Taurahe

Taurahe is the language spoken by the Tauren from the Warcraft universe. The article outlines Bloodhoof Taurahe, spoken by the phakateke tribe in Mulgore.

=Linguistic Overview=

Orthography
Taurahe has no native orthography or standard transcription. The spelling format used on this page is based on phonological patterns and is intended to simplify analysis of the language.

Phonology
Bloodhoof Taurahe is a cosmopolitan dialect of Taurahe originating in Mulgore. Since the founding of Thunder Bluff, it has become the de facto standard dialect of Taurahe, supplanting ceremonial Taurahe in areas of trade and tribal politics. All modern dialects of Taurahe are mutually intelligible with Bloodhoof Taurahe.

Vowels
There are 5 vowels in Taurahe.
 * a - as in dad
 * e - as in debt
 * o - as in dot
 * i - as in did
 * u - approximately dude


 * {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

! !Front !Central !Back !High !Mid !Low
 * ɪ
 * ʊ
 * ɛ
 * ɔ
 * ɔ
 * a
 * }
 * }
 * }

Consonants
There are 20 consonants. Most of the sounds are familiar to English speakers. However there are 3 somewhat exotic sounds (  and ) which appear quite frequently.


 * {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

!IPA !English Approximation !Example !Meaning
 * m || meat || moagi || flesh
 * n || neat || nosthoke || head
 * ɲ || piñata || nyuke || milk
 * ŋ || thing || gamasi || frog
 * p || spot || papau || droplet
 * t || stop || tatau || stick
 * k || skip || kakau || strider
 * t͡s || cats || thavi || thorn
 * t͡ɕ || meets you || tyagavi || snack
 * f || fish || tumapha || sleep
 * s || sit || sathatyi || basket
 * ɬˠ || (see footnote) || palsi || fur
 * ɕ || sees you || syuphi || tail
 * x || loch || zokhi || dust
 * h || hello || homasyi || hide
 * v || vase || vasytyi || spirit
 * z || (multiple) || zake || arm
 * ɮˠ || (see footnote) || alzu || wing
 * ʑ || seize you || zyake || mist
 * lˠ || bull || lapu || stone
 * }
 * s || sit || sathatyi || basket
 * ɬˠ || (see footnote) || palsi || fur
 * ɕ || sees you || syuphi || tail
 * x || loch || zokhi || dust
 * h || hello || homasyi || hide
 * v || vase || vasytyi || spirit
 * z || (multiple) || zake || arm
 * ɮˠ || (see footnote) || alzu || wing
 * ʑ || seize you || zyake || mist
 * lˠ || bull || lapu || stone
 * }
 * z || (multiple) || zake || arm
 * ɮˠ || (see footnote) || alzu || wing
 * ʑ || seize you || zyake || mist
 * lˠ || bull || lapu || stone
 * }
 * ʑ || seize you || zyake || mist
 * lˠ || bull || lapu || stone
 * }
 * }


 * {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

! colspan=2| ! Labial ! Alveolar ! Alveo-palatal ! Velar ! Glottal ! colspan=2 | Nasal ! colspan=2 | Plosive ! colspan=2 | Affricate ! rowspan=2 | Fricative || Voiceless ! Voiced
 * m
 * n
 * ɲ
 * ŋ
 * p
 * t
 * k
 * k
 * t͡s
 * t͡ɕ
 * t͡ɕ
 * f
 * s  ɬˠ
 * ɕ
 * x
 * h
 * v
 * z  ɮˠ
 * ʑ
 * lˠ
 * }
 * }

Stress and phonotactics
Nearly all words in Taurahe contain either 2 or 3 syllables, but grammatical markers may contain 1 syllable, and compound words may contain as many as 6. Beyond this number, stress assignment tends to break down. This corpus shows words from 2 to 7 syllables.
 * {| class="wikitable"


 * 2 ||to.li warrior|| ku.lsi snake
 * 3 ||ha.tya.ke arrow|| mo.a.gi meat
 * 4 ||pha.ka.te.ke Bloodhoof|| la.vo.zo.tyi wolf
 * 5 ||la.ko.ta.ma.ni earthquake|| tha.va.sa.tha.tyi woven basket
 * 6 ||la.vo.zo.tya.sye.ni wolfbone
 * 7 ||mu.la.vo.zo.tya.sye.ni wolfbones
 * }
 * 6 ||la.vo.zo.tya.sye.ni wolfbone
 * 7 ||mu.la.vo.zo.tya.sye.ni wolfbones
 * }
 * 7 ||mu.la.vo.zo.tya.sye.ni wolfbones
 * }

Stress is determined via simple rules.
 * 1. The last two syllables are grouped together.
 * {| class="wikitable"


 * 2 ||(to.li)|| (ku.lsi)
 * 3 ||ha.(tya.ke)|| mo.(a.gi)
 * 4 ||pha.ka.(te.ke)|| la.vo.(zo.tyi)
 * 5 ||la.ko.ta.(ma.ni)|| tha.va.sa.(tha.tyi)
 * 6 ||la.vo.zo.tya.(sye.ni)
 * 7 ||mu.la.vo.zo.tya.(sye.ni)
 * }
 * 6 ||la.vo.zo.tya.(sye.ni)
 * 7 ||mu.la.vo.zo.tya.(sye.ni)
 * }
 * 7 ||mu.la.vo.zo.tya.(sye.ni)
 * }


 * 2. If possible, the first two syllables are grouped together. Words with 2 or 3 syllables don't have enough syllables for a second group.
 * {| class="wikitable"


 * 4 ||(pha.ka).(te.ke)|| (la.vo).(zo.tyi)
 * 5 ||(la.ko).ta.(ma.ni)|| (tha.va).sa.(tha.tyi)
 * 6 ||(la.vo).zo.tya.(sye.ni)
 * 7 ||(mu.la).vo.zo.tya.(sye.ni)
 * }
 * 7 ||(mu.la).vo.zo.tya.(sye.ni)
 * }
 * }


 * 3. If there are any ungrouped syllables left, group them in pairs from right to left. This is only possible for words of 6 or more syllables.
 * {| class="wikitable"


 * 6 ||(la.vo).(zo.tya).(sye.ni)
 * 7 ||(mu.la).vo.(zo.tya).(sye.ni)
 * }
 * }


 * 4 Once you run out of syllables to group, place primary stress on the first syllable of the last group, and secondary stress on the first syllable of every other group.
 * {| class="wikitable"


 * 2 ||(tó.li)|| (kú.lsi)
 * 3 ||ha.(tyá.ke)|| mo.(á.gi)
 * 4 ||(phà.ka).(té.ke)|| (là.vo).(zó.tyi)
 * 5 ||(là.ko).ta.(má.ni)|| (thá.va).sa.(thá.tyi)
 * 6 ||(là.vo).(zò.tya).(syé.ni)
 * 7 ||(mù.la).vo.(zò.tya).(syé.ni)
 * }
 * 6 ||(là.vo).(zò.tya).(syé.ni)
 * 7 ||(mù.la).vo.(zò.tya).(syé.ni)
 * }
 * 7 ||(mù.la).vo.(zò.tya).(syé.ni)
 * }


 * → tóli, kúlsi, hatyáke, moági, phàkatéke, làvozótyi, làkotamáni, thàvasathátyi, làvozòtyasyéni, mùlavozòtyasyéni

Some syllables in Taurahe end in a consonant instead of a vowel, such as found in the words elsas, vasytyi, agsyi, pezyesek, and nasytemte. Stress rules are the same, but the coda consonants occupy their own syllable:
 * {| class="wikitable"


 * e.lsa.s 3rd person animate marker
 * va.sy.tyi spirit
 * a.g.syi An'she
 * pe.zye.se.k heard
 * na.sy.te.m.te stand up
 * }
 * pe.zye.se.k heard
 * na.sy.te.m.te stand up
 * }
 * }

When the syllables are grouped, some of the accents may fall on a consonant without a vowel.
 * {| class="wikitable"


 * e.(lsá.s)
 * va.(sý.tyi)
 * a.(ǵ.syi)
 * (pè.zye).(sé.k)
 * (nà.sy).te.(ḿ.te)
 * }
 * (pè.zye).(sé.k)
 * (nà.sy).te.(ḿ.te)
 * }
 * }

In this case, the accent shifts to the preceding vowel.
 * → elsás, vásytyi, ágsyi, pèzyesék, nàsytémte

Phonological Phenomena

 * 1) Fortition
 * 2) As onset in stressed syllables, /x/ is pronounced [kʰ] and /f/ is pronounced [pʰ].
 * 3) Elision in unstressed syllables:
 * 4) /a/ is often deleted.
 * 5) /i/ is deleted after palatalized consonants .
 * 6) /vo/ is often pronounced [w]
 * 7) Nasalization
 * 8) /g/ nasalizes the preceding vowel, and /g/ is deleted after nasalized vowels.
 * 9) Diphthongs
 * 10) When unstressed and adjacent to another vowel, /o/ becomes [w] and /i/ becomes [j].
 * 11) /ai/ is raised to [ej]
 * 12) Clusters
 * 13) an epenthetical [h] appears between /s/ and /l/
 * 14) Uncategorized
 * 15) /i/ is lowered to [e] when adjacent to /k/

Nouns
Nouns refer to persons, animals, places, things, and ideas. Here are some examples:


 * People
 * syuhalo Tauren
 * thalu woman
 * aklake man
 * vasytyi spirit
 * Animals
 * kakau strider (bird)
 * lavozotyi wolf
 * umai small fish
 * Places
 * phoagi mountain
 * unafi refuge
 * luni hill
 * Things
 * motyi tree
 * hatyake arrow
 * nyuke milk
 * thephu eye
 * Ideas
 * asli knowledge
 * phashu chore

→Most nouns end in either -i or -u, although some end in other vowels.

Class
Every noun falls into one of 5 categories, or classes, ranked by how "spirited" they are.

The most spirited class is has mulzeasli the unknowables. This category contains magical objects as well as astrological phenomena, weather, and fire. All of the unknowables are preceded by the word has, hazyi, or han.
 * has vasytyi the spirit
 * has Halo the Earthmother
 * has musya the moon
 * has agtyi the sun
 * has phuu the wind

The next most spirited class is elsas mukhugti the sentient beings. This includes all animals as well as an assortment of things related to the spirits. They are marked by elsas, elszyi, or elsan.
 * elsas aklake the man
 * elsas thalu the woman
 * elsas khoto the kodo
 * elsas kulsi the snake
 * elsas totaimi the totem
 * elsas motyi the tree

The next class is kos mualizyi the natural things. This includes non-magical, non-living objects that can occur without intervention from elsas khugti a sentient being. They are preceded by kos, kozyi, or kon.
 * kos nyuke the milk
 * kos syeni the bone
 * kos lapu the stone
 * kos zakhi the dust
 * kos thavi the briarthorn
 * kos luni the hill
 * kos moagi the fruit or the meat

Related are os mutakake the tools. These are anything that is created by elsas mukhugtiobjects such as tools, clothing, and such implements, as well as buildings and such constructions. They are preceded by os, ozyi, or on.
 * os hatyake the arrow
 * os khaslu the soap
 * os hapegu the garment made of a loop of cloth
 * os phani the bag
 * os sathatyi the basket
 * os kuti the shield

The final class of nouns fall outside the spiritual spectrum. These are abstract nouns derived from verbs, or gerunds. They are preceded by as, zyi, or an.
 * as asli the act of knowing; the knowledge
 * as tyavi the act of throwing; the launch
 * as puke the act of loving; the love
 * as phitti the act of hunting; the hunt
 * as manymi the act of eating
 * as phasu ''the act of doing chores; the chore

In summary:
 * ha-: magical phenomena, weather, fire
 * els-: living creatures
 * ko-: natural objects and phenomena
 * o-: constructed objects
 * a-: gerunds

First- and second-person
There are two additional forms which are used for first- and second-person constructions. The forms agas, agzyi, and agan are used for the first-person and tyis, tyizyi, and tyin for the second-person.

Case
As mentioned in the previous section, each noun corresponds to one class, but can be marked by 3 different words, such as elsas syuhalo, elszyi syuhalo, elsan syuhalo. The choice depends on the noun's case. There are three core argument cases: absolutive, ergative, and genitive.

The absolutive case is marked by the -zyi determiners (hazyi, elszyi, kozyi, ozyi, azyi). It is used to mark the subject of a verb.
 * i lasphek elszyi thalu. The woman stretched.
 * i tumek elszyi kanyinyi. The dog slept.
 * i kaizye elzyi syuphi. The child laughs.
 * i papak hazyi khahi. It rained.
 * i tompe n'ag ozyi nyo kuzu. My heart beats.
 * i nasytemte tyizyi phiska. You, my child, stood up.

In the previous examples, there was only one noun in the sentence. In sentences with two nouns, the ergative case appears. It is marked by the -s determiners (has, elsas, kos, os, as). In such situations, the absolutive case is used for the object of the verb instead.


 * i manymek elsas lavozotyi kozyi moagi. The wolf ate the meat.
 * i phitte elsas aklake elszyi kustu. The man hunts the deer.

The genitive case is indicated by the -n determiners. (han, elsan, kon, on, an). It marks a possessive relationship.
 * elsan syuhalo of the Tauren

The genitive noun phrase must appear before the noun phrase which it modifies. The adjective nyo, which means its, refers back to the genitive phrase.


 * i elsan syuhalo os nyo kaizu It is the Tauren's book.
 * i zapzate elsas lavozotyi n'els kozyi nyo magazi. The wolf scratches its mouth.

Pronouns
Pronouns are formed by inverting the class-case form of the determiner to become case-class. They are simply inserted in place of the noun phrase.
 * {| class="wikitable"

! || Erg || Abs || Gen
 * lzeasli || sa'ha || zyi'ha || na'ha
 * khugti || s'els || zy'els || n'els
 * alizyi || sa'ko || zye'ko || na'ko
 * takake || s'o || zy'o || n'o
 * zyezunti || s'a || zy'a || n'a
 * ag || s'ag || zy'ag || n'ag
 * tyi || syi'tyi || zyi'tyi || nyi'tyi
 * }
 * zyezunti || s'a || zy'a || n'a
 * ag || s'ag || zy'ag || n'ag
 * tyi || syi'tyi || zyi'tyi || nyi'tyi
 * }
 * tyi || syi'tyi || zyi'tyi || nyi'tyi
 * }
 * }


 * i tyumek elszyi kozai. The cat was sleeping.
 * i tyumek zy'els. It was sleeping.
 * i tyumek zy'ag. I was sleeping.

Pluralization
Pluralization is marked by the prefix mu-.


 * elsas khoto kodo
 * elsas mukhoto kodos


 * elsas syuphi child
 * elsas musyuphi children

Verbs
The word /i/ means be. It is used to mark every verb:


 * i to be
 * i puke to love
 * i luke to go (somewhere)
 * i kenye to climb
 * i khoge ''to have an idea"
 * i pezyese to hear
 * i mazyuve to cry

→ All verbs end in -e.

Tense
There are 2 tenses, past and non-past. The past tense is marked by the suffix /-k/.


 * i puke / i pukek
 * i luke / i lukek
 * i kenye / i kenyek
 * i pezyese / i pezyesek
 * i khoge / i khogek
 * i mazyuve / i mazyuvek

Aspect
Taurahe contrasts perfect and imperfect past, with the perfect being unmarked and the imperfect marked by the adverb va.


 * i lukek s'ag ozyi mupazyi. I went to the market/shops.
 * i va lukek s'ag ozyi mupazyi met i kahek s'ha. I was going to the market/shops when it started to rain.


 * i paonek elsas kanyinyi elszyi kopai. The dog bit the cat.
 * i va paonek elsas kanyinyi elszyi kopai. The dog was biting the cat.

Mood
Adverbs place in the verb phrase mostly indicate mood, however there are two exceptions where the simple verb phrase is modified.


 * Mirativity, indicating surprise (and sometimes politeness) is indicated by replacing the /i/ with /za/.
 * i pezyes s'ag elszyi lavozotyi. I hear a wolf.
 * za pezyesek s'ag elszyi lavozotyi. Oh wow! I heard a wolf!


 * Interrogation is marked by transforming the stressed vowel into a diphthong starting with [o]. The diphthong also takes a rising intonation.
 * i khogak zy'tyi. You came up with a plan.
 * i khogoak zy'tyi; Did you come up with a plan?

=Phrases and Speech=


 * i lute has Halo zy'tyi Earthmother watches over you. A formal greeting. Can be contracted to Halo zy'tyi or just Hao.
 * moo Hello. Friendly greeting. This is never used by Tauren when greeting non-Tauren. The [o] sound can be very drawn out. The only proper response to this greeting is to return a moo. Some individuals pronounce this word more like mou or mua.
 * io tyis zamihi. Lit: what is your tribe? A general question about background information. You can give your name, your family name, your profession, your class, just something to identify yourself.
 * i s'ag ____. I am _____.
 * s'(name). Your name is preceded by a s' in this context. If your name starts with an s, pronounce the [s] twice as long as normal.
 * elsas toli a warrior
 * elsas phitti a hunter
 * elsas syagma a shaman
 * elsas gamu a druid


 * elsas agsyateke a paladin Literally a sunwalker. If you aren't a Tauren you could just say elsas palatin.
 * elsas vasytyatoli a death knight Literally a spirit warrior.
 * elsas kozamasyi a rogue Borrowed from Orcish.
 * elsas mogk a monk Borrowed from Pandaren via Orcish.
 * elsas opsasyagma a warlock Lit. shadow shaman.
 * elsas musyasyagma a mage Lit. moon shaman.
 * elsas agsyasyagma a priest Lit. sun shaman.