Bats language explained

Bats
Nativename:
ბაცბა მოტტ
States:North Caucasus
Region:Zemo-Alvani in Kakheti
Speakers:500
Date:1997
Ref:[1]
Speakers2:far fewer than 3,000 active (2007)
Familycolor:Caucasian
Fam1:Northeast Caucasian
Fam2:Nakh
Script:Georgian script[2]
Iso3:bbl
Glotto:bats1242
Glottorefname:Bats
Notice:IPA

Bats (Batsbur Mott' or Batsba Moṭṭ, also Batsi, Batsbi, Batsb, Batsaw, or Tsova-Tush) is the endangered language of the Bats people, a North Caucasian minority group. It is part of the Nakh family of Northeast Caucasian languages. It had 2,500 to 3,000 speakers in 1975.

There is only one dialect. It exists only as a spoken language, as Bats people use Georgian as their written language. The language is not mutually intelligible with either Chechen or Ingush, the other two members of the Nakh family.

History

Tusheti, the northeastern mountainous region of Georgia, is home to four tribes that consider themselves Tushetians: the Batsbi (also known as Tsovatush), the Gometsari, the Piriqiti, and the Chagma-Tush. Tsovatush people make up 50% of Tushetians. Only several hundred Tsovatush people speak Bats, whereas the other tribes (Gometsari, Piriqiti and Chagma-Tush) have lost the language. Evidence from toponymics indicates that the other three Tushetian tribes formerly spoke Bats, suggesting that all Tushetians once did and over time the Georgian language replaced Bats.

The mountainous terrain preserved the culture and traditions of Tushetians, but the history of isolation makes it more difficult to document them as only a few records exist.

Classification

Bats belongs to the Nakh family of Northeast Caucasian languages.

Geographic distribution

Most speakers of Bats live in the village of Zemo-Alvani, on the Kakhetia Plain, in the Akhmeta Municipality of Georgia. There are some families of Bats in Tbilisi and other bigger towns in Georgia.

Phonology

Vowels

Bats has a typical triangular five-vowel system with short–long contrast (except for pronounced as //u//, which has no long form).

FrontBack
Highpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Midpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Lowpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/

Bats also has a number of diphthongs: pronounced as //ei//, pronounced as //ui//, pronounced as //oi//, pronounced as //ai//, pronounced as //ou//, and pronounced as //au//.[3]

All vowels and diphthongs have nasalized allophones that are the result of phonetic and morphophonemic processes; this is represented by a superscript n, as in .

Consonants

Bats has a relatively typical consonant inventory for a Northeast Caucasian language. Unlike its close relatives, Chechen and Ingush, Bats has retained the lateral fricative /ɬ/. Also notable is the presence of two geminate ejectives, tːʼ and qːʼ, which are cross-linguistically rare.[4]

Consonant Phonemes of Bats[5]
LabialDentalAlveolarPalatal(ized)VelarUvularPharyngealGlottal
Nasalpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Plosiveaspiratedlenispronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
voicelessfortispronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
voicedpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
ejectivelenispronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
fortispronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Fricativevoicelesslenispronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
fortispronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
lateralpronounced as /ink/
voicedpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Approximantlenispronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
fortispronounced as /ink/
Flappronounced as /ink/

Writing

Writing comparison table

Schiefner, 1856[6] Imnaishvili, 1977Kadagidze, 1984Mikeladze, 2012Desheriev, 1953Chrelashvili, 1999IPA
Georgian
transcription
Latin
transcription
Georgian
transcription
Latin
transcription
Georgian
transcription
Latin
transcription
aaaა, A a, aааpronounced as /a/
Ǎ ǎ, âа͏̆а͏̆pronounced as /ă/
āāĀ āа̄а̄pronounced as /aː/
ā̄pronounced as /aː/
აჼaⁿაჼaⁿაჼ, აჼà ã, àãа̃а̃pronounced as /ã/
Ā̃ ā̃pronounced as /ãː/
bbbB bббpronounced as /b/
gggG gггpronounced as /ɡ/
dddD dддpronounced as /d/
eeeE eе, эеpronounced as /e/
Ē ē, Ē ēе̄pronounced as /eː/
ĕĕě, êе͏̆е͏̆pronounced as /ĕ/
ეჼeⁿეჼeⁿეჼẼ ẽе̃е̃pronounced as /ẽ/
Ē̃ ē̃pronounced as /ẽː/
wvvV vввpronounced as /v/
zzzZ zззpronounced as /z/
ttT tттpronounced as /tʰ/
თთttთჾtჾთჾtჾттттpronounced as /tː/
iiiი, I i, Iiииpronounced as /i/
Ī īӣӣpronounced as /iː/
ĭĭîи͏̆и͏̆pronounced as /ĭ/
იჼiⁿიჼiⁿიჼĨ ĩи̃и̃pronounced as /ĩ/
Ī̃ ī̃pronounced as /ĩː/
kḲ ḳкӀкӀpronounced as /kʼ/
lllL lллpronounced as /l/
ლლllლჾlჾლჾlჾллллpronounced as /lː/
ლʻლʻლʻлълъpronounced as /ɬ/
mmmM mммpronounced as /m/
nnnN nннpronounced as /n/
jjjJ jййpronounced as /j/
ჲჼj̇̃pronounced as /j̃/
oooო, O o, oооpronounced as /o/
Ō ōо̄о̄pronounced as /oː/
ō̄pronounced as /oː/
ŏŏǒ, ôо͏̆о͏̆pronounced as /ŏ/
ოჼoⁿოჼoⁿოჼÕ õо̃о̃pronounced as /õ/
Ō̃ ō̃pronounced as /õː/
pP̣ p̣пӀпӀpronounced as /pʼ/
žžŽ žжжpronounced as /ʒ/
rrrR rррpronounced as /ɾ/
რʻრʻpronounced as /ɾ̥/
sssS sссpronounced as /s/
სსssსჾsჾსჾsჾссссpronounced as /sː/
tṬ ṭтӀтӀpronounced as /tʼ/
ტტṭṭტჾṭჾტჾṭჾтӀтӀтӀтӀpronounced as /tʼː/
uuuუ, U u, uууpronounced as /u/
Ū ūӯpronounced as /uː/
ŭŭǓ ǔ, ûу͏̆у͏̆pronounced as /ŭ/
უჼuⁿუჼuⁿუჼ, უჼŨ ũ, Ũ ũу̃у̃pronounced as /ũ/
ppP pппpronounced as /pʰ/
kkK kккpronounced as /kʰ/
ɣɣƔ ɣгӀгӀpronounced as /ɣ/
qQ̣ q̣къкъpronounced as /qʼ/
ყყq̣q̣ყჾq̣ჾყჾq̣ჾкъкъкъкъpronounced as /qʼː/
ššŠ šшшpronounced as /ʃ/
შჾšჾpronounced as /ʃː/
ččČ čччpronounced as /t͡ʃʰ/
cccC cццpronounced as /t͡sʰ/
ʒʒʒƷ ʒдздзpronounced as /d͡z/
C̣ c̣цӀцӀpronounced as /t͡sʼ/
c̣̔č̣č̣Č̣ č̣чӀчӀpronounced as /t͡ʃʼ/
xxxX xххpronounced as /x/
ხხxxხჾxჾხჾxჾххххpronounced as /xː/
qqqQ qкхкхpronounced as /qʰ/
ჴჴqqჴჾqჾჴჾqჾккхкхкхpronounced as /qː/
ʒ̔ǯǯǮ ǯджджpronounced as /d͡ʒ/
hhH hхӀхӀpronounced as /h/
ჰჾhჾhჰ⁊H⁊ h⁊/Ⱨ ⱨхьхьpronounced as /ħ/
ӀъӀъpronounced as /ʡ/
ʼʻʻʻჺ/عʻӀӀpronounced as /ʕ/
ʼʼʼʼʼъpronounced as /ʔ/
фpronounced as /f/
wpronounced as /w/

Grammar

The first grammar of Bats,, was compiled by the German orientalist Anton Schiefner (1817–1879), making it into the first grammar of an indigenous Caucasian language based on sound scientific principles.[7]

Noun classes

Traditional analyses posit that Bats has eight noun classes, the highest number among the Northeast Caucasian languages; however, a more recent analysis gives only five classes.[5] This analysis (not unlike analyses of Lak) yields the grouping shown below:

Label Singular Plural Description Members
M v bmale humans
  • "husband"
  • "shepherd"
  • "son"
F j dfemale humans
  • "mother"
  • "wife"
  • "daughter"
D d dvarious
  • "child"
  • "cat"
  • "heart"
  • "meat"
Bd b danimals
  • "tooth"
  • "bread"
  • "rain"
J j jvarious
  • "dog"
  • "bear"
  • "sun"
  • Bd/J
b jbody parts (15 nouns)
  • "fist"
  • "eye"
  • "throat"
  • D/J
d jbody parts (4 nouns)
  • "lip"
  • "ear"
  • "hand"
  • "cheek"
  • B/B
b bonly 3 nouns
  • "knit slipper"
  • "boot"
  • "autumn wool"

Under this analysis, the additional three classes are examples of inquorate gender, where the number of items displaying this behavior are insufficient to constitute an independent grouping. Furthermore, they can be explained as inflecting one class in the singular, and another in the plural, e.g. the B/B group agrees as if it belonged to the Bd class in the singular but the male human class in the plural.

Noun cases

Batsbi makes use of nine noun cases total. In the majority of nouns, the ergative and instrumental cases have a common form.



Singular PluralSingular Plural
nekʼ nekʼi cokʼal cokʼli
Genitivenekʼen nekʼan cokʼlen cokʼlan
nekʼen nekʼin cokʼlen cokʼlin
Ergative/Instrumentalnekʼev nekʼiv cokʼlev cokʼliv
Contactingnek’ex nekʼax cokʼlex cokʼlax
nekʼegŏ nekʼigŏ cokʼlegŏ cokʼligŏ
nekʼeǧ nekʼiǧ cokʼleǧ cokʼliǧ
Comitativenekʼcin, nekʼecin nekʼicin cokʼlecin cokʼlicin

Numerals

Like most of its relatives, Bats' numerals are vigesimal, using 20 as a common base. This is mainly evident in the construction of higher decads, so:

40 is formed from 2 20

200 formed from is 10 20[5]

When modifying nominals, the numeral precedes the noun it modifies.

! 11
1+10
2122+10
3133+10
4144+10
5155+10
6166+10
7177+10
8188+10
91920–1
1020
20+1
2220+2
3020+10
31(20+1)+10
32(20+2)+10
402×20
50(2×20)+10
603×20
70(3×20)+10
804×20
90(4×20)+10
1005×20
120from 6x20
1608×20
200from 10x20
1000from Georgian

In Bats, as in its closest relatives Chechen and Ingush, the number four begins with a noun-class marker, represented by D (by default, or another capital letter for the other classes). This marker will agree in class with the class of the nominal which the number modifies, even if that nominal is not overtly expressed and is only apparent through pragmatic or discursive context, as in (four (males)). This is seen in the word 'four' itself as well as its derivatives.

Verbs

Bats has explicit inflections for agentivity of a verb; it makes a distinction between:

(I fell down through no fault of my own)

(I fell down and it was my own fault)

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger . . en . 2018-04-17.
  2. Web site: Batsbi alphabet, pronunciation and language. Omniglot.com. February 4, 2018.
  3. HG1994
  4. Hauk. Bryn. Hakim. Jacob. Summer 2019. Acoustic properties of singleton and geminate ejectives in Tsova-Tush. ICPhS 2019 Conference Proceedings.
  5. Holisky, Dee Ann and Gagua, Rusudan, 1994. "Tsova-Tush (Batsbi)", in The indigenous languages of the Caucasus Vol 4, Rieks Smeets, editor. Caravan Books, pp. 147-212
  6. Schiefner. Anton. Versuch über die Thusch-Sprache oder die khistische Mundart in Thuschetien. 1856. St. Petersburg.
  7. [Kevin Tuite]