Algaz Dialects: view article

Menu 1. Dialect Groups 2. Eastern Dialects 3. Central Dialects 4. Desert/Hafsighi 5. Southern Dialects 6. Western Dialects 7. Northern Dialect(s)
Though historically spoken in several independent polities in a region with variable climates, terrains, and economies, Algaz is fairly consistent across dialects. The importance of trade to Algazi city-states resulted in substantial movement of people and cultural exchange, leading to levelling of dialects; this only increased after the formation of the Algazi League in the 16th Century.

[edit] [top]Dialect Groups

Vowel Correspondences

Grapheme	Western	Central	Desert/Hafsigh	Eastern
ı	ɯ~u	ɨ	ɨ	e
i	i	i	i	i
ey	e	e	ei~əi	ei~æi
e	ɛ	ɛ	e	æ
a	ä	ä	ä	ɑ
ay	äi	äi	äi	oi~ɑi
aw	ɔ	o	o	u
u	o	u	u	o

Values of |gh|

	Western	Central	Desert/Hafsighi	Eastern
gh	j	ɰ	ɣ, ʝ	ɰ, -
agh	aj	ʌ~ɔ	aɣ	ɑː
aygh	aj	aj(ː)	aʝ	ɑjɯ
egh	ej	eɰ~ej	eɣ	æː
eygh	ej	ej(ː)	eʝ	æjɯ
igh	ij	ij	iʝ	iː
ıgh	ɯj~uj	ʌɰ	ɨɣ	eː
ugh	oj	uw	uɣ	oː
awgh	oj	aw(ː)	oɣ	uː

[edit] [top]Eastern Dialects

Of the regional groups, the Eastern dialects are the oldest, believed to have diverged from Classical Algaz in the late Hafsighi period; only the Serimite dialect is older. Despite this, the Eastern dialect area has been fairly well-connected to the rest of the Algazi-speaking world, and is therefore not nearly as distinct as Serimite, spoken by insular ethno-religious communities. As a result, Eastern Algaz vowels can be quite different from corresponding vowels in other dialects, despite the fact that vowel system as a whole is not radically different.

In addition to the late Classical vowel shift, a shared characteristics of Eastern dialects is the disappearance of the velar approximant in non-onset positions, leaving lengthened vowels and vowel hiatus in its place.

Eyadhani-Adhari

Variji

[edit] [top]Central Dialects

The Central dialect group, spoken in most of the cities surrounding Argeyaz Bay, has the most speakers and varieties of all of the dialect families, and is therefore the most prominent. The standard form of Modern Algaz is a somewhat conservative and genericized Central dialect.

Yazurumi

Mıradi

Farighi

Beghımi

[edit] [top]Desert/Hafsighi

Most rural Algazis speak the dialect of a nearby city, though sometimes in a more conservative form; the variety spoken in the large desert plateau in the central Algazi Union, however, has diverged enough from its closest relative, Hafsighi, to constitute its own dialect.

Hafsighi

Desert
As the desert is commonly considered the historic "heartland" of Algazi culture, its dialect is often regarded as the most "traditional" or "old-fashioned" variety of Algaz. While it is certainly quite conservative, this assumption masks a number of unique and innovative characteristics.

[edit] [top]Southern Dialects

Though classed within separate dialect groups, the dialects of Nawaz and Lashat share a number of characteristics due to heavy contact with each other and Hemeshi. In many ways, these Southern dialects are quite divergent, and are therefore worth examining separate from their respective families.

Most notably, the Classical Algaz /ɣ/ has become /ʁ/, presumably under Hemeshi influence; consequently, the vowel systems of Southern dialects have developed differently than other Central and Eastern dialects. /x/ typically remains velar, though it often becomes uvular when /ʁ/ is in an adjacent syllable.

Lashati

Nawazi

Vowels

i	ɨ	u
e		o
ɛ~æ
	a~ɑ

Because of the uvular value of |gh|, Nawazi did not develop /ʌ/ or /ɔ/ like other Central dialects.

[edit] [top]Western Dialects

Though historically well-connected to the Central dialect area, the Western dialects have experienced much greater influence from Lestzi, especially following the annexation of most of the Western dialect area by Letzia in the mid-19th Century. Most notably, these dialects have merged the velar approximant with /j/ in all contexts and merged the lateral fricative /ɬ/ with /ʒ/ intervocalically and /ʃ/ elsewhere. Some speakers also palatalize consonants before

Letpahati

Veyski'i-Daridje'i

[edit] [top]Northern Dialect(s)

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