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The Tagoi language (nɔ̹́gɔ̹́lɛ̹́) is a Kordofanian language, closely related to Tegali , spoken near the town of Rashad in southern Kordofan in Sudan, about 12 N, 31 E. It has about 13,000 speakers in total. Like most other Kordofanian languages, it has a complex noun class system. It has several dialects, including Tumale, Tagoi proper, Moreb, and Jebel Turjuk; the following describes the Turjuk, or Orig, dialect (nóórig).1 Sounds
The consonants are:
| p
| t
| c
| k
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| f
| s
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| r
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| l
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| m
| n
| ɲ
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| y
| w
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Stops are automatically voiced between two non- obstruent s (obstruents = stops or fricatives.)
Stops and sonorants may occur geminate. Some consonant clusters are allowed (almost invariably two-consonant), most involving sonorants; prenasalised ones are particularly common.
ʃ, h, z are found in some Arabic loanwords.
The vowel system is unclear; phonetically, it seems to be basically: a, e, i, o, u, ɛ, ɔ, ɪ, ʊ, ə.
There seem to be three phonemic tones: high, low, and occasionally falling.
2 Grammar
2.1 Nouns
Each noun consists of a prefix plus a stem; the prefix identifies its noun class. It changes according to number.
The genders include:
- w-, pl. y-: this gender seems to consist mainly of persons and animals. Eg: wùttar "chief" > yáttar "chiefs"; wín "snake" > yínét "snakes".
- bilabial-, pl. yi-, including several trees; eg wòr "um-kaddaqi tree" > yíwóórèn, púrn "upper arm" > yìbúrn.
- pl. with no initial change, including a number of kinship terms; eg màrá "road" > màrnát, àppá "father" > àppánàt
- t-, pl. y-: mostly body parts; eg tárák "skin" > yárák, ténlàk "tongue" > yánùlàk.
- t-, pl. n-: almost exclusively body parts; eg ténlàk "tongue" > nénlàk, tìɲèn "tooth" > nìɲèn.
- t- with no plural: place names, mass nouns
- y-, pl. n-: notably fruits and body parts, but also a wide variety of others. Eg yé "egg" > níye; yìmbó "knee" > nìmbó.
- n- with no plural: languages, liquids, possibly verbal nouns; eg nə̹́gdìráá "Arabic" (< kə̀dráá "Arab"), nàì "water".
- k-, pl. s-: seems to be the commonest gender, includes all sorts of semantic fields; eg kábà "hut" > sábà, kám "hair" > sám, kàdìrú "pig" > sàdìrú.
- c-, pl. ɲ-: includes a wide variety of semantic fields; derives diminutives; eg: cín "child, boy" > ɲín; cúdén "bird" > ɲúdén.
In genitive ( possessive) constructions, the head noun is followed by a linking element which agrees with it in class, followed by the possessor noun; eg ɲín ɲi-adam "children of Adam"; kʊs ki-gai "skull (ie bone of head)".
2.2 Adjectives
Adjectives follow the noun, and agree in noun class, ie in gender and number; eg kús kàlló "a thin bone" > sús sàlló "thin bones".
2.2.1 Demonstratives
Demonstratives too follow the noun, and agree in class. There are:
- three short : -i- "this" (with the agreement prefix copied after the i as well as before), -ur, -un "that". Eg: gálám kɛ́k "this pencil" > sálmát sɛ́s "these pencils"; gálám kur "that pencil".
- three long, formed by adding (-)-an to the previous; eg wùskén wèwán "this knife", gálám kurkan "that pencil".
2.3 Numbers
The numbers one to four are normal adjectives; eg yʊ́r yùkók "two hands". Other numbers' behavior is unknown. When used without a head noun, they appear as follows, with the prefix w- for numbers 1-5:
- wàttá, ùttá
- wùkkók
- wìttá
- wàrʊ̀m
- wʊ̹̀ràm
- ɲérér
- ʊ̀mʊ̀rgʊ́
- tùppá
- kʊ́mnàsá(n)
- kʊ́mán
