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
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
 * 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.


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

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

Phonotactics
The maximum syllable structure is consonant-vowel-consonant, as in the first syllable of vasytyi [vaʃt͡ʃi] or in the word kos [kɔs]. A common exception occurs in 6 pronouns: s'ko, zy'ko, n'ko, s'tyi, zy'tyi, and n'tyi. In these words, depending on the analysis, either a cluster appears in the onset or the first phoneme acts as a syllable: /skɔ/, /ʃkɔ/, /nkɔ/, /st͡ʃi/, /ʃt͡ʃi/, /nt͡ʃi/ or /s̩kɔ/, /ʃ̩kɔ/, /n̩kɔ/, /s̩t͡ʃi/, /ʃ̩t͡ʃi/, /n̩t͡ʃi/

Stress
Stress presently seems to be lexically encoded.

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
 * thefu eye
 * Ideas
 * alsi 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 mulzeasali 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 totemi 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 alsi 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 lasfek elszyi thalu. The woman stretched.
 * i tumek elszyi kanynyi. The dog slept.
 * i keizye elzyi syuphi. The child laughs.
 * i papak hazyi khahi. It rained.
 * i tompe n'ag ozyi nyo kuzu. My heart beats.
 * i nasyateme 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 manyamek 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
 * lzeasale || s'ha || zy'ha || n'ha
 * khugti || s'els || zy'els || n'els
 * alizyi || s'ko || zy'ko || n'ko
 * takake || s'o || zy'o || n'o
 * zyezunti || s'a || zy'a || n'a
 * ag || s'ag || zy'ag || n'ag
 * tyi || s'tyi || zy'tyi || n'tyi
 * }
 * zyezunti || s'a || zy'a || n'a
 * ag || s'ag || zy'ag || n'ag
 * tyi || s'tyi || zy'tyi || n'tyi
 * }
 * tyi || s'tyi || zy'tyi || n'tyi
 * }
 * }


 * i tyumek elszyi kozepi. 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 kanynyi elszyi kopei. The dog bit the cat.
 * i va paonek elsas kanynyi elszyi kopei. 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 ansyateke 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 ansyasyagma a priest Lit. sun shaman.