Shemya (tàar ʃàmɲà) is the language of the Sinyar people. It is a Central Sudanic language spoken in Chad and formerly in Darfur, Sudan. It is variously spelled Shamya, Shamyan, Shemya, Sinya, and known as Symiarta, Taar Shamyan, Zimirra.
| Sinyar | |
|---|---|
| Shemya | |
| Native to | Chad |
| Ethnicity | Sinyar |
Native speakers | 33,000 (2023)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | sys |
| Glottolog | siny1243 |
The language is spoken in Goz Beïda, Chad and Foro Boranga, Sudan. There are two level tones and downstepped low tones. Word order is SVO.[2][3]
Dimmendaal leaves it as a language isolate, whereas Blench groups it with Formona.[4]
Doornbos records 18 Sinyar clans. The Kijaar clan, located close to the Kujargé, likely intermarried with the Kujargé.[5]
Lexicon
editSinyar appears to have a Bongo–Bagirmi superstratum and a non-Bongo–Bagirmi substratum. Some lexical items in Sinyar have cognates in Bongo–Bagirmi languages (particularly the neighboring Yulu-Gula group), while others do not.[6]
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|
Sinyar numerals from Boyeldieu (2013):[7]
- Numerals
| 1 | kàllà |
| 2 | róò |
| 3 | mùʈʈà |
| 4 | ùssà |
| 5 | mòy |
| 6 | mìccà |
| 7 | mòorsò |
| 8 | màartà |
| 9 | mànɖéy |
| 10 | ʈìyà |
Pronouns
editSinyar pronouns:[6]
- Sinyar pronouns
| Gloss | Sinyar |
|---|---|
| 1S | màalé, (màá) |
| 2S | ìllé |
| 3S | nàalé, (nàá) |
| 1P.du | cìngé |
| 1P.ex? | cìyé |
| 1P.in | cèesá |
| 2P? | sìngé; sèesá |
| 3P | nìngé |
References
edit- ^ Sinyar at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
- ^ Boyeldieu, Pascal. 2013. Case alignment(s) in Sinyar. Paper presented at the Nilo-Saharan Linguistics Colloquium, 22-24 May, 2013.
- ^ Boyeldieu, Pascal. 2015. Case alignment(s) in Sinyar. In Angelika Mietzner and Anne Storch (eds.), Nilo-Saharan: Models and Descriptions, 21-36. Cologne: Köppe.
- ^ Blench, Roger. Central Sudanic overview.
- ^ Blažek, Václav (2015). "On the position of Kujarke within Chadic". Folia Orientalia. 52. ISSN 0015-5675.
- ^ a b Boyeldieu, Pascal. 2013. Sinyar and SBB (Central Sudanic): genetic relationship or contact? Paper presented at Linguistique diachronique et reconstruction : méthodes, acquis, avancées récentes. Labex EFL. 1-6 July 2013.
- ^ Boyeldieu, Pascal. 2013. Sinyar numerals.
