Sholaga language
Kannadoid language of India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sholaga language (IPA: [ʃoːlɐɡɐ, s-]) is a Dravidian language that is related to Kannada and Tamil and is spoken by the Soliga people. The language is also known as Kadu Sholigar, Sholiga, Sholigar, Solaga, Solega, Soliga, Soligar, Solanayakkans, Sholanayika.
| Sholaga | |
|---|---|
| Soliga | |
| Native to | India |
| Region | Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| Ethnicity | Soliga |
Native speakers | 24,000 (2006)[1] |
Dravidian
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | sle |
| Glottolog | shol1240 |
| ELP | Sholaga |
Etymology
The language's name comes from śōla "forest" and -ga "people".[2]
Classification
Sholaga is classified as a Dravidian language. The Dravidian languages are split into five main categories, called Southern, South Central, Central, North and Unclassified. Sholaga falls into the Southern category, which has three subcategories: Tamil-Kannada, Macro-Tulu, and unclassified. Sholaga is a Tamil-Kannada language.
Phonology
Here are the vowel and the consonant phonemes of Sholaga:[3]
Vowels
Kamil Zvelebil listed centralized <ä, ǟ> in the phonology. The real quality distinguishing <ä, ǟ> and <a, ā> is unclear.
- There are phonemic nasal vowels. All plain vowels have nasal counterparts, mostly from old final nasals: akkã "sister", mö̃yi "body".
Consonants
- /s/ is in free variation with [ʃ] and does not clash with /t͡ʃ, d͡ʒ/.
- p- > h- > ∅-: Sholaga aga, Kannada hoge; Sholaga haḍagu, Kannada haḍagu. Initial p-. also exists like in paḍḍe.
- /ɖ, ɽ/ contrast: nōṛ- "see", ōḍ- "run".
- /k/ palatalization does not occur unlike in Kannada: Sholaga kimi, Kannada kivi, Tamil cevi.
- Rare /g/ > /ṅ/: Sholaga maṅa, Kannada maganu.
Grammar
Source: [3]
- The formative morpheme *-ay is -a: Tamil iṯappay "eyelid", Kannada rappe, Sholaga ṟappa.
- Like Irula and nearby Nilagiri languages, it lacks the oblique form in compounds with a modifier followed by the modified: kāḍu aṉḏi "forest pig", Tamil kāṭṭu (< kāṭu) paṉṟi.
- Unlike Jenu Kuruba, it has a rich use of plural forms. Most take -ga, but most nouns that end with -ã take -diru, but others take -ru.
- Most cases are like in Kannada, but the forms are not identical.
- There are only two tense stems: past/non-past (which is more like verb finished vs unfinished). From the past tense, the preterite tense is frmed, and from the non-past tense, the present-future tense is formed.
Words
| English | Sholaga |
|---|---|
| tiger | dodinayi |
| elephant | coquedana |
| elephant with huge tusks | coquedonga |
| female elephant with growing tusks | coreyani |
| deer | Maan |
| Sambar deer | kadave |
| Chital | saraga |
| Moss Deer | koore |
| muntjac | tadu-koori |
| Area with boulders and rarely any rain | udugaru |
| An evergreen forest | Patchai kadu |
