Taurahe

Bloodhoof Taurahe refers to the native languages spoken by the Tauren from the Warcraft universe. There are numerous dialects of Taurahe, as most tribes retain their own version of the language. Bloodhoof Taurahe is by far the most common dialect, and the native tongue of High Chieftain Baine. Bloodhoof Taurahe has supplanted ceremonial Taurahe in areas of trade and tribal politics. The language has contributed several words to other languages, such as shaman, leather, mana, feral, lava, and totem, to name a few.

Writing and Alphabet
Taurahe doesn't strictly have an alphabet, since Tauren don't write. However, the language can be transliterated using the Latin alphabet, because the sound system of Taurahe is small and fairly easy to pick up for non-native speakers. There are 22 unique sounds in the language, which can be approximated with this alphabet:

a i o e u t th d p k f h v g ch sh j m n r l s

Vowels
There are 5 vowels and 2 diphthongs. The three vowels are:
 * a, as in lava or father
 * i, as in leaf or teeth
 * o, which overlaps with the vowels in cool/coal or moo/mow
 * e, which is between bet and bait
 * u, as in dude or yew

The two diphthongs are
 * ai, as in hey or table
 * au, as in cow

Consonants
There are 17 consonants.
 * t like talk
 * th like think.
 * d, which is pronounced like the sound in though or leather, not like dog
 * p like pink
 * k like king
 * f like feather
 * h, which is pronounced like a harsh, forceful ha at the beginning of words, but weakly when between vowels
 * v as in violet. This letter is sometimes written as b, but always pronounced as v.
 * g, which is pronounced kind of like a mix of g and w
 * ch like cheese
 * sh like sheet
 * j like measure or lesion
 * m like moon
 * n like name
 * r like red
 * l like like
 * s like saw

Stress and Elision
Taurahe has a particular rhythm in which syllables are preferentially pronounced in sets of three. Most content words (nouns, adjectives, verbs) in the language are three syllables in length: hakaji, kolovi, komapa, kathatha. However, some of these words are stressed on the first vowel and some on the second vowel. The distinction is important because it affects the middle vowel: if the first vowel is stressed, the middle vowel can be reduced or deleted. So for example, the words hakaji and kolovi are stressed on their second vowels, but komapa and kathatha are stressed on their first vowels, which means they can be pronounced and written as kompa and kaththa.

Nouns
Nouns are always usually 3 syllables, never less than 2, but generally not more than 5:


 * fuhi tail
 * θalo woman
 * pehiji child
 * rochi animal
 * lavo wolf
 * maro short
 * koravi cougar
 * urami bird
 * keliki flower
 * thavi briarthorn
 * alado feather
 * talani stick
 * kala small egg
 * mago fruit
 * nuka milk
 * goma fat
 * niko one
 * sheni bone
 * hakaji arrow
 * kolovi earthenware object
 * taurajo campsite
 * akalake man
 * nosaθoki head
 * shatuhaji many

Plural
Every noun also as a plural form

Words that end in final /-a/ or /-i/ or change the final stem to /-ahe/.


 * pehiji > pehijahe child > children
 * ichi > ichahe white
 * kudi > kudahe shield > shields
 * tauri > taurahe story > stories
 * koravi > koravahe cougar > cougars
 * sheni > shenahe bone > bones

Words that end in /-o/ change the final stem to /-ino/.
 * alado > aladino feather > feathers
 * maro > marino short
 * θalo > θalino woman > women
 * taurajo > taurajino campsite > campsites

Words that end in a consonant add the suffix /-ahe/.


 * tokan > tokanahe object > objects
 * soham > sohamahe two
 * kahakahim > kahakahimahe strider > striders
 * totem > totemahe totem > totems

There are a few exceptions to the rules.
 * lapo > lapaho stone > stones
 * chi > chake you (singular) > you (plural)

Numerals
Counting in Taurahe is exponential rather than linear. Every number is part of a set of three.


 * niko one
 * soham two
 * komapa three


 * kude six
 * shatuhaji nine


 * sohamihaji 18
 * kavarantochi 27


 * sohamitochi 54
 * kavarandepi 81

Generally, when counting, the objects will be subitized into a few groups and counted as sets. For example, eleven arrows would be counted as komapa, kohide, shatuhaji ke soham three, six, nine and two. Larger sums would be approximated.

Type
Taurahe has a few different types of verb:

Active verbs involve physical actions.

Lative verbs express movement.

Stative verbs express mental and physical states.

Gerund
The gerund form of every verb locks in its basic meaning, which depends on the verb type.

Gerunds of active verbs always refer to the act of doing that verb.

to eragan - the act of doing something to tekihan - the act of walking to mohiran - the act of eating t' ogaran - the act of drinking to erithan - the act of cutting down

Gerunds of lative verbs refer to movement.

to filan - the movement forwards on a plane to rasherikeran - the movement upwards a rope/ladder to salachasan - the movement through the air

Gerunds of stative verbs refer to states or non-active actions.

to jahihan - the state of happiness to bohihiran - the state of sadness to krachan - the state of hunger to fohan - the state of obligation to servaran - the state of thinking

Object
There are three types of objects in Taurahe: patients, themes, and locations.

Patient objects are those that are affected by an action.

moja to erithan - the act of cutting down a tree mago to mohiran - the act of eating a fruit

Theme objects are those that are not affected by an action.

bahe moja to raganan - the act of climbing a tree bahe mago to paulakan - the act of holdng a fruit bahe sikimba to rashirikeran - the act of climbing upwards on a rope

Location objects are used to describe the origin, location, or destination of motion.

to taurajo to filan - forward movement towards a campsite to mojache to filan - forward movement towards a forest dehi taurajo to defuhihan - movement away from a campsite dehi mojache to defuhihan - movement away from a forest

Subject
Using gerund phrases as verbs simply involves changing the particles in the sentence, and stating the subject.

For example, take the concepts of "eating a fruit" and "children". mago to  mohiran + pehijahe fruit GER eating   child-PL

To assemble these two concepts grammatically, simply drop the "to" and the final "-n" on the verb: mago mohira pehijahe fruit eat   child-PL The children eat fruit.

Other examples:

Murira fisaki. to muriran + fisaki GER crying   girl murira fisaki cry   girl The girl cries.

Yana go. to yana +  go GER stretch me yana    go stretch me I stretch.

Fithiha ji kanagi. to fithihan + ji kanagi GER hunting   my uncle fithiha ji kanagi hunt   my uncle My uncle hunts.

Bahi e krachi servara Halo. bahi e   krachi to  servaran + Halo THEME his hunger GER thinking  Halo(name) bahi e   krachi servara Halo THEME his hunger think  Halo(name) Halo thinks about hunger.

Bahi korasakorahe fithiha anachiche chirino. bahi korasakorahe to  fithihan + anahiche chirino THEME deer-PL     GER hunting    our      brother-PL bahi korasakorahe fithiha anahiche chirino THEME deer-PL    hunting our      brother-PL Our brothers hunt for deer.

Dehi erabi to defuhihan rochahe. dehi erabi   to  defuhihan + rochahe ABL mountain GEN move-away   animal-PL dehi erabi   defuhiha  rochahe ABL mountain move-away animal-PL The animals move away from the mountain.

Tense
Taurahe has 3 verbal tense: past, present, and future. The present tense has already been covered. The future tense form of the verb is similar to the present tense. Instead of dropping the /-n/ from the end of the verb, the /-an/ becomes /-au/

Using some of the examples above: yana go I stretch. yanau go I will stretch.

bahi e krachi servara Halo Halo thinks about his hunger. bahi e krachi servarau Halo Halo will think about his hunger.

There are two ways to form the past tense of the verb. Format one involves changing the gerund phrase: gerundive/to/ becomes "fu".

Kodo fu paunan koravi. kodo to paunan + koravi kodo GER biting   cougar kodo fu paunan koravi kodo PST biting cougar The cougar bit a kodo.

Fu fithihan ji kanagi. to fithihan + ji kanagi GER hunting   my uncle fu fithihan ji kanagi PST hunting my uncle My uncle hunted.

Format two involves changing the verb ending /-an/ to /-o/ Kodo pauno koravi. kodo pauno   koravi kodo bite-PST cougar The cougar bit a kodo.

Fithiho ji kanagi. fithiho  ji kanagi hunt-PST my uncle My uncle hunted.

Definite/indefinite
Taurahe doesn't have words for indefiniteness ("a(n)") or definiteness ("the"). Instead, these concepts are expressed via word order.

The default version, OVS, implies a definite subject and indefinite object. bahi moja ragano  pehijahe THEME tree climbed children The children climbed a tree.

kodo pauna koravi kodo bites cougar The cougar bites a kodo.

It is possible for both subject and object to be definite. In this case, the object moves to the end of the sentence. Patient objects are there preceded by the word "a(nt)"

mohira korasakori a      tavara eats  deer       PAT-OBJ bark The deer eats the bark.

ragano pehijahe bahi      moja climbed children THEME-OBJ tree The children climbed the tree.

If the subject is indefinite and the object is definite, the entire sentence is rephrased. The verb is preceded by the passive particle /mu/ and the object and subject switch places.

pehijahe mu ragano  bahi      moja children PASS climbed THEME-OBJ tree Children climbed the tree.

There is no grammatical way in Taurahe to have both the subject and object be indefinite.

Possessives
Unlike English, Taurahe has a linguistic as well as social limitation on what can be owned. Within the language, body parts, family members, and thoughts and ideas are the only things that can be considered as belonging to someone. Furthermore, these words are always tied to a possessive. It is not possible to just say "father"; you must include whose father you mean. This is indicated simply by a particle:


 * ji my
 * chi your
 * anahiche our
 * chakiche your (plural)
 * e their

Kinship
To make sense of kinship terms in Taurahe, it is useful to understand how Tauren families are organized. Tauren society is strongly patrilineal and patrilocal, meaning that people trace their bloodline through their father and live in their father's household. After marriage, a woman leaves her family and joins her husband with his father. As a result, there is a lot of focus on the paternal bloodline and very little on the maternal bloodline.

Tribe: e samihi
 * paternal grandfather: e gorata
 * paternal grandmother: e agam
 * father: e sahakanagi
 * brother: e chiro
 * sister: e kosidi
 * self: go
 * son/nephew: e galo
 * daughter/niece: e pisaka
 * grandson: e pirogalo
 * granddaughter:piropisaka
 * uncle: e kanagi
 * male cousin: e chiro
 * female cousin: e kosidi
 * aunt/uncle's wife: e skaraja


 * mother: e agam

These family members are not part of someone's household but they are blood-relatives through the mother. There in incest taboo against these people, and therefore unpaired men and women are strongly discouraged from interacting with these people.


 * maternal grandfather: e jagiro
 * maternal grandmother: e mathi
 * any male descendant: e jagiro
 * any female descendant: e mathi

Colors
There are only three color terms:
 * iche white
 * saubita black
 * rohifa red