Northern Andamanese language
{{Short description|Native language of North Andaman Island, India}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Northern Andamanese
| states = India
| region = Andaman Islands; North Andaman island
| ethnicity = Andamanese
| speakers = 3
| date = 2020
| ref = {{e25|akj|Akajeru}}
| familycolor = Andamanese
| fam1 = Great Andamanese
| fam2 = Northern Andamanese – Kede
| dia1 = Akachari (Cari) {{extinct}}
| dia2 = Akakhora (Kora) {{extinct}}
| dia3 = Akabo (Bo) {{extinct}}
| dia4 = Akajeru (Jeru)
| iso3 = none
| glotto = nort2678
| glottorefname = Northern Great Andamanese
| map2 = Lang Status 20-CR.svg
| mapcaption2 = {{center|Great andamanese {{sic}} is classified as Critically Endangered according to the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger{{cite report |title=Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger |publisher=UNESCO |edition=3rd |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000187026/PDF/187026eng.pdf.multi |date=2010 |page=31}}}}
}}
Northern Andamanese is the critically endangered native language of North Andaman Island. It is closely related to Akakede and seems to have consisted of four mutually intelligible dialects: Akachari (Cari), Akakhora (Kora), Akabo (Bo), and Akajeru (Jeru). Jeru is the only one with speakers remaining.{{Cite book |last=Zamponi |first=Raoul |url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10137813/1/A-Grammar-of-Akajeru.pdf.pdf |title=A grammar of Akajeru: fragments of a traditional North Andamanese dialect |last2=Comrie |first2=Bernard |date=2021 |publisher=UCL Press |isbn=978-1-80008-093-5 |series=Grammars of world and minority languages |location=London}}Bernard Comrie & Raoul Zamponi. 2019. Subgrouping and lexical distance in the Great Andamanese family. In Wortschätze & Sprachwelten, Beiträge zu Sprachtypologie, kontrastiver Wort- bzw. Wortschatzforschung und Pragmatik, edited by Michail L. Kotin, 35–57. Berlin: Peter Lang
When the North Andamanese people were resettled to Strait Island, a koiné developed from the resulting mixture of dialects. It went extinct in the early 2000s.
For more specific information, see the individual dialects.
Great Andamanese ''koiné''
{{Infobox language
| name = Mixed Great Andamanese
| altname = Great Andamanese koiné
| states = India
| region = Strait Island
| extinct = 2009, with the death of Nao Jr., the last semi-fluent speaker
| ref = {{e23|gac|Mixed Great Andamanese}}
| familycolor = mixed
| family = Mixed Khora–Bo–Jeru–Sare on a Jeru base
| iso3 = gac
| glotto = mixe1288
| glottorefname = Mixed Great Andamanese
| ELP = 2064
| ELPname = Mixed Great Andamanese
| map2 = Lang Status 01-EX.svg
}}
Great Andamanese koiné is based primarily on Jeru, with lexical and grammatical influence from other Northern Andamanese dialects (Aka-Bo, Aka-Kora and Aka-Cari).
= Phonology =
== Vowels ==
The Great Andamanese koiné has a seven-vowel system.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Vowels ! | Front | Central | Back |
| style="text-align: center;"
! Close | {{IPA link|i}} | {{IPA link|u}} | ||
| style="text-align: center;"
| {{IPA link|e}} | {{IPA link|o}} | ||
| style="text-align: center;"
! Open-mid | {{IPA link|ɛ}} | {{IPA link|ɔ}} | ||
| style="text-align: center;"
! Open | | {{IPA link|ɐ|a}} |
== Consonants ==
| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|+Consonants ! colspan="2"| ! Labial ! Palatal ! Velar |
| colspan="2"| Nasal
| {{IPA link|m}} | {{IPA link|n}} | | {{IPA link|ɲ}} | {{IPA link|ŋ}} |
|---|
| rowspan="3"| Plosive
! {{small|voiceless}} | {{IPA link|p}} | {{IPA link|t̪|t}} | {{IPA link|ʈ}} | {{IPA link|tʃ}} | {{IPA link|k}} |
| {{small|voiceless aspirated}}
| {{IPA link|pʰ}} | {{IPA link|tʰ}} | {{IPA link|ʈʰ}} | | {{IPA link|kʰ}} |
| {{small|voiced}}
| {{IPA link|b}} | {{IPA link|d̪|d}} | {{IPA link|ɖ}} | {{IPA link|dʒ}} | |
| colspan="2"| Fricative
| | {{IPA link|s}} | | {{IPA link|ʃ}} | |
| colspan="2"|Trill{{clarify|date=March 2021}}
| | {{IPA link|ɾ}} | | | |
| colspan="2" |Approximant
|{{IPA link|w}} |{{IPA link|l}} | |{{IPA link|j}} | |
= Grammar =
It is a head-marking polysynthetic and agglutinative language with a SOV pattern. It has a very elaborate system for marking inalienability,{{citation |author=Anvita Abbi |title=Endangered Languages of the Andaman Islands |date=2006 |work=LINCOM Studies in Asian Linguistics, 64.) München}} with seven possessive markers reflecting different body-divisions. These markers appear as proclitics that classify a large number of nouns as dependent categories.{{citation |author=Anvita Abbi |title=The Unique Structure of the Present Great Andamanese: An Overview of the Grammar |date=2009 |work=VOGA(Vanishing Voices of the Great Andamanese) |url=http://www.andamanese.net/Grammar_Notes.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024201154/http://www.andamanese.net/Grammar_Notes.html |archive-date=October 24, 2010 |url-status=usurped}}
= Vocabulary =
Koiné vocabulary:{{citation |title=Andamani Varnamala |year=2008 |url=http://www.andamanese.net/varnamaala/andamani%20varnamaala.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422141145/http://www.andamanese.net/varnamaala/andamani%20varnamaala.pdf |archive-date=April 22, 2021 |url-status=usurped |publisher=Centre for Linguistics Jawaharlal Nehru University}}{{cite web |title=GA Lexicon |url=http://www.andamanese.net/GA-Lexicon/lexicon/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301010614/https://www.andamanese.net/GA-Lexicon/lexicon/index.htm |archive-date=March 1, 2024 |url-status=usurped |publisher=VOGA}}
| class="wikitable"
|+ | ||
| Gloss | Great Andamanese | Devanagari |
|---|---|---|
| nest | aaracha | आराचा |
| housefly | ijibu | ईजीबू |
| snake (king cobra) | ulukhu | ऊलूखू |
| chilli | ekajira | एकाजीरा |
| deer | style="background:yellow;"|airen | style="background:yellow;" |ऐरेन |
| fishing net | ocho | ओचो |
| axe | aulo | औलो |
| snail | kalatop | कालाटौप |
| dugong | kauroing | कौरौईञ |
| coconut | khider | खीदेर |
| road | ngorto | ङौरतौ |
| betelnut | chaum | चौम |
| dolphin | choa | चोआ |
| bat | jibet | जीबेट |
| fish | nyure | ञूरे |
| heron | taka | टाका |
| tongue | thatat | ठातात |
| sunset | diu | डीऊ |
| black pig | dirim raa | डीरीम राऽ |
| leaf | taich | तौच |
| dew | thun | थून |
| scorpion | dikiraseni | दीकीरासेनी |
| mosquito | nipho | नीफो |
| mushroom | pata | पाता |
| crow | phatkaa | फाटका |
| frog | phorube | फोरूबे |
| rope | pharako | फाराको |
| green turtle | belotauro | बेलोटौरौ |
| grey pigeon | mirit | मीरीत |
| rooster | maucho | मौचौ |
| strewn leaves | yephaay taich | येफाऽय तैच |
| bamboo | rat | रैट |
| tusked male pig | ratairlauto | रातैरलौतो |
| smoke | lep | लेप |
| fire | luro, wuro | लूरो, वूरो |
| waist jewellery | shirbele | शीरबेले |
| snake | shubi | शूबी |
| crocodile | sarekateyo | सारेकातेयो |
| White-bellied Sea-Eagle | karatchom | करटचोम |
| Pacific Golden Plover | chelele | चैलेले |
| Oriental Honey Buzzard | taulom-tut-bio | टौलोम-तूत-बीओ |
| Whimbrel | chautot | चौटोट |
- Column in yellow denotes loanword derived from Hindi
= Place names =
| class="wikitable" | |
| Contemporary name | Present Great Andamanese name |
|---|---|
| Andaman Islands | Marakele |
| South Andaman Island | Sorobul |
| Little Andaman | Ilimu Tauro |
| Strait Island | Khringkosho |
| Havelock Island (Swaraj Island) | Thi Lar Siro |
| Interview Island | Bilikhu Tara Phong |
| Neill Island (Shaheed Island) | Tebi Shiro |
| Baratang Island | Boa |
| Bluff Island | Lurua |
| Landfall Island | Mauntenga |
| Long Island | Bol Phong |
| Inglis Island | Jirikta Phong |
| Port Blair | Laotara Nyo |
| Diglipur | Thitaumul |
| Mayabunder | Ret Phor |
| Saddle Peak | Puluga Chang |