Taurahe

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

Orthography
Until recently, Taurahe had no written language, thus there are several possible ways to transcribe the sounds of the language. The spelling format used on this page is based on morphophonological patterns but does not represent any standard, so words elsewhere may be transcribed differently.

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. Most tribes now speak the language; a notable exception is the Grimtotem tribe, who have actively resisted incorporation into greater Tauren society.

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


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

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

Consonants

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

! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | ! rowspan=2 |Labial ! colspan=2 |Coronal ! rowspan=2 |Palatal ! rowspan=2 |Velar ! rowspan=2 |Glottal ! Central ! Velarized Lateral ! colspan=2| Nasal ! rowspan=2| Plosive || Plain !Aspirated ! rowspan=2 | Fricative || Voiceless ! Voiced
 * m
 * colspan=2| n
 * ɲ
 * ŋ
 * p
 * t || t͡lˠ
 * rowspan=2 | t͡ʃ~t͡ʃʰ
 * k
 * rowspan=2 | pʰ~f
 * tʰ || t͡ɬˠ
 * rowspan=2 | kʰ~x
 * s || ɬˠ
 * ʃ
 * h
 * v
 * ʐ♂~ɻ♀~r || ɮˠ
 * ʒ
 * lˠ
 * }
 * }

Phonotactics
The maximum syllable structure is consonant-vowel-consonant, as in /puk/. Some degenerate words lack vowels, such as /s/ which marks the absolutive case and /h/ which is a determiner for mystical objects and phenomena.

Stress
Stress presently seems to be lexically encoded.

Verbs
Verbs are usually preceded by the article /i/ which simply indicates the verb phrase.


 * i puk to love
 * i luk to go (somewhere)
 * i kenyi to climb
 * i pezyes to hear
 * i khonga ''to have an idea"
 * i mazyuve to cry

Tense
There are 2 tenses, past and non-past. The past tense is marked by the suffix /-(e)k/. This suffix is always stressed.


 * i púk / i pukék
 * i lúk / i lukék
 * i kényi / i kenyík
 * i pezyés / i pezyesék
 * i khónga / i khongák
 * i mazyúve / i mazyuvék

Aspect
Taurahe contrasts perfective and imperfective aspect, with the perfective being unmarked and the imperfective marked by the adverb va.


 * i lukek els s o mu pazyi. S/he went to the market/shops.
 * i lukek va els s o mu pazyi i kahik h. S/he was going to the market/shops when it started to rain.


 * i paone els kanyak s els kozep. The dog bites the cat.
 * i paone va els kanyak s els kozep. The dog is biting the cat.

Mood
Adverbs placed after the verb mostly indicate mood, however there are three exceptions.


 * Mirativity, indicating surprise (and sometimes politeness) is indicated by replacing the /i/ with /za/.
 * i pezyes va ang s els lavozyu. I hear a wolf.
 * za pezyes ang s els lavozyu. Oh wow! I just heard a wolf!


 * Interrogation is marked by transforming the stressed vowel into a diphthong starting with [w]. The diphthong also takes a rising intonation.
 * i khongak tyi. You came up with a plan.

"*i khongwak tyi; Did you come up with a plan?

Determiners
There are 4 (although technically 5) determiners which indicate the class or gender of every noun. Abstract concepts can function as nouns but have a null determiner.


 * h: magical objects as well as astrological phenomena, weather, and fire
 * els: creatures which can move under their own volition, but are not magical
 * ko: naturally occurring objects, places, and phenomena. All nouns in this class end in either /i/ or /u/.
 * o: objects such as tools, clothing, and such implements, as well as buildings and such constructions. All nouns in this class end in either /i/ or /u/.
 * ∅: abstract concepts


 * ha fu the wind
 * els thalu the woman
 * ko motyi the tree
 * o hatyaki the arrow
 * asale the knowledge

Case
The ergative case is unmarked. This case is used for active subjects of verbs.

The absolutive case is marked by s before the noun phrase. This is used for objects of the verb as well as passive subjects.
 * i manyamak els lavozu s ko moangi. The wolf ate the meat.
 * i touk s o kaizyu pali asale. The books contains knowledge.


 * suli: a form of the ergative case triggered by verbs involving communication and thought
 * i asale suli ang i falavaze. I know how to swim

There is also a possessive case, indicated by n.
 * n els syuhalo of the Tauren

The possessive case appears alongside the adjective nyu, which means its, where it refers to the possessive object.


 * o nyu kaizyu n els syuhalo the Tauren's book

Pronouns
In addition to ang I and tyi you, determiners can also act as pronouns.
 * i tyumek va els kozep. The cat was sleeping.
 * i tyumek va els. It was sleeping.
 * i tyumek va ang. I was sleeping.

Pluralization
Pluralization is marked by the word /mu/ before the noun.


 * els koto kodo
 * els mu koto kodos


 * els syup child
 * els mu syup children