Region India ISO 639-3 gaq | Ethnicity 7,400 (2001 census) Glottolog gata1239 | |
Native speakers (3,100 cited 1991 census) Language family Austroasiatic
Munda
Koraput
Remo
Gataq | ||
The Gta’ language (also rendered Gataʔ, Gataq, Getaq, Getaʔ, Gtaʔ, Gata and also known as Gta Asa, Didei/Didayi [ɖiɖaːj(i)], Dire) is a language spoken by the Didayi people of India. It is notable for its sesquisyllabic phonology (Anderson 2008:684-5) and vigesimal numeral system.
Contents
Demographics
Gta’ is spoken by 3,000 people primarily in Malkangiri district, Odisha as well as adjoining areas of Koraput district (Anderson 2008:682).
Ethnologue reports the following locations.
Dialects
Gta’ has two main varieties, namely Plains Gta’ and Hill Gta’.
Classification
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 (Zide 1976).
Nouns
Nouns in Gta? 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 /}/ in the echo-word. For base-word /u, e, o/ the vowel /a/ is preferred, while for base word /e/ the vowel /I/ is preferred.
Rule# 3. The vowels of disyllabic base words are reflected in the echo-word as follows:
Rule# 4. In the case of trisyllabic base words, one, two or all three of the vowels (in adjacent syllables) are reflected as either /a/ or /}/.
Rule# 5. The echo-forms of compound words, irrespective of their vocalic structure, are derived as follows:
Categories of Echo Forms
- A-forms, indicating gross variety;
- I-forms, indicating diminutive or tender variety ;
- U/a-forms, indicating variety different from a related category
- Partially changed forms, indicating inferior variety : a-forms, indicating grossness and ?-forms, indicating tenderness.
Numeral System
Gta' numeral system is vigesimal.
Neighboring Languages
Gta? echo-formation shows some striking similarities with echo-formation in neighboring Hunda 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 Gta? is that echo-words in all three of these languages are also derived from base words by changes in the vowels alone.