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The Gtaʼ language (also Gataʔ, Gtaʔ, Gata; also known as Gta Asa, Didei or Didayi IPA: [ɖiɖaːj(i)], Dire) is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Didayi people of southernmost Odisha in India. It is notable for its sesquisyllabic phonology[2] and vigesimal numeral system.

Gta'
Didayi ଡିଡାୟୀ
Region	India
Ethnicity	7,400 (2001 census)[1]
Native speakers	(3,100 cited 1991 census)[1]
Language family	Austroasiatic Munda South Gta'
Writing system	Odia
Language codes
ISO 639-3	gaq
Glottolog	gata1239
ELP	Gta'

Demographics

Gtaʼ is spoken by 3,000 people primarily in Malkangiri district, Odisha as well as adjoining areas of Koraput district.[2] According to Anderson (2008), it is spoken by less than 4,500 people.

Ethnologue reports the following locations.

• Odisha (47 villages): Kudumulgumma block and Chitrakonda block of Koraput district and Malkangiri district, south of Bondo Hills; some in Khairput block
• East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh

Classification and dialects

The Gtaʼ language belongs to the South Munda subgroup of the Munda branch of the Austroasiatic language family.[1] Within South Munda, Gtaʼ is generally considered to be the first branch off a node that also subsumes the Remo and Gutob languages; this subgroup of South Munda is known as Gutob–Remo–Gataq. It is phonologically and morphologically divergent within that branch.[3]

Gtaʼ has two main varieties, namely Plains Gtaʼ and Hill Gtaʼ.

Phonology

Gta' has the 5 canonical vowels /a, e, i, o, u/, and sometimes a sixth vowel /æ/. To this can be added several nasalized counterparts: /ã, õ, ũ/ and sometimes /ĩ/. Gta' has the following consonants:[2]

		Bilabial	Alveolar	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Stop	voiceless	p	t	ʈ	c	k	ʔ
	voiced	b	[d]	ɖ	ɟ	ɡ
Fricative			s				h
Nasal		m	n			ŋ
Approximant			l
Flap			ɾ	ɽ

Grammar

Nouns

Nouns in Gtaʔ are primarily marked for case, number and possession.[4] Nouns also have two forms, one a free full form, the other a bound short form. These latter occur only when the noun is compounded with another noun or a verb for derivational purposes, and are hence labeled "combining forms". The combining form usually involves removing an affix or shortening the noun in some way. Some examples:

• ncu -> -cu- (oil)
• gsi -> -si- (louse)
• gbe -> -be- (bear)
• gnar -> -gar- (strip of bamboo)
• remwa -> -re- (person)

Combining forms occurring with verb stems can be echoed independently of the verb stems; those occurring with noun stems either remain intact or change at par with the main stems.
Examples
Type 1: sur-cu to fry in oil > sur-ca, sur-ci, sar-ca, s?r-cf, sar-cu.
gag-bo? to tie onto the head
gag-ba?, gig-bT?, gag-bT?, gTg-ba?, gig-bo?.
"tur-t?a to graze cattle >
tar-ti, t?r-ti, tar-t?a, t?r-t?a.

Type 2: kula-re kinsman >
ka I a-re, k?I i-re.
sari-ja paddy flower >
sara-ja, s?ri-j?, si ri-ja.
ra-ko peacock feather >
bara-ka, bir?-k?, bir?-ko.
ult-so mango wood >
ala-sa, ?l?-sf, ala-so, Mi-so.
huQ-be baby bear >
har?-ba, h?tj-b?, harj-be, h?n-be.[5]

Echo formation

Rules of formation
Rule# 1. Echo-words are formed by changing only the vowels of the base word.

Rule# 2. The echo-word must differ from the base word. The vowel of univocalic base words is reflected as either /a/ or /}/ in the echo-word. For base-word /u, e, o/ the vowel /a/ is preferred, while for base word /e/ the vowel /I/ is preferred.

Rule# 3. The vowels of disyllabic base words are reflected in the echo-word as follows:

• a. Both vowels are reflected as either /a/ or /?/; or
• b. Only one of the base-word vowels is reflected as /a/ or /]/ while the other is reflected unchanged; or
• c. The first vowel (Vl) changes to /u/ while the second (V^) changes to /a/.

Rule# 4. In the case of trisyllabic base words, one, two or all three of the vowels (in adjacent syllables) are reflected as either /a/ or /}/.

Rule# 5. The echo-forms of compound words, irrespective of their vocalic structure, are derived as follows:

• a. In the case of compound verbs consisting of two verb stems, one or both stems undergo change, depending on their relationship with each other;
• b. Nominal combining forms occurring with verb stems change independently; those attached to noun stems change only at par with the main stem.
• c. In verbal constructions incorporating a prefix, both the prefix and the stem change as a unit.[6]

Categories of echo forms

1. A-forms, indicating gross variety;
2. I-forms, indicating diminutive or tender variety ;
3. U/a-forms, indicating variety different from a related category
4. Partially changed forms, indicating inferior variety : a-forms, indicating grossness and ?-forms, indicating tenderness.[7]

Numeral system

Gta' numeral system is vigesimal.[8]

Gta' Numeral system
1. muiŋ	21. mũikuɽi muiŋ /ekustɔra
2. mbar	22. mũikuɽi mbar
3. ɲji	23. mũikuɽi ɲji
4. õ	24. mũikuɽi hõ
5. malʷe	25. mũikuɽi malikliɡˀ
6. tur	26. mũikuɽi turukliɡˀ
7. ɡul	27. mũikuɽi gukliɡˀ
8. tma /aʈʈa	28. mũikuɽi tomakliɡˀ / mũikuɽi tma
9. sontiŋ /nɔʈa	29. mũikuɽi sontiŋkliɡˀ
10. ɡʷa / dɔsʈa	30. mũikuɽi ɡʷa ( 20 + 10) / tirisʈa
11. ɡʷamiŋ / eɡaʈa	40. mbarkuɽi ( 2 x 20)/ calistɔra
12. ɡombar /baroʈa	50. mbarkuɽi ɡʷa ( 20 + 10) /pɔcas
13. ɡoɲji /teroʈa	60. ɲjikuɽi ( 3 x 20) / saʈe
14. ɡohõ /coudoʈa	70. ɲjikuɽi ɡʷa / suturi
15. ɡomal / pɔndrɔʈa	80. ōkuɽi ( 4 x 20)
16. ɡotur / soloːʈa	90. ōkuɽi ɡʷa
17. ɡogu / sɔtroʈa	100. malkuɽi ( 5 x 20) /soetɔra
18. ɡotma / aʈɾa
19. ɡososiŋ / unisʈa
20. ɡosolɡa /kuɽitɔra /kuɽeta

Neighboring languages

Gtaʔ echo-formation shows some striking similarities with echo-formation in neighboring Munda languages such as Remo and Gorum as well as in the Desia dialect of Oriya spoken in the Koraput Munda region. The most conspicuous feature they have in common with Gtaʔ is that echo-words in all three of these languages are also derived from base words by changes in the vowels alone.[9]

References

Further reading

• Anderson, Gregory D.S. (n.d.). Gtaʔ (Didey) Language – Munda Languages Project – Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages.
• Anderson, Gregory D.S. 2001. "A new classification of South Munda: Evidence from comparative verb morphology". Indian Linguistics 62.1: 21–36.
• Anderson, Gregory D.S. 2008. "Gtaʔ." In: Gregory D.S. Anderson (ed.), The Munda Languages. London / New York. [Routledge Language Family Series]. 682–763.
• Bauer, Christian. 1993. Review of: Robert Parkin: A guide to Austroasiatic speakers and their languages. (Oceanic Linguistics, Special Publication, no. 23.) ix, 198, [xv] pp. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1991. In: Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, vol. 56, issue 1 (February 1993), pp. 193–194.
• DeArmond, R. (1976). Proto-Gutob-Remo-Gtaq Stressed Monosyllabic Vowels and Initial Consonants. Austroasiatic Studies Part I, 13, 213–227. Munda. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2015
• Odden, D. (1987). "Arguments against the Vowel Plane" in Gtaʔ Linguistic Inquiry, 18(3), 523–529.
• Parkin, R. (1988). "Marriage, Behaviour and Generation among the Munda of Eastern India". Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, 113(1), 69–80.
• Sidwell, P., & Jenny, M. (2014). The Handbook of Austroasiatic Languages (2 vols). Leiden: Brill.
• Stampe, D. (1965). "Recent Work in Munda Linguistics I". International Journal of American Linguistics, 31(4), 332–341.
• Zide, N. (1976). "A Note on Gtaʔ Echo Forms", in P. Jenner, L. Thompson, and S. Starosta, eds., Austroasiatic Studies, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu.

External links

• Online Gtaʔ Dictionary (Chatterji)
• Online Gtaʔ Dictionary (Mahapatra)
• Toshiki Osada's Munda Site (with information on Gtaʼ, Gutob, Ho, Mundari)
• Gta' Audio Recording
• Gta'

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