to see"

M |m| [mup] "to grab"

N |n| [nam] "meat"

Ng |ŋ| [ngaan] "to be last"

Ny |ɲ| [nyam] "animal"

O |ɔ; o| [long; rong in Jju] "fire"

P |p| [piit] "to scorn"

R |r| [ra̠ra̠k] "to be watery"

S |s| [san] "to receive"

Sh |ʃ| [shan] "stick"

Shy |ʃj| [shyi] "to swear"

T |t| [ta] "to throw"

Ts |t‿s| [tsang] "crocodile"

U |u| [lyuut; lyuruk in Fantswam, Gworok; yyuruk in Jju] "to write"

V |v| [vam; lvwam in Fantswam; rwam in Jju] "body"

W |w| [wan] "to cook"

Y |j| [ya; ye in Sholyia̠, Tyia̠cha̠rak; yi in Takat, Tyuku]

Z |d‿z| [za] "rain"

Numbers

Small Numbers

  1. Sa̠khat / zero
  2. Nyiung / one
  3. Feang / two
  4. Tat / three
  5. Naai / four
  6. Fwuon / five
  7. Taa / six
  8. Natat / seven
  9. Ni̠nai or Ri̠nai / eight
  10. Kubunyiung / nine
  11. Swak / ten
  12. Swak nfeang / twenty
  13. Swak ntat / thirty
  14. Swak nnaai / forty
  15. Swak nfwuon / fifty
  16. Swak ntaa / sixty
  17. Swak natat / seventy
  18. Swak ni̠nai or Swak ri̠nai / eighty
  19. Swak nkubunyiung / ninety
  20. Chyi jhyung / one hundred

Large Numbers

  1. Chyi jhyung / one hundred
  2. Chyi sweang / two hundred
  3. Chyi tsat / three hundred
  4. Chyi nyaai / four hundred
  5. Chyi tswuon / five hundred
  6. Chyi a̠taa / six hundred
  7. Chyi a̠natat / seven hundred
  8. Chyi a̠ni̠nai / eight hundred
  9. Chyi a̠kubunyiung / nine hundred
  10. Chyikwop jhyung / one thousand
  11. Chyikwop swak / ten thousand
  12. Chyikwop chyi jhyung / one hundred thousand
  13. Miliyen or Chyikwop a̠ka̠feang jhyung / one million
  14. Biliyen or Chyikwop a̠ka̠tat jhyung / one billion
  15. Triliyen or Chyikwop a̠ka̠naai jhyung / one trillion

References

  1. ↑ Tyap at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. ↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). "Tyap". Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.

Further reading



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