Erjie: Difference between revisions

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|altname = 迩捷語 (ěrjiéyǔ)

|pronunciation = ɚˈʑjɛ ˈkʰəlʊ

|pronunciation_key = IPA ~~for Luthic~~

|pronunciation_key = help:IPA

|states = [[w:China|China]]

|region = [[w: Qinghai|Qinghai]]

|region = [[w:Qinghai|Qinghai]]

|speakers = 2000

|date = 2023

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| mapcaption2 = {{center|{{small|Erjie is classified as Vulnerable}}}}

}}

~~<!--~~

~~This is a short reminder of the language format policy.~~

~~I. Write a short piece stating your intents and purposes when creating the language (Design goal, inspiration, ideas, and so on).~~

~~II. Write a short introduction to your language. (Who speaks it? When was it created? By whom? or what? are some example questions that can be answered here)~~

~~III. Once done, try making sure everything is properly spelt so as to avoid unnecessary reader fatigue.~~

~~-->~~

'''Erjie''' is an [[w:Indo-European|Indo-European]] language spoken by the Erjie people, who mainly live in the provinces of [[w:Qinghai|Qinghai]] and [[w:Gansu|Gansu]] in Northwestern [[w:China|China]]. It is the sole extant member of the [[w:Tocharian Languages|Tocharian]] branch of [[w:Indo-European|Indo-European]]. The Erjie number about 3200 people, about 2000 (2023) speak the Erjie language; around 800 are primarily monolingual, while many speak Mandarin and/or Amdo Tibetan to a degree of fluency. While a pinyin-based writing system has been devised, Erjie is not often written by speakers and primarily exists as a spoken language.

According to Erjie tradition, the Erjie are the descendants of the [[w:Tocharians|Tocharian speaking tribes]] of the [[w:Tarim Basin|Tarim Basin]]. During periods of the [[w:Uyghur Khaganate|Uyghur Khaganate]] and [[w:Tang Dynasty|Tang dynasty]], these tribesmen migrated from the Tarim Basin and dwelt within China's borders and since then have lived within the Qinghai-Gansu border region. Erjie has considerable influence, both grammatical and lexical, from [[w:Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin Chinese]] and [[w:Amdo Tibetan|Amdo Tibetan]].

According to Erjie tradition, the Erjie are the descendants of the [[w:Tocharians|Tocharian speaking tribes]] of the [[w:Tarim Basin|Tarim Basin]]. During periods of the [[w:Uyghur Khaganate|Uyghur Khaganate]] and [[w:Tang Dynasty|Tang dynasty]], these tribesmen migrated from the Tarim Basin and dwelt within China's borders and since then have lived within the Qinghai-Gansu border region. Erjie has considerable influence, both grammatical and lexical, from [[w:Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin Chinese]] and [[w:Amdo Tibetan|Amdo Tibetan]]. It is also a part of the broader [[w:Qinghai–Gansu_sprachbund|Qinghai-Gansu/Amdo sprachbund]], characterized by many features that differ greatly from surrounding languages, such as [[w:Subject–object–verb_word_order|SOV word order]], [[w:Grammatical_case|case marking]] and a lack of [[w:w:Tone_(linguistics)|lexical tone]].

==Phonology==

Line 154:

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! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative consonant|Fricatives]]

!voiceless

| [[w:Voiceless_labiodental_fricative|(f)]] {{angle bracket|f}}

| [[w:Voiceless_labiodental_fricative|''(f)'']] {{angle bracket|''f''}}

| [[w:Voiceless_alveolar_fricative|/s/]] {{angle bracket|s}}

| [[w:Voiceless_retroflex_fricative|/ʂ/]] {{angle bracket|sh}}

Line 162:

Line 157:

![[w:Voice_(phonetics)|voiced]]

|

| [[w:Voiced_alveolar_fricative|(z)]] {{angle bracket|z}}

| [[w:Voiced_alveolar_fricative|''(z)'']] {{angle bracket|''z''}}

|

| [[w:Voiced_alveolo-palatal_fricative|(ʑ)]] {{angle bracket|j}}

| [[w:Voiced_alveolo-palatal_fricative|''(ʑ)'']] {{angle bracket|''j''}}

| colspan="2" | [[w:Voiced_velar_fricative|/ɣ/]] ~ [[w:Voiced_uvular_fricative|/ʁ/]] {{angle bracket|gh}}

|-

Line 187:

Line 182:

*/x/ and /ɣ/ are uvular /χ/ and /ʁ/ before /a/, /ɔ/ and /u/.

*/f/ is only found in Chinese borrowings, alternatively substituted with /pʰ/.

*/j/ and /w/ can have spirantized allophones [ʝ] and [β] typically in stressed, initial syllables.

*/j/ and /w/ can have spirantized allophones [ʝ] and [βˠ] typically in stressed, initial syllables.

== Writing System ==

Erjie does not have on official script and mainly exists as a spoken language. However, young Erjie speakers have increasingly started to use a writing system based on Mandarin pinyin. It is primarily used among Erjie for writing their language on the internet and in digital environments.

=== Pinyin-based Latin Script ===

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Pinyin || [[help:IPA|IPA]] || Notes

|-

|| ''b'' || /p/ || Unaspirated ''p'', like in English spa.

|-

|| ''p'' || /pʰ/ || Strongly aspirated ''p'', like in English pay.

|-

|| ''m'' || /m/ || Like the ''m'' in English may.

|-

|| ''f'' || /f/ || Like the ''f'' in English fair.

|-

|| ''d'' || /t̪/ || Unaspirated dental ''t'', similar to English stop.

|-

|| ''t'' || /t̪ʰ/ || Strongly aspirated dental ''t'', similar to English take.

|-

|| ''n'' || /n/ || Like the ''n'' in English nay.

|-

|| ''l'' || /l̪/ || Dental ''l'', similar to English lay.

|-

|| ''g'' || /k/ || Unaspirated ''k'', like in English skill.

|-

|| ''k'' || /kʰ/ || Strongly aspirated ''k'', like in English kiss.

|-

|| ''gh'' || /q~ʁ~ɣ/ || No English equivalent. Occurs as [q] in onset and when voiceless but as [ɣ~ʁ] intervocalically.

|-

|| ''kh'' || /qʰ/ || No English equivalent. Often strongly spirantized to [qχ(ʰ)] and even [χ(ʰ)]

|-

|| ''h'' || /x~χ/ || Like the ''ch'' in Scottish English loch.

|-

|| ''j'' || /tɕ~(d)ʑ/ || Alveolo-palatal, unaspirated. No direct equivalent in English. Occurs as [tɕ] in onset and when voiceless but as [dʑ~ʑ] intervocalically.

|-

|| ''q'' || /tɕʰ/ || Alveolo-palatal, aspirated. No direct equivalent in English, but similar to the ''ch'' in English punchy.

|-

|| ''x'' || /ɕ/ || Alveolo-palatal, unaspirated. No direct equivalent in English, but similar to the ''sh'' in English push.

|-

|| ''zh'' || /ʈʂ/ || Retroflex, unaspirated. Similar to ''j'' in English jack.

|-

|| ''ch'' || /ʈʂʰ/ || Retroflex, aspirated. Similar to the ''ch'' in English church.

|-

|| ''sh'' || /ʂ/ || Retroflex, unaspirated. Similar to ''sh'' in shirt.

|-

|| ''r'' || /ɻ~ʐ/ || Retroflex. No direct equivalent in English, but somewhat similar to the ''r'' in English reduce.

|-

|| ''z'' || /ts~(d)z/ || Unaspirated. Like the ''zz'' in English pizza. Occurs as [ts] in onset and when voiceless but as [dz~z] intervocalically

|-

|| ''c'' || /tsʰ/ || Aspirated. Like the ''ts'' in English bats.

|-

|| ''s'' || /s/ || Like the ''s'' in English say.

|-

|| ''w'' || /w~β/ ||Like the ''w'' in English water. Occasionally pronounced [β], like a ''v'' but using both lips.

|-

|| ''y''|| /j~ʝ/ || Like the ''y'' in English yes.

|-

|''yu'' ||/ɥ/ ||Like the ''hu'' in French huit.

|-

|| ''a''|| /a~ɑ~æ/ || Like the ''a'' in English back.

|-

|| ''i''|| /i~ɪ~ɨ/ || Like the ''ee'' in English feed.

|-

|| ''u''|| /u~ʊ~ʉ/ || Like the ''oo'' in English good.

|-

|| ''o''|| /ɔ~ɵ/ || Like the ''o'' in English fog.

|-

|| ''e''|| /ə~ɛ/ || Varies between the ''o'' in English lemon and the ''e'' in bet.

|-

|| ''ai''|| /aj/ || Like the ''y'' in English fly.

|-

|| ''au''|| /aw/ || Similar to the ''ou'' in some dialects of English loud.

|-

|| ''ei''|| /ej/ || Like the ''ay'' in English may.

|-

|| ''ou''|| /ow/ || No exact English equivalent, but similar to the ''oa'' in coat.

|-

|| ''ie''|| /jɛ/ || No English equivalent. Like the ''ie'' in Spanish tiempo.

|-

|| ''uo''|| /wɔ/ || No English equivalent.

|}

== Grammar ==

===Morphology===

Erjie is [[w:Agglutination|agglutinative]] and mainly [[w:Suffix|suffixing]], although there are a small number of [[w:Prefix|prefixes]]. Erjie has lost a significant portion of its [[w:Inflection|inflectional morphology]] which was present in the [[w:Tocharian_languages|Tocharian languages]], likely due to contact-induced [[w:Morphological leveling|leveling]]. For example, verbs no longer conjugate for [[w:Grammatical_person|person]] or the [[w:Subjunctive_mood|subjunctive]], [[w:Grammatical_gender|gender]] in nouns has been lost, and thus adjectives no longer inflect for [[w:Grammatical_gender|gender]] or even [[w:Grammatical_case|case]]. That being said, Erjie has innovated certain morphological features, such as a future tense suffix and verbal negative suffix which were not present in Tocharian. [[w:Stress_(linguistics)|Lexical stress]] is phonemic, although it is in the process of being replaced by a [[w:Pitch-accent_language|pitch-accent]] system, especially among younger speakers.

===Nouns and Case Marking===

Erjie has seven cases: [[w:nominative_case|nominative]] (unmarked), [[w:Genitive_case|genitive]]-[[w:accusative_case|accusative]], [[w:dative_case|dative]]-[[w:locative_case|locative]], [[w:ablative_case|ablative]], [[w:comitative_case|comitative]], [[w:allative_case|allative]] and [[w:perlative_case|perlative]]-[[w:instrumental_case|instrumental]]. [[w:Object_(grammar)|Direct objects]] are typically marked in the genitive-accusative if they are [[w:Definiteness|definite]], while if they are [[w:Definiteness|indefinite]] they are marked in the nominative combined with the [[w:Article_(grammar)|indefinite article]] ''she''. In addition to case, numerous postpositions exist which may govern any number of cases. There are also limited prepositions which typically exclusively govern the nominative.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

|+Erjie noun cases

|-

! Case !! Suffix !! English preposition

!Example !! Translation

|-

| [[w:nominative_case|nominative]] || – || –

| ''yeghu'' || horse

|-

| [[w:Genitive_case|genitive]]-[[w:accusative_case|accusative]] || -ze || (direct object); of

| ''yeghuze'' || the horse (as direct object); of (the) horse/(the) horse's

|-

| [[w:dative_case|dative]]-[[w:locative_case|locative]] || -ne || at, in, on, to

| ''yeghune'' || on/in (the) horse; to (the) horse (as a recipient/indirect object)

|-

| [[w:ablative_case|ablative]] || -men || from

| ''yeghumen'' || from (the) horse

|-

| [[w:comitative_case|comitative]] || -ba || with

| ''yeghuba'' || with (e.g. alongside the) horse

|-

| [[w:allative_case|allative]] || -xi || to, toward, into, onto

| ''yeghuxi'' || toward/onto (the) horse

|-

| [[w:perlative_case|perlative]]-[[w:instrumental_case|instrumental]] || -za || through, with, via, using, by, over

| ''yeghuza'' || with (e.g. by means of the) horse; by horse

|}

======Nominative case======

The nominative generally marks the subject of a verb and the predicate of a copular construction. It is also used to mark the direct object of a sentence if that object is indirect. The nominative is unmarked in Erjie.

======Genitive-Accusative case======

This case governs two main uses: marking the definite direct object of a verb and indicating possession. As a genitive, it is generally only used to indicate the possession of animate possessors such as people and animals, although certain self-actuating celestial bodies and geological features such as rivers and oceans may also apply (especially in a religious or spiritual sense). In the accusative sense, words in this case tend to like to occur directly before the verb, as if it were to precede a noun phrase it may be confused for its genitive function.

======Dative-Locative case======

The dative-locative is used to indicate a location such as ''in'', ''on'', ''at'' or ''by'', as well as to indicate the recipient or indirect object of a verb. Another important use of this case is what is typically called the possessive dative, in which it marks what would typically be, in English, the subject of a transitive verb, e.g. ''Toughane xuer xameixgela lie'' – literally "(there) are four kids to/at/by Tougha", this construction is typically found with a copula and translates as "Tougha has four kids".

======Plurals======

Plurals are typically marked by way of the suffix -la which occurs after the root and before any case markers. While -la is the most common plural suffix, there are numerous irregular plurals which may be unpredictable, and there are some nouns that do not mark plurality at all. With that said, plural marking is not mandatory especially if it is obvious by context. It is also common for plurality not to be marked after numerals. Younger speakers are increasingly trending towards less use of the plural as a whole, and its usage is much more pervasive in older speakers and may be a social marker for age and authority. Reduplication has also been seen among younger speakers as a trendy way to produce plurals, although it is typically used to represent a particularly large quantity, e.g. ''keli keli tegha ba!'' – "There was tons of bread!".

===Pronouns===

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Personal Pronouns

|-

! colspan="2" | !! Nominative !! Genitive-Accusative

|-

! rowspan ="2" | 1st person

! singular

| yix

| yi

|-

! plural

| wer

| weji

|-

! rowspan ="2" | 2nd person

! singular

| qi

| qen

|-

! plural

| yer

| yeji

|-

! rowspan ="4" | 3rd person

! singular masculine

| qao

| qui

|-

! singular feminine

| tou

| tei

|-

! singular inanimate

| tu

| tuze

|-

! plural

| qim

| qimze

|}

==Numerals==

{| class="wikitable"

|+

!Numeral

!'''Erjie'''

!'''IPA'''

!'''Tocharian A'''

!'''Tocharian B'''

!'''Proto-Indo-European'''

|-

|1

|she

|[ʂə]

|sas

|ṣe

|*sem-

|-

|2

|wi

|[wɪ]

|wu

|wi

|*dwóh₁

|-

|3

|chei

|[ʈʂʰej]

|tre

|trai

|*tréyes

|-

|4

|xuer

|[ɕɥɚ]

|śtwar

|śtwer

|*kʷetwṓr

|-

|5

|pix

|[pʰɪɕ]

|päñ

|piś

|*pénkʷe

|-

|6

|shges

|[ʂkəs]

|ṣäk

|ṣkas

|*swéḱs

|-

|7

|shuk

|[ʂʉk̚]

|ṣpät

|ṣukt

|*septḿ̥

|-

|8

|wuk

|[βuk̚]

|okät

|okt

|*h₁oḱtṓ(w)

|-

|9

|yuk

|[ʝyk̚]

|ñu

|*(h₁)néwn̥

|-

|10

|xek

|[ɕɛk̚]

|śäk

|śak

|*déḱm̥t

|}

==Syntax==

Erjie has a primarily [[w:Subject–object–verb_word_order|SOV]] word order, although it is relatively flexible and may be modified to add emphasis or topic focus.

[[Category:Erjie]]

[[Category:Languages]]

[[Category:Conlangs]]

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 |altname  = 迩捷語 (ěrjiéyǔ)
 |pronunciation     = ɚˈʑjɛ ˈkʰəlʊ
-|pronunciation_key = IPA for Luthic
+|pronunciation_key = help:IPA
 |states            = [[w:China|China]]
-|region            = [[w: Qinghai|Qinghai]]
+|region            = [[w:Qinghai|Qinghai]]
 |speakers          = 2000
 |date              = 2023
@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 | mapcaption2      = {{center|{{small|Erjie is classified as Vulnerable}}}}
 }}
-<!--
-This is a short reminder of the language format policy.
+{{privatelang}}
-I. Write a short piece stating your intents and purposes when creating the language (Design goal, inspiration, ideas, and so on).
-II. Write a short introduction to your language. (Who speaks it? When was it created? By whom? or what? are some example questions that can be answered here)
-III. Once done, try making sure everything is properly spelt so as to avoid unnecessary reader fatigue.
--->
 '''Erjie''' is an [[w:Indo-European|Indo-European]] language spoken by the Erjie people, who mainly live in the provinces of [[w:Qinghai|Qinghai]] and [[w:Gansu|Gansu]] in Northwestern [[w:China|China]]. It is the sole extant member of the [[w:Tocharian Languages|Tocharian]] branch of [[w:Indo-European|Indo-European]]. The Erjie number about 3200 people, about 2000 (2023) speak the Erjie language; around 800 are primarily monolingual, while many speak Mandarin and/or Amdo Tibetan to a degree of fluency. While a pinyin-based writing system has been devised, Erjie is not often written by speakers and primarily exists as a spoken language.
-According to Erjie tradition, the Erjie are the descendants of the [[w:Tocharians|Tocharian speaking tribes]] of the [[w:Tarim Basin|Tarim Basin]]. During periods of the [[w:Uyghur Khaganate|Uyghur Khaganate]] and [[w:Tang Dynasty|Tang dynasty]], these tribesmen migrated from the Tarim Basin and dwelt within China's borders and since then have lived within the Qinghai-Gansu border region. Erjie has considerable influence, both grammatical and lexical, from [[w:Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin Chinese]] and [[w:Amdo Tibetan|Amdo Tibetan]].
+According to Erjie tradition, the Erjie are the descendants of the [[w:Tocharians|Tocharian speaking tribes]] of the [[w:Tarim Basin|Tarim Basin]]. During periods of the [[w:Uyghur Khaganate|Uyghur Khaganate]] and [[w:Tang Dynasty|Tang dynasty]], these tribesmen migrated from the Tarim Basin and dwelt within China's borders and since then have lived within the Qinghai-Gansu border region. Erjie has considerable influence, both grammatical and lexical, from [[w:Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin Chinese]] and [[w:Amdo Tibetan|Amdo Tibetan]]. It is also a part of the broader [[w:Qinghai–Gansu_sprachbund|Qinghai-Gansu/Amdo sprachbund]], characterized by many features that differ greatly from surrounding languages, such as [[w:Subject–object–verb_word_order|SOV word order]], [[w:Grammatical_case|case marking]] and a lack of [[w:w:Tone_(linguistics)|lexical tone]].
 ==Phonology==
@@ Line 154: / Line 149: @@
 ! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative consonant|Fricatives]]
 !<small>voiceless</small>
-| [[w:Voiceless_labiodental_fricative|(f)]] {{angle bracket|f}}
+| [[w:Voiceless_labiodental_fricative|''(f)'']] {{angle bracket|''f''}}
 | [[w:Voiceless_alveolar_fricative|/s/]] {{angle bracket|s}}
 | [[w:Voiceless_retroflex_fricative|/ʂ/]] {{angle bracket|sh}}
@@ Line 162: / Line 157: @@
 !<small>[[w:Voice_(phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
 |
-| [[w:Voiced_alveolar_fricative|(z)]] {{angle bracket|z}}
+| [[w:Voiced_alveolar_fricative|''(z)'']] {{angle bracket|''z''}}
 |
-| [[w:Voiced_alveolo-palatal_fricative|(ʑ)]] {{angle bracket|j}}
+| [[w:Voiced_alveolo-palatal_fricative|''(ʑ)'']] {{angle bracket|''j''}}
 | colspan="2" | [[w:Voiced_velar_fricative|/ɣ/]] ~ [[w:Voiced_uvular_fricative|/ʁ/]] {{angle bracket|gh}}
 |-
@@ Line 187: / Line 182: @@
 */x/ and /ɣ/ are uvular /χ/ and /ʁ/ before /a/, /ɔ/ and /u/.
 */f/ is only found in Chinese borrowings, alternatively substituted with /pʰ/.
-*/j/ and /w/ can have spirantized allophones [ʝ] and [β] typically in stressed, initial syllables.
+*/j/ and /w/ can have spirantized allophones [ʝ] and [βˠ] typically in stressed, initial syllables.
+== Writing System ==
+Erjie does not have on official script and mainly exists as a spoken language. However, young Erjie speakers have increasingly started to use a writing system based on Mandarin pinyin. It is primarily used among Erjie for writing their language on the internet and in digital environments.
+=== Pinyin-based Latin Script ===
+{| class="wikitable"
+|-
+! Pinyin || [[help:IPA|IPA]] || Notes
+|-
+|| ''b'' || /p/ || Unaspirated ''p'', like in English s<u>p</u>a.
+|-
+|| ''p'' || /pʰ/ || Strongly aspirated ''p'', like in English <u>p</u>ay.
+|-
+|| ''m'' || /m/ || Like the ''m'' in English <u>m</u>ay.
+|-
+|| ''f'' || /f/ || Like the ''f'' in English <u>f</u>air.
+|-
+|| ''d'' || /t̪/ || Unaspirated dental ''t'', similar to English s<u>t</u>op.
+|-
+|| ''t'' || /t̪ʰ/ || Strongly aspirated dental ''t'', similar to English <u>t</u>ake.
+|-
+|| ''n'' || /n/ || Like the ''n'' in English <u>n</u>ay.
+|-
+|| ''l'' || /l̪/ || Dental ''l'', similar to English <u>l</u>ay.
+|-
+|| ''g'' || /k/ || Unaspirated ''k'', like in English s<u>k</u>ill.
+|-
+|| ''k'' || /kʰ/ || Strongly aspirated ''k'', like in English <u>k</u>iss.
+|-
+|| ''gh'' || /q~ʁ~ɣ/ || No English equivalent. Occurs as [q] in onset and when voiceless but as [ɣ~ʁ] intervocalically.
+|-
+|| ''kh'' || /qʰ/ || No English equivalent. Often strongly spirantized to [qχ(ʰ)] and even [χ(ʰ)]
+|-
+|| ''h'' || /x~χ/ || Like the ''ch'' in Scottish English lo<u>ch</u>.
+|-
+|| ''j'' || /tɕ~(d)ʑ/ || Alveolo-palatal, unaspirated. No direct equivalent in English. Occurs as [tɕ] in onset and when voiceless but as [dʑ~ʑ] intervocalically.
+|-
+|| ''q'' || /tɕʰ/ || Alveolo-palatal, aspirated. No direct equivalent in English, but similar to the ''ch'' in English pun<u>ch</u>y.
+|-
+|| ''x'' || /ɕ/ || Alveolo-palatal, unaspirated. No direct equivalent in English, but similar to the ''sh'' in English pu<u>sh</u>.
+|-
+|| ''zh'' || /ʈʂ/ || Retroflex, unaspirated. Similar to ''j'' in English <u>j</u>ack.
+|-
+|| ''ch'' || /ʈʂʰ/ || Retroflex, aspirated. Similar to the ''ch'' in English chur<u>ch</u>.
+|-
+|| ''sh'' || /ʂ/ || Retroflex, unaspirated. Similar to ''sh'' in <u>sh</u>irt.
+|-
+|| ''r'' || /ɻ~ʐ/ || Retroflex. No direct equivalent in English, but somewhat similar to the ''r'' in English <u>r</u>educe.
+|-
+|| ''z'' || /ts~(d)z/ || Unaspirated. Like the ''zz'' in English pi<u>zz</u>a. Occurs as [ts] in onset and when voiceless but as [dz~z] intervocalically
+|-
+|| ''c'' || /tsʰ/ || Aspirated. Like the ''ts'' in English ba<u>ts</u>.
+|-
+|| ''s'' || /s/ || Like the ''s'' in English <u>s</u>ay.
+|-
+|| ''w'' || /w~β/ ||Like the ''w'' in English <u>w</u>ater. Occasionally pronounced [β], like a ''v'' but using both lips.
+|-
+|| ''y''|| /j~ʝ/ || Like the ''y'' in English <u>y</u>es.
+|-
+|''yu'' ||/ɥ/ ||Like the ''hu'' in French <u>hu</u>it.
+|-
+|| ''a''|| /a~ɑ~æ/ || Like the ''a'' in English b<u>a</u>ck.
+|-
+|| ''i''|| /i~ɪ~ɨ/ || Like the ''ee'' in English f<u>ee</u>d.
+|-
+|| ''u''|| /u~ʊ~ʉ/ || Like the ''oo'' in English g<u>oo</u>d.
+|-
+|| ''o''|| /ɔ~ɵ/ || Like the ''o'' in English f<u>o</u>g.
+|-
+|| ''e''|| /ə~ɛ/ || Varies between the ''o'' in English lem<u>o</u>n and the ''e'' in b<u>e</u>t.
+|-
+|| ''ai''|| /aj/ || Like the ''y'' in English fl<u>y</u>.
+|-
+|| ''au''|| /aw/ || Similar to the ''ou'' in some dialects of English l<u>ou</u>d.
+|-
+|| ''ei''|| /ej/ || Like the ''ay'' in English m<u>ay</u>.
+|-
+|| ''ou''|| /ow/ || No exact English equivalent, but similar to the ''oa'' in c<u>oa</u>t.
+|-
+|| ''ie''|| /jɛ/ || No English equivalent. Like the ''ie'' in Spanish t<u>ie</u>mpo.
+|-
+|| ''uo''|| /wɔ/ || No English equivalent.
+|}
+== Grammar ==
+===Morphology===
+Erjie is [[w:Agglutination|agglutinative]] and mainly [[w:Suffix|suffixing]], although there are a small number of [[w:Prefix|prefixes]]. Erjie has lost a significant portion of its [[w:Inflection|inflectional morphology]] which was present in the [[w:Tocharian_languages|Tocharian languages]], likely due to contact-induced [[w:Morphological leveling|leveling]]. For example, verbs no longer conjugate for [[w:Grammatical_person|person]] or the [[w:Subjunctive_mood|subjunctive]], [[w:Grammatical_gender|gender]] in nouns has been lost, and thus adjectives no longer inflect for [[w:Grammatical_gender|gender]] or even [[w:Grammatical_case|case]]. That being said, Erjie has innovated certain morphological features, such as a future tense suffix and verbal negative suffix which were not present in Tocharian. [[w:Stress_(linguistics)|Lexical stress]] is phonemic, although it is in the process of being replaced by a [[w:Pitch-accent_language|pitch-accent]] system, especially among younger speakers.
+===Nouns and Case Marking===
+Erjie has seven cases: [[w:nominative_case|nominative]] (unmarked), [[w:Genitive_case|genitive]]-[[w:accusative_case|accusative]], [[w:dative_case|dative]]-[[w:locative_case|locative]], [[w:ablative_case|ablative]], [[w:comitative_case|comitative]], [[w:allative_case|allative]] and [[w:perlative_case|perlative]]-[[w:instrumental_case|instrumental]]. [[w:Object_(grammar)|Direct objects]] are typically marked in the genitive-accusative if they are [[w:Definiteness|definite]], while if they are [[w:Definiteness|indefinite]] they are marked in the nominative combined with the [[w:Article_(grammar)|indefinite article]] ''she''. In addition to case, numerous postpositions exist which may govern any number of cases. There are also limited prepositions which typically exclusively govern the nominative.
+{| class="wikitable"
+|-
+|+Erjie noun cases
+|-
+! Case !! Suffix !! English preposition
+!Example !! Translation
+|-
+| [[w:nominative_case|nominative]] || – || –
+| ''yeghu'' || horse
+|-
+| [[w:Genitive_case|genitive]]-[[w:accusative_case|accusative]] || -ze || (direct object); of
+| ''yeghuze'' || the horse (as direct object); of (the) horse/(the) horse's
+|-
+| [[w:dative_case|dative]]-[[w:locative_case|locative]] || -ne || at, in, on, to
+| ''yeghune'' || on/in (the) horse; to (the) horse (as a recipient/indirect object)
+|-
+| [[w:ablative_case|ablative]] || -men || from
+| ''yeghumen'' || from (the) horse
+|-
+| [[w:comitative_case|comitative]] || -ba || with
+| ''yeghuba'' || with (e.g. alongside the) horse
+|-
+| [[w:allative_case|allative]] || -xi || to, toward, into, onto
+| ''yeghuxi'' || toward/onto (the) horse
+|-
+| [[w:perlative_case|perlative]]-[[w:instrumental_case|instrumental]] || -za || through, with, via, using, by, over
+| ''yeghuza'' || with (e.g. by means of the) horse; by horse
+|}
+======Nominative case======
+The nominative generally marks the subject of a verb and the predicate of a copular construction. It is also used to mark the direct object of a sentence if that object is indirect. The nominative is unmarked in Erjie.
+======Genitive-Accusative case======
+This case governs two main uses: marking the definite direct object of a verb and indicating possession. As a genitive, it is generally only used to indicate the possession of animate possessors such as people and animals, although certain self-actuating celestial bodies and geological features such as rivers and oceans may also apply (especially in a religious or spiritual sense). In the accusative sense, words in this case tend to like to occur directly before the verb, as if it were to precede a noun phrase it may be confused for its genitive function.
+======Dative-Locative case======
+The dative-locative is used to indicate a location such as ''in'', ''on'', ''at'' or ''by'', as well as to indicate the recipient or indirect object of a verb. Another important use of this case is what is typically called the possessive dative, in which it marks what would typically be, in English, the subject of a transitive verb, e.g. ''Toughane xuer xameixgela lie'' – literally "(there) are four kids to/at/by Tougha", this construction is typically found with a copula and translates as "Tougha has four kids".
+======Plurals======
+Plurals are typically marked by way of the suffix -la which occurs after the root and before any case markers. While -la is the most common plural suffix, there are numerous irregular plurals which may be unpredictable, and there are some nouns that do not mark plurality at all. With that said, plural marking is not mandatory especially if it is obvious by context. It is also common for plurality not to be marked after numerals. Younger speakers are increasingly trending towards less use of the plural as a whole, and its usage is much more pervasive in older speakers and may be a social marker for age and authority. Reduplication has also been seen among younger speakers as a trendy way to produce plurals, although it is typically used to represent a particularly large quantity, e.g. ''keli keli tegha ba!'' – "There was tons of bread!".
+===Pronouns===
+{| class="wikitable"
+|+ Personal Pronouns
+|-
+! colspan="2" | !! Nominative !! Genitive-Accusative
+|-
+! rowspan ="2" | 1st person
+! singular
+| yix
+| yi
+|-
+! plural
+| wer
+| weji
+|-
+! rowspan ="2" | 2nd person
+! singular
+| qi
+| qen
+|-
+! plural
+| yer
+| yeji
+|-
+! rowspan ="4" | 3rd person
+! singular masculine
+| qao
+| qui
+|-
+! singular feminine
+| tou
+| tei
+|-
+! singular inanimate
+| tu
+| tuze
+|-
+! plural
+| qim
+| qimze
+|}
+==Numerals==
+{| class="wikitable"
+|+
+!Numeral
+!'''Erjie'''
+!'''IPA'''
+!'''Tocharian A'''
+!'''Tocharian B'''
+!'''Proto-Indo-European'''
+|-
+|1
+|she
+|[ʂə]
+|sas
+|ṣe
+|*sem-
+|-
+|2
+|wi
+|[wɪ]
+|wu
+|wi
+|*dwóh₁
+|-
+|3
+|chei
+|[ʈʂʰej]
+|tre
+|trai
+|*tréyes
+|-
+|4
+|xuer
+|[ɕɥɚ]
+|śtwar
+|śtwer
+|*kʷetwṓr
+|-
+|5
+|pix
+|[pʰɪɕ]
+|päñ
+|piś
+|*pénkʷe
+|-
+|6
+|shges
+|[ʂkəs]
+|ṣäk
+|ṣkas
+|*swéḱs
+|-
+|7
+|shuk
+|[ʂʉk̚]
+|ṣpät
+|ṣukt
+|*septḿ̥
+|-
+|8
+|wuk
+|[βuk̚]
+|okät
+|okt
+|*h₁oḱtṓ(w)
+|-
+|9
+|yuk
+|[ʝyk̚]
+|ñu
+|ñu
+|*(h₁)néwn̥
+|-
+|10
+|xek
+|[ɕɛk̚]
+|śäk
+|śak
+|*déḱm̥t
+|}
+==Syntax==
+Erjie has a primarily [[w:Subject–object–verb_word_order|SOV]] word order, although it is relatively flexible and may be modified to add emphasis or topic focus.
 [[Category:Erjie]]
 [[Category:Languages]]
 [[Category:Conlangs]]