Yoy language

Yoy is a Tai language of Thailand and Laos. The Yoy language is now in the critical endangered state due to a rapid language shift, which may eventually lead to complete language loss.[3]

Yoy
Native toThailand, Laos
Native speakers
(6,000 cited 1990–1995)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3yoy
Glottologyoyy1238

Phonology

The phonology of Yoy, according to Phakkahn (2017).[3]

Consonants
Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Stop Voiceless p t k ʔ
Aspirated pʰ tʰ kʰ
Voiced b d
Affricate tɕ
Fricative s h
Approximant w l j

Only /p t k ʔ m n ŋ j w/ occur in word-final position. Yoy also has six initial consonant clusters which are /tw-/, /kw-/, /kʰw-/, /sw-/, /hw-/, and /bw-/.

Some words show alternate pronunciations between the initial syllable consonants:

/jaːk⁵/ ~ /ɲaːk⁵/ to want
/jaːw²/ ~ /ɲaːw²/ long
/joːj⁴/ ~ /ɲoːj⁴/ Yoy

Vowels
Front Central Back
unr. rnd.
Diphthongs ia aɯ ɯa ua
Monophthongs Close i, iː ɯ, ɯː u, uː
Close-mid e, eː ɤ, ɤː o, oː
Open-mid æ, æː ɔ, ɔː
Open a, aː

Yoy has two different phonemic vowel lengths. There are nine short vowels and nine long vowels. In the word-final open syllables, there is no contrast between short and long vowels, but in closed syllables and non-final open syllables, short and long vowels are distinctive.[3]

Tones

Yoy has five phonologically distinctive tones in non-checked syllables. Checked syllables in Yoy can carry only tone 1 (mid-leveled tone), tone 2 (high-rising tone), and tone 5 (low-falling creaky).[3]

Vocabulary

Numberals
English Yoy
one nɯŋ¹
two sɔːŋ³
three saːm³
four siː⁵
five haː⁵
six hok²
seven tɕet²
eight pæːt⁵
nine kaw¹
ten sip²
hundred hoːj⁴
thousand pʰan²

Verbs
English Yoy
to go paj³
to open pɤːt⁵
to dream pʰan³
to fall tok²
to wash (clothes) top²
to die taj³
to wait tʰaː⁵
to bite kat²
to ask tʰaːm³
to think kʰɯt⁴
to throw kʰwæŋ⁵
to smell dom³
to burn ʔuːt⁵
to sit mep⁵
to like mak⁵
to smile ɲiːm⁴
to want ɲaːk⁵
to eat kin²
to do het¹
to teach sɔːn³
to run læn⁴
to play lin⁵

Nouns
English Yoy
eye taː³
sun ta¹ wen²
sky tʰɔŋ⁴ pʰaː⁵
milk tu²
skin kʰiːŋ²
fire pʰaj²
mountain pʰu¹ kʰaw³
fish paː³
wood pæn⁴
tree kok¹ maj¹
tooth kʰæːw⁵
leg kʰaː³
chin kʰaːŋ²
egg kʰaj²
people kʰon²
rice kʰaːw⁵
leaf baɯʔ³
soil din³
water naːm⁴
cloud mek¹
dog maː³
bird nok⁵
blood lɯat¹

Adjectives
English Yoy
far kaj³
near, short (distance) kaɯ⁴
old kaw¹
new maj⁵
good diː³
fat pʰiː²
beautiful tɕop²
red dæŋ³
black dam³
white kʰaːw⁵
soft ʔon⁵
stupid pɯk²
wet ʔɯn³
dry hæŋ⁵
big ɲaɯ²
few noj⁵

References
  1. Yoy at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Pittayaporn classified Yoy as Southwestern Tai, but does not provide supporting analysis.
  3. Phakkahn, Naiyapak (2017). Phonology and Grammar Sketch of Yoy (Master of Arts thesis). California State University, Long Beach.
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